New 383 engine

[psy4s]

I am building a street sleeper 383 for my 1967 Camaro.
Looks like a 350, runs like a Monster. Typical Economy type Grocery Getter.
The engine is a mild 383 (6.27 liter)
 (5.7 liter-350 cu in block, with 4.030 bore
and 3.750 in stroke)
 The Engine has 10-1 compression
 MAHLE forged pistons flat tops SBC-425030F05. +
 Eagle 5.7 H-Beam Connecting Rods
 Forged Summit One Piece Rear 383 Crank
 AFR 195 Eliminator cylinder heads
 Comp Cams Pro Magnum SS Full Roller Rockers.
 Comp Cams Pushrods
 Comp Cams Hydraulic Roller Cam
.536 intake, .544 Exhaust 110 Separation
 Comp Cams Hydraulic Roller Lifters
 Crane Rocker Stud Girdle
 AFR HydroRev kit to keep the lifters in their holes
 The intake is an Edelbrock Performer RPM AirGap
 BG Demon 750 AV Carb (650 cfm)
 The Distributor is a Mallory Unilite
 1 5/8 in headers with 3"Collectors
 The Transmission is a 4 speed Muncie Transmission.
 CSI Electric Water Pump
 100amp Alternator
 The 12 bolt rear end is 3.73
 The tires are 225/60VR15

I want to run Synthetic oil in the Monster, but I have been told I have to use DINO oil during break-in, and then I can switch to Synthetic. How long should I wait, and what do you recommend for break in, and until I start using synthetic

 

[Drew99GT]

You're going to get all kinds of different responses.

If I had that beauty with that beast under the hood, I'd break it in on a conventional 15w-40 heavy duty engine oil, such as Rotella. Actually I'd probably run this type of oil for the life of the engine, but if you want to run synthetic, something like Rotella 5w-40 would work great!

Although this motor has a roller cam, it's still a pretty stout cam per the specs, so I'd personally stay clear of any SM/GF-4 passenger car oils since they have less zinc then a HDEO.

I'd drain the oil after a hundred or so miles, then do a run of about 1,000 miles and drain, then another run of a about 2,000 miles, and if all is good, consider it broken in as far as short oil change intervals.

I wouldn't do any extended oil drains with a beastly carbed motor! That sucker will have a lot of fuel running through it, so fuel dilution would be a limiting factor for oil drain interval compared to a regular fuel injected passenger car engine.

 

[Johnny]

My-o-my, ain't that nice.

to BITOG

 

[ProStreetCamaro]

That carb is to small.


With that said I would break it in on Rotella and then switch to rotella 5W-40 syn or amsoil ACD.

http://www.amsoil.com/a/Synthetic-Diesel-Motor-Oil-Engine-Oil


BTW welcome to the 383 stroker club! Mine is a bit wilder than yours but then again mine was built for all out drag racing.

 

[daman]

I agree with Drew's post, after break in a nice Diet of RTS or TDT 5w40.

 

[OVERKILL]

M1 TDT/Delvac 1 or Rotella.

I agree on the car sizing issue.

Also, what are you running for valve springs? Are they heavy enough for the cam or did they come on the heads?

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: psy4s
I am building a street sleeper 383 for my 1967 Camaro.
Looks like a 350, runs like a Monster. Typical Economy type Grocery Getter.
The engine is a mild 383 (6.27 liter)
 (5.7 liter-350 cu in block, with 4.030 bore
and 3.750 in stroke)
 The Engine has 10-1 compression
 MAHLE forged pistons flat tops SBC-425030F05. +
 Eagle 5.7 H-Beam Connecting Rods
 Forged Summit One Piece Rear 383 Crank
 AFR 195 Eliminator cylinder heads
 Comp Cams Pro Magnum SS Full Roller Rockers.
 Comp Cams Pushrods
 Comp Cams Hydraulic Roller Cam
.536 intake, .544 Exhaust 110 Separation
 Comp Cams Hydraulic Roller Lifters
 Crane Rocker Stud Girdle
 AFR HydroRev kit to keep the lifters in their holes
 The intake is an Edelbrock Performer RPM AirGap
 BG Demon 750 AV Carb (650 cfm)
 The Distributor is a Mallory Unilite
 1 5/8 in headers with 3"Collectors
 The Transmission is a 4 speed Muncie Transmission.
 CSI Electric Water Pump
 100amp Alternator
 The 12 bolt rear end is 3.73
 The tires are 225/60VR15

I want to run Synthetic oil in the Monster, but I have been told I have to use DINO oil during break-in, and then I can switch to Synthetic. How long should I wait, and what do you recommend for break in, and until I start using synthetic


1st of all, you can break any engine( daily driver 4 banger or 500+HP hot rod )in on any synthetic you wish to. It will hurt NOTHING. GM themselves uses Mobil 1 as factory fill on their hi-performance vehicles like the Corvette and in their luxury vehicles from Cadillac. Those engines get synthetic from day one so there is no reason you can not do the same.

The Dodge Viper and Ram SRT-10 trucks( still hold record for being the worlds fastest production truck ever made )also came with Mobil 1 as factory fill from day one as another prime example of an auto mfg using synthetic in a hi-performance/high HP application from the get go. If synthetic is good enough for the Z06(505HP) and ZR1(638HP) Vette's, and the Viper(510HP)/Ram SRT-10(500HP), then it is no problem for your SB 383 Camaro.

I have broken many hi performance motors( MOPAR and GM big and small block V8's ) in on synthetic and they have all broken in just fine and run great. It is not an issue. If you wish to break it in on Dino go for it. That too is fine. Either way you wish to go the engine will break in just fine as long as YOU( or whomever is building the engine )does it right. That is FAR more important than chosing dino or synthetic for break in.

When I used dino oil to break a motor in it was always Castrol GTX. Older formula with more ZDDP however than the current SM formulation. Even that will work okay although I would be tempted to add some type of ZDDP booster to it just to be safe. When I have used synthetic it has been Royal Purple mainly with a Redline used on a few occassions.

This may interest you. It is a new Break In Oil from Royal Purple. It is what I would use today if I was building an engine for the initial break in. Wasn't available back when I was into muscle cars, hot rod's, and drag racing or I would have run it...

Following the break in period I would run Royal Purple in your engine. The regular street oils should be fine but you could always run the racing oil as well but it is almost double the cost. I would probably run RP 10W-40 in it although 10W-30 or 20W-50 would work as well. Redline would be my 2nd choice for oil for your engine.

Good luck.

 

[Ryan02SS]

I run Mobil Delvac 15W-40 in my 385ci SBC. Works great and upon teardown of previous engines really protects the internals very well. No bore polishing and minor skirt wear. This is also in a very hard run marine application. I also run the AFR heads. They are the best IMO.. You will love the power.

 

[psy4s]

When I ordered the heads, I gave them the Cam Speck, and they installed the springs that were supposed to be correct. I am going to check to be sure they do not bottom out, and the Hydra-Rev kit should help keep them bounce back.

 

[psy4s]

Originally Posted By: ProStreetCamaro
That carb is to small.


With that said I would break it in on Rotella and then switch to rotella 5W-40 syn or amsoil ACD.

http://www.amsoil.com/a/Synthetic-Diesel-Motor-Oil-Engine-Oil


BTW welcome to the 383 stroker club! Mine is a bit wilder than yours but then again mine was built for all out drag racing.

I contacted Holley Carbs, Super Street Carbs, and Demon Carbs. They all told me to run a 650cfm carb, and nothing larger. I went with the 750 AV has reduced flow from a 750 due to the Annular Ventury in the passage, but it is supposed to atomize the fuel better with better low end responce. It has reduced air flow at low RPM's but at WOT it is supposed to flow more than the 650. Since I am going to drive it on the street, I compromised. Of course, I can easily swap it out for the track. It wouldn't be a problem to keep a larger carb just for track day.

Best of both worlds. I Hope.

 

[Bryanccfshr]

With the rollerized valvetrain I would try a solid 30wt. Break it in on a HDD straight 30 then go to a 10w30 synthetic. With the rollerized valvetrain I wuld take advantage of the low friction design you have built. Soundslike you built this well.

 

[440Magnum]

Nice engine... although I read the thread because I saw "383" and assumed big-block Mopar...

One thing that's not in your build list (or else I missed it) is the oil pump. Are you going with a high-volume unit? What about full-groove bearings?

With an HV oil pump you can go significantly thinner on the oil without losing protection, and you'll gain better oil distribution. I'm not saying you should run a 0w20... but with an HV pump there's certainly no need for 15w50 or anything like that. In fact there are arguments against it (stress on the oil pump drive, wasted power).

Go synthetic as soon as you want. Break it in on it if you want. But if you just can't bring yourself to do it, wait until 5000 miles ;-)

 

[OVERKILL]

How high are you planning on spinning it is another question.

The Melling "select" series of pumps has an anti-cavitation pump for this application that would be a good choice if you plan on turning it any serious RPM.

A good friend of mine has an S10 with a built SBC in it, roller valvetrain, forged crank, rods and pistons...etc. It has been spun as high as 7K IIRC. They had a Melling HV pump in it, which ate itself the last time it was at the track, and upon tear-down, there were signs of cavitation.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: psy4s
When I ordered the heads, I gave them the Cam Speck, and they installed the springs that were supposed to be correct. I am going to check to be sure they do not bottom out, and the Hydra-Rev kit should help keep them bounce back.


The cam manufacturer should have given you a spring and install height recommendation with the camshaft.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: psy4s
Originally Posted By: ProStreetCamaro
That carb is to small.


With that said I would break it in on Rotella and then switch to rotella 5W-40 syn or amsoil ACD.

http://www.amsoil.com/a/Synthetic-Diesel-Motor-Oil-Engine-Oil


BTW welcome to the 383 stroker club! Mine is a bit wilder than yours but then again mine was built for all out drag racing.

I contacted Holley Carbs, Super Street Carbs, and Demon Carbs. They all told me to run a 650cfm carb, and nothing larger. I went with the 750 AV has reduced flow from a 750 due to the Annular Ventury in the passage, but it is supposed to atomize the fuel better with better low end responce. It has reduced air flow at low RPM's but at WOT it is supposed to flow more than the 650. Since I am going to drive it on the street, I compromised. Of course, I can easily swap it out for the track. It wouldn't be a problem to keep a larger carb just for track day.

Best of both worlds. I Hope.

Got another one for ya to contact

http://www.pro-system.com

Those are the guys my cam grinder uses.

FWIW, my little 302 has a Holley HP main body (750cfm) on it.... And that is with much less head than you have and a 7K limit.

 

[Steve S]

How hot will your oil get? I can't see you being able to hold the car at WOT for a very long time . So most likley a heavy duty motor oil could be the best choice.

 

[Rob_Roy]

Originally Posted By: psy4s
Originally Posted By: ProStreetCamaro
That carb is to small.

With that said I would break it in on Rotella and then switch to rotella 5W-40 syn or amsoil ACD.

http://www.amsoil.com/a/Synthetic-Diesel-Motor-Oil-Engine-Oil


BTW welcome to the 383 stroker club! Mine is a bit wilder than yours but then again mine was built for all out drag racing.

I contacted Holley Carbs, Super Street Carbs, and Demon Carbs. They all told me to run a 650cfm carb, and nothing larger. I went with the 750 AV has reduced flow from a 750 due to the Annular Ventury in the passage, but it is supposed to atomize the fuel better with better low end responce. It has reduced air flow at low RPM's but at WOT it is supposed to flow more than the 650. Since I am going to drive it on the street, I compromised. Of course, I can easily swap it out for the track. It wouldn't be a problem to keep a larger carb just for track day.

Best of both worlds. I Hope.

That carb should be excellent for your street car. I recently swapped my 750 Holley DP for a 650 Demon on the SBC in my camaro. The throttle response is greatly improved and it launches harder than ever.

 

[psy4s]

I am running a 6qt oil pan with internal baffle, and windage tray. The pump is a Hi Volume Melling from Summit Racing, with a forged drive that comes with the pump. The Crank is cross drilled and Chamfered. The whole package is internally balanced.
I did add a large oil cooler, but that was mostly to add to the volume of oil the system holds. I am sure Tempreature is not going to be a problem, as a matter of a fact I was a little afraid it would not get warm enough, unless it is on a long trip. The oil cooler has a Temp bypass switch to help with this problem. I may be over thinking this, But I am trying hard to avoid any OOPS moments. I just hate those OOPS Moments.

 

[Rob_Roy]

Do you know what the bearing clearances are in your engine?

 

[psy4s]

I had the block machine worked for clearance, and assembled at Schmidt performance in Indianapolis. I am sure I can find out the clearances though.