Hi all,
i am really confused as to what options i should take, i hear great reports about chev and same reports about the 308 stroker engine too,
problem im having is that putting a chev in my project lx 6/1977 torana i will need engineers but dont know if its possible to do it these days?
question i have for you guys should i stick with a 308 stroker or find a way to go chev?
im from sydney NSW...
your thoughts thanks
Thomas
308 stroker 355 or chev?
Started by
_Black lx torana_
, Jan 06 2013 11:11 PM
11 replies to this topic
#2
_434LX_
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Posted 07 January 2013 - 12:19 AM
Hi Thomas,
It's not a world ending decision
Pros and cons for both so it's a personal choice really.
1) 308/355 - easy to fit, looks factory, readily available, exhausts of the shelf, make good power......
2)sbc - relatively easy to fit, more choice in displacement, billions of aftermarket parts, easy to get power out of.
I had a VN SS with a built 355 and it was a monster, If I was going to do another LX build, I would probably go 355, Tremek TKO and BW. Was such an awesome combo for the street.
It's not a world ending decision
Pros and cons for both so it's a personal choice really.
1) 308/355 - easy to fit, looks factory, readily available, exhausts of the shelf, make good power......
2)sbc - relatively easy to fit, more choice in displacement, billions of aftermarket parts, easy to get power out of.
I had a VN SS with a built 355 and it was a monster, If I was going to do another LX build, I would probably go 355, Tremek TKO and BW. Was such an awesome combo for the street.
#3
Lima31
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Posted 07 January 2013 - 01:23 AM
As said above it is a personal choice, there are plenty of threads on here on 350 chev versus 355 holden.
Following mates and others who have gone both routes, I would personally go the 383/396 Holden path with a 4 speed M22 for a weekend street car. Haters gonna hate, but gearbox aside I personally think that a Torana loses some of its prestige if it goes the Chev route, as what made it special (to me anyway) was not just its racing success but also its local production origins.
Following mates and others who have gone both routes, I would personally go the 383/396 Holden path with a 4 speed M22 for a weekend street car. Haters gonna hate, but gearbox aside I personally think that a Torana loses some of its prestige if it goes the Chev route, as what made it special (to me anyway) was not just its racing success but also its local production origins.
#4
torana_nick
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Posted 07 January 2013 - 05:47 AM
Also the engineer side of things would probably steer me towards the 308/355 way.
I am personally going the 308 for that reason.
I am personally going the 308 for that reason.
#5
rexy
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Posted 07 January 2013 - 10:22 AM
And when the copper asks whats under the bonnet you can still say "the good ol holden five litre" with a straight face.
#6
torana_nick
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Posted 07 January 2013 - 01:16 PM
And when the copper asks whats under the bonnet you can still say "the good ol holden five litre" with a straight face.
True they look the same it's not like a cop knows the difference.
Exept in this one case my mate got his engine built by a bloke who turned into a cop. He got pulled over and done for driving a high powered vichale under his p's. this is going back at least 4-5 years ago.
#7
Ice
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Posted 07 January 2013 - 01:52 PM
Nothing wrong with a well built 308 stroker and as above if you get pulled up its no issue
#8
_LXSS350_
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Posted 07 January 2013 - 05:01 PM
The decision is personal and depends on what you want to achieve. If you are doing an originality (or non engineer) build then the holden plastic (308) is the only way to go. If you are after big power then a chev offers far more options. Its easy to get out of control on the build cost, so research the numbers well. After all the most important if you want to finish the upgrade is to make sure its within your $$ grasp. 350 Chev into torrie is very simple to get passed and legal.
Edited by LXSS350, 07 January 2013 - 05:02 PM.
#9
_AD_75_
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Posted 07 January 2013 - 06:21 PM
With the HP numbers achievable out of a holden 355 stroker these days theres no real reason not to go 308 in a street driven Torana. Less rego hassels and mods needed makes it an easy descision in my opinion. In the old days when we struggled to get more then 380HP out of a 308 i would have said differently tho.
#10
_ooLo31_
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Posted 14 January 2013 - 01:13 PM
go with a sbc ,if you havnt got anything for your conversion the price wont be much different
between chev and holden (mounts ,extractors) but the price on your engine is where you will save
the sbc is cheap on parts and there are plenty of them around .these days any engine builder will try
and rape you for 10 k just to build a holden for half that you can buy a chev crate motor with 100 hp more.
if you can build it yourself even better parts for sbc are cheap just watch the postage charges.
between chev and holden (mounts ,extractors) but the price on your engine is where you will save
the sbc is cheap on parts and there are plenty of them around .these days any engine builder will try
and rape you for 10 k just to build a holden for half that you can buy a chev crate motor with 100 hp more.
if you can build it yourself even better parts for sbc are cheap just watch the postage charges.
#11
_LHSL308_
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Posted 14 January 2013 - 07:36 PM
I have just got my 308 rebuilt and on the engine dyno we got 400Hp out of it. I wanted to keep the car as original as I could even though the car didnt come out with this engine. Throwing in a Muncie M20 wide ratio 4 speed, had a Saginaw previously and also has a 9 inch with 3.55 gears. Will have a few runs down the 1/4 as well down the track. I think I spent around 7-8K just on the engine. I probably should have bought a 355 stroker kit for it in hindsight but in the end the car was mainly built for street.
Personally if it was me I would stick with a Holden engine but thats just me.
A word of advise, whatever you work what your costs are going to be, add another few thou because there are always a few suprises. Good luck with the build.
Personally if it was me I would stick with a Holden engine but thats just me.
A word of advise, whatever you work what your costs are going to be, add another few thou because there are always a few suprises. Good luck with the build.
#12
_ooLo31_
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Posted 14 January 2013 - 08:04 PM
hi again i should rephrase what i wrote before if you want a good mild engine just to drive around ingo with a sbc ,if you havnt got anything for your conversion the price wont be much different
between chev and holden (mounts ,extractors) but the price on your engine is where you will save
the sbc is cheap on parts and there are plenty of them around .these days any engine builder will try
and rape you for 10 k just to build a holden for half that you can buy a chev crate motor with 100 hp more.
if you can build it yourself even better parts for sbc are cheap just watch the postage charges.
build a holden engine ,do your homework find out what you want ,ask a million questions ,find yourself a
good machine shop get them to do your machineing and put the engine together a lot cheaper than an engine
builder .even better if your pretty handy with a spanner get them to build the short motor and you put the heads manifold
and or the stuff on will save you heaps .
Edited by ooLo31, 14 January 2013 - 08:06 PM.
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