383 build. Any recommedations?

Hi im building a 383. Its going to be put in a friends 78 monte til i find a car that suits my needs. Heres what ive planned so far.

-gen 1 4 bolt block. 1 piece rear main seal
.030 over, cast block

-3.75" scat 9000 series crank with external balance, scat 5.7" 5140 forged i-beam rods, forged dome +4cc pistons with file fit rings

-edelbrock aluminum performer rpm cylinder heads, 64cc, 2.02/1.6, 170cc runners,
-edelbrock hyd. flat tappet perfomer rpm cam, 234/244 @.050, 112 lobe separation,
308/318 advertisted duration

-edelbrock performer rpm air gap manifold
-cloyes double roller timing chain
-melling high volume oil pump with welded pickup
-summit 1.5 full roller rocker arms
-quick fuel 650cfm provac series carb.
-MSD streetfire distributor
-moroso 8.65mm plug wires
-bosch platinum dual point plugs
-copper head gasket
-electric fuel pump
-electric fan
-electric water pump
-no power steering


My goal is 11.1 compression. I have the block and is completely machined. I haven't got anything else because im trying to make sure this is exactly what i want before i buy it and waste horespower. I think this should make around 450hp. Maybe a little more if im lucky. What should i do differently? This total is only costing me 4500 approx. which i am happy with and not wanting to go a dime over.  

Is this gonna be strip only engine? Why 11:1 compression? Are you buying forged pistons? The parts list you have is good but can be better just depends on main use of engine  

this motor'll be used rarely on the street. I do alot of burnout contests, car shows and hit the strip once or twice a month. Im gonna use domed 4cc forged pistons. My goal is 450-500hp. The performer rpm crate engine from edelbrock puts 410hp with a 9.1 comp. I figured bumping it up to a higher compression would get me closer to where i want to be. I think 10.1 would be good as well so i could use 92 octane. I just want a fast motor.  

You will only gain a few hp from bumping up the compression. A hyd roller will get you closer to what you want.  

If i go with a edelbrock hyd. roller cam with 234/238 dur. @.050 and bump my comp. to 10.1 would i be around 450? Maybe get a crank scraper and windage tray, and go with a higher quality timing chain?  

It would be a better choice and should put you there. I would use a good oilpan with the windage tray built-in. I prefer geardrives myself but if you want to use a chain buy the best you can afford.  

do gear drives cause hp loss? I've never used a gear drive before. I heard they're strong but take hp because they allow vibration to transfer to the valvetrain.  

Engines are full of harmonics thats why they have Harmonic Balancers. Harmonics are an issue for more serious engines. Cam timing will be retarded when the chain stretches [and they all do]so its always a trade off.  

I think ill give gears a shot. The only oil pan i can find for a 1-piece rear main sbc for a 1978 monte carlo doesn't have the windage tray and scraper built into it. It is however baffled and kicked out for stroker apps. It is a moroso 7 qt. and moroso makes a windage tray and scraper for this pan. Its just not installed. Should I go with a noisy gear drive or a quiet one? Id the quiet drive weaker? I don't think it is but I could be wrong. I like the idea of hearing that supercharger sound but Id rather focus on how my motor is running.  

+1 if the quiet one is as good rtats what id get.what do you think gettn  

I like quiet ones myself. Noisy geardrives sound like a hairdryer in my ear!  

I think ill go with a quiet drive. I wonder whats different about them though. Tooth design maybe?  

Whomever said that there are tradeoffs between any cam-drive device is absolutely correct.

Gear drives are more accurate than chains in most cases, but I believe that timing chain technology has improved somewhat from what it was when Smokey Yunick was bitchin' about chains affecting cam timing thirty years ago.

Gear drives do introduce harmonics into the valvetrain and this can definitely be a bad thing - especially for roller cammed engines spinning at extremely high RPM's. This points towards high-end belt-driven units as the most superior device of the time. They are highly accurate, help absorb harmonics, don't make a bunch of noise, and are highly adjustable.  

I've looked into belt drives before. They are way to spendy though. I'm only makin a 6500 rpm motor. I think accuracy and durability would be better for my application.  

Agreed! Thats why I said harmonics are a concern for more serious engines. Timing chain stretch will prob always be a problem but if someone does eliminate that problem I wouldnt mine useing one again.