Smeding Performance 383 crate motor review

[Holliday]

I get a lot of useful information from this site so I just wanted to contribute.....

I have a '68 SWB that had a SBC 350ish motor matted with a TH350 transmission. The motor ran decent but I decided to start tuning it up after I got done redoing my suspension. I replaced the distributor, plug wires, and plugs. I had a hell of a time getting the timing straightened out but eventually I did, or so I thought.....

I was out driving he truck one day and it decided to take a crap on me right when I was about home. I made it back to my driveway and and found a nice trail of coolant coming from my exhaust. I have straight pipes so I could tell it was the passenger side head gasket right away. After I pulled the heads I found the engine was bored .080 and you can see from the picture below the motor was











more to the story coming soon........

[crazy longhorn]

Damn.... .080 is a long way out on a 4 " bore block! How many miles did she run? crazyL

[Holliday]

Originally Posted by crazy longhorn

Damn.... .080 is a long way out on a 4 " bore block! How many miles did she run? crazyL

The truck mileage was around 65,000 but that Frankenstein motor probably had a lot more than that! LOL

[Holliday]

So instead of spending another dime on this motor I started searching for my options. I looked at local builders and a ton of crate motors. I decided I would take the crate motor route but deciding on a builder was hard! I looked all over the internet on reviews and peoples experiences with certain brands. After about a month of searching and talking with builders I had it narrowed down now to either 383 Smeding Performance motor or the 355 Year One crate motor.

After I a few emails back and forth with Year one it took them twice as long to answer my emails because they had to ask the actual company that builds their motor. With Smeding I got real information the same day from U-Kim and every question was answered. It was a no brainier for me to deal directly with the engine builder and not a middle man that puts their name on someone elses motor.

After much debate and haggling my wife I decided on the 360hp 418ft lbs 383 motor http://www.smedingperformance.com/ch...orsepower.html

I sent my 1/3 down payment and they got started on my motor. I asked tons of questions along the way to get everything purchased for the arrival of the new motor and again, every question was answered. I ordered on September 10th and I had the motor in my driveway on October 14th. I purchased the 383 E-series motor and upgraded to the electric choke, had the holley fuel pump installed, and purchased the flexplate from them as well.

The dyno tune yielded the following results:
Timing: 16/36
Idle: 800 rpm
HP: 369 @ 5200 rpm
Torque: 439 @ 3800 rpm

They sent the dyno sheet, invoice, engine parts breakdown, oil options/information, accessory options/information, and the paperwork from the carb also. Here are some pics of getting the motor ready for installation.















I am more than happy with the motor and the customer support that Smeding offers. I would highly recommend them for anyone that is looking to get a crate motor.

Here are some more pics of the process from taking the old motor out and getting the truck ready for the new one.



















Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. Thanks for looking

[cableguy0]

I have never seen any shop bore past .060 on a small block. Even .060 is really pushing it in a small block especially without sonic checking the block for thickness.

[Holliday]

Originally Posted by cableguy0

I have never seen any shop bore past .060 on a small block. Even .060 is really pushing it in a small block especially without sonic checking the block for thickness.

I know! lol. I had to take a picture to show the guys at my shop that it was actually bored that much over!

It's no wonder it overheated and killed itself

[Captainfab]

Does the 383 have a roller cam or is it a flat tappet cam?

[Holliday]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

Does the 383 have a roller cam or is it a flat tappet cam?

The model I purchased has a flat tapped cam. However, they offer different configurations and a Custom ground hydraulic roller .480”/.480” lift 212°/222° duration @.050” is one example they offer.

Smeding 383 E-Series

Block: New GMPP #10105123, 4 bolt main, 1 piece seal, finish machined in house
Pistons: Hypereutectic, 9.0
Crankshaft: 3.80" stroke, cast steel, 1 piece seal, balanced in house
Connecting Rod: 5.7" Forged, full floating w/ HD. bolts
Camshaft: Flat tappet hydraulic, .443"/.465" lift, 214/224 duration @ .050"
Cylinder Heads: Aluminum 2.02/1.60
Induction: Edelbrock EPS Performer and dyno-tuned 600 carburetor
Ignition: HEI with built in coil, 8mm Moroso wires
Rocker Arms: Stamped Steel Rockers
Warranty: 3 year/ unlimited mileage
Fully dyno-tuned

You can see everything they offer here: http://www.smedingperformance.com/chevy/

[Lee H]

Great progress, good job. Looking forward to a review after a few miles.

[Holliday]

Originally Posted by Lee H

Great progress, good job. Looking forward to a review after a few miles.

I have a little over 250 miles on her so far

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Helping my freind install a smedding e series 430hp engine in his 85 stepside. Looked to be a good quality engine. They have the distributor stamped so you know if it moved. I wonder what brand heads they use. They seem to be no name brand.
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[Expat_dude]

Keep us posted, I am still window shopping for crate engines...
Thanks for sharing, great pics!!
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[clinebarger]

Why would they install a flat tappet cam in a roller capable block?
Those heads look like ProComps.

[Captainfab]

I was thinking the same thing.

I guess it is about keeping within a budget.

Originally Posted by clinebarger

Why would they install a flat tappet cam in a roller capable block?
Those heads look like ProComps.

[xole]

Any update on the motor after you have put some miles on it?

[Holliday]

Originally Posted by xole

Any update on the motor after you have put some miles on it?

I have over 1,000 miles on the motor now and everything is sound. It is a good strong running motor. I do a lot of highway driving and it cruises very smooth down the road at 70 @ 2800 RPM with my TH350 tranny. (Will be upgrading to a 700r4 in the future)

If you are looking for a very nice turn key motor but want that one on one build at an affordable price than the Smeding fits the bill. I loved being able to pull the motor out of the crate and it already be broken in and tuned. I had it in the same day I took delivery and it was running the next day!

I am currently putting on my new Magnaflow exhaust system and can't wait to see how it sounds!

[Holliday]

Quick update....

It's been really cold here in Oklahoma lately and this engines fires right up when it's cold! Everything is in sounds working condition
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[bk2life]

nice congrats!

[heymoe]

Any more feed back to report? I am looking at purchasing the 383 Cruiser for my truck. Any updates would be greatly appreciated.

[Holliday]

Originally Posted by heymoe

Any more feed back to report? I am looking at purchasing the 383 Cruiser for my truck. Any updates would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry for the late reply. The engine and the support from Smeding has been great!

However, I am having a small vacuum leak issue I am trying to get resolved with U-Kim right now. They do have a 3 year warranty

The cruiser looks to be a great motor! If I were to do it again I would get one with hydraulic roller rockers over the flat tappet but I m happy.

[heymoe]

Originally Posted by Holliday

Sorry for the late reply. The engine and the support from Smeding has been great!

However, I am having a small vacuum leak issue I am trying to get resolved with U-Kim right now. They do have a 3 year warranty

The cruiser looks to be a great motor! If I were to do it again I would get one with hydraulic roller rockers over the flat tappet but I m happy.

Thanks for getting back with me. I should be ordering mine in the next couple weeks... still trying to decide on updating and going with a low mile LS engine and 4l60E. Let me know if they are able to fix the vacuum issue as I am curious on how their customer support is.
Thanks Again.


Matt

[Holliday]

Originally Posted by heymoe

Thanks for getting back with me. I should be ordering mine in the next couple weeks... still trying to decide on updating and going with a low mile LS engine and 4l60E. Let me know if they are able to fix the vacuum issue as I am curious on how their customer support is.
Thanks Again.


Matt

I have been working with U-Kim on the issue and he has been great! He wants to check it out so we are going to meet up at a car show somewhere between Oklahoma and Texas.

He has always replied to my emails and is always ready to help! I met him recently at a big car show in OKC and Smeding had a booth setup with their engines. They all look great! You can;t go wrong plus there is a 3 year warranty.

[54Caddy]

What was the price tag on the engine you have?
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[Holliday]

Originally Posted by 54Caddy

What was the price tag on the engine you have?
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$3,895

http://www.smedingperformance.com/ch...orsepower.html

[Big-Sexy907]

Any updates on the motor and how it's doing? I'm considering one for my 1990 SCSB, with a carb conversion.