Powerboat Forums at SpeedWake banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

383 Carb Blower Questions

Jump to Latest
1 - 20 of 25 Posts

201liberator

· Registered
Joined
·
647 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
Questions re: a blower for a carbureted 383

Anyone running one of these? For future reference I would like to know what people think who actually have a carbureted SBC (350, 355, 377, 383) with a supercharger.

Whipple vs. Procharger?
Holley Marine 144 Powercharger?


What is the total cost of the kit with everything that you actually need so include the cost of things not included in the kits but you had to buy. Upgraded fuel lines, bigger Carb, fuel pump, etc.

Keith Eickert lists the price of the kit for the Holley 890-155010-2 at $2,795.99 and the Procharger 524-1MC222-NN at $4,499.99. Whipple's website states that their marine small block carb blowers start at $3,595.00.
 
#2 · (Edited)
blow thru carbs arent cheap if they are set up correctly,figure 700 for the carb, engine needs to be set up for boost if its gonna be worth your while to add a blower, forged internals,lower compression,etc. Youll need a good fuel system as well.
Whipple is a screw type blower
Holley,Weind,B&M,6-71s,8-71s etc are all rooots blower
Procharger is a centrifugal.

They all work differently, for a boat where torque isking
you cant beat the whipple, makes the low end power and
is way more efficient than the old school roots blowers .
Except for cost they are way better in every way than
the outdated roots blowers.

Roots blowers make great power but take more power
to turn and have poor adiabatic(sp?) effieciency which
basically means they heat up the air way too much.
They are also the cheapest way to go..

Prochargers make linear boost,means they start off at
almost no boost and build dependant on rpm so they
dont give you the instant kick in the *** the otehrs do
but can make insane amoubt of power on top,they are
also more forgiving on drivetrain parts such as your drive.
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
Yea, I'm aware of the different types of blowers. I considered them for my car - Roots (Eaton) vs. centri (Paxton, Procharger or Vortech) vs. Twin-screw (Kenne-Bell). I also considered a turbo or even nitrous. Now I'm considering all of those for the boat's future. I may never do it, but am thinking/dreaming about it. I'm just hoping to hear from people who own or have owned one or more of the various blowers/forced induction options.
 
#4 ·
I had a pair of B&M 144's in my boat for a while. In my opinion they are way to small. I have 355's and I had to use the smallest pulley they made. An inter-cooler would have helped though. Anyway if you do something roots, I would use a B&M 671. It is allot bigger but they can be had for not much more money and require the same amount of work and fuel system mods.

Another option is to machine an adapter for the 144 manifold to hold the 177 blower. I made some a long time ago and never used them. I ended up using the aluminum for another project.

I bought my 144's on ebay at separate times for around $900ea. complete. Then another $300-$400 for fuel system upgrades. (pump, larger lines, and larger vent) The merc ignition will work fine but requires a V6 module ($75) or do like I did and buy a billet HEI distributor and adjustable rev limiter for $175.

The last thing needed will be a modified carb, like a 750 mech. secondary. ($200 used $450 new) I had my carbs done by nickerson for around $300 ea.

So expect around $2200 to have a safe reliable set up using used and new parts.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
That sounds like a good price. How much of a power increase do you think the blower gave you per engine?

355 - if it was at 400 hp and went up to 550 that would be a very good increase. 100 hp increase would be good. 200 hp would be GREAT.
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
How much did it raise the height of the flame arrestor? I have to make sure it will fit under my hatch or I will have to factor in a modified or new hatch into the equation. Are you running a spacer between the blower and the carb for heat reduction?
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
I will have to measure, but I don't think I have 6" available. If I go the blower route, it may have to be a centrifugal or I will have to add a scoop on the hatch. I then lose the sleeper look as people assume you have some serious power if you have a scoop. Right now everyone assumes that my boat will run 50-60 so I surprise people.
 
#11 ·
Dennis, go with a 174 or 177 blower on that Libby. Yeah you might need a scoop but people are still gonna think it all show since Libby's aren't known for high speeds. We could have everything installed and running in a weekend.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Here are the dimensions:


For a PMF intercooler (super chiller) add 4" for all blowers

Add another 1/2" if you make an adapter for the 174 or 177 to fit the small block intake.

B&M 144:
Front dimenesion (front of block to end of pulley) = 7.35"
Height dimenesion (top of block/bottom intake to carb mount) = 7.79"

B&M 174:
Front dimenesion (front of block to end of pulley) = 7.35"
Height dimenesion (top of block/bottom intake to carb mount) = 7.87"

B&M 250:
Front dimenesion (front of block to end of pulley) = 7.35"
Height dimenesion (top of block/bottom intake to carb mount) = 10.68"

B&M 420:
Front dimenesion (front of block to end of pulley) = 7.90-8.83"
Height dimenesion (top of block/bottom intake to carb mount) = 12.18-12.53"
 
#13 ·
To keep that sleeper look, remember you can also put a slight hump in your hatch that would require some mods and or a new sun pad. You can also use colored stripes in the stitching to make your eyes focus on the stripe not the hump. That way you really have to look to notice.

Also remember the fuel water separator. I forgot to mention it. You can modify your stock one by re-drilling and tapping for a 3/8npt. Or do the right thing and buy one with 1/2" npt which also uses a higher gph filter.
 
#14 ·
Another thing for sbc users with newer small blocks...

My original setup was the 98' gen+ small block which has vortech heads. For the 144 intake to fit (different bolt pattern) you can set the intake on the block and transfer the holes. Then tape off the lifter valley and drill/tap the new 3/8-16 holes.

You also need to use the felpro 1/8" thick intake gaskets with the intake.
 
Discussion starter · #15 ·
dominator scott said:
Dennis, go with a 174 or 177 blower on that Libby. Yeah you might need a scoop but people are still gonna think it all show since Libby's aren't known for high speeds. We could have everything installed and running in a weekend.
Click to expand...
I am just dreaming at the moment. I'm not sure how fast I want the boat to run or how fast the hull is capable of running. It runs very well at 70 now. 72 - hairy. If I threw another 100 hp at her, I'm not sure it would do too much. 5 mph? I am going to get the prop lab finished over the winter and see what that does. I'm toying with the RPM Air Gap intake swap too.
 
Discussion starter · #16 ·
Twin27Advantage said:
I had a pair of B&M 144's in my boat for a while. In my opinion they are way to small. I have 355's and I had to use the smallest pulley they made. An inter-cooler would have helped though.
Click to expand...
Twin - what happened with your blower motors? Did you upgrade to bigger blowers or just go N/A again? If you went back to N/A, can you tell me why?

For $2,000+, I might consider a 177 blower. I wouldn't have to buy the new Air Gap intake then so I would save that money. I already have a good 750 Holley that I could send to Nickerson.

Besides the height issues, has anyone had any real problems running a roots blower at low boost say 3-5#? If I went with a Superchiller, how much can you safely up the boost?
 
#18 ·
201,

I removed them because I had purchased some 671's to install. I ended up selling them and wen't back to NA. I changes cam, did a bunch of head work, cut the heads down and wen't with thin head gaskets to get the compression back.

The main reason I sold the big blowers was to fund my extension box project. One of these days I will start selling them and all of the other parts I make.

With the boxes, I gained the speed back and improved the overall handling.

Keep in mind the 177 will require selling the intake and finding/buying a 144 small block intake.
 
Discussion starter · #19 ·
Still looking for some additional info:

Besides the height issues, has anyone had any real problems running a roots blower at low boost say 3-5#? If I went with a Superchiller, how much can you safely up the boost?

Is the 144 too small for my 383 if it was intercooled? I like the low profile look, but don't want to waste my money on something that isn't going to give me much of an increase in HP. I would also consider a centrifugal supercharger such as a Procharger or Vortech as I wouldn't have to worry about the height issue.
 
#20 ·
Shouldn't help the competition :laugher: My friend has a procharger on his stock 350 mag mpi in the same boat I have and it does 75gps.Never had a problem with it and swears it has been a blast.I assume the same setup on your 383 means lots of fun.Also I drop down the list.
 
1 - 20 of 25 Posts
About this Discussion
24 Replies
6 Participants
Last post:
201liberator
Powerboat Forums at SpeedWake
posts
921K
members
19K
Since
2002
A forum community dedicated to Powerboat owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
General Boating Discussions Powerquest News Articles