I'm building up a 383 small block for a hot street car/auto-Xer, and I'm trying to keep front end weight to a minimum. I was wondering if there are aluminum blocks on the market that can be used on a street car, and don't cost a fortune. Should I just look for a wrecked Vette? Is it even worth it? I'm open to any suggestions on how to get 450-500bhp and ft/lbs in the lightest possible RELIABLE street engine.

the only Vette engines that were aluminum blocks are the LS1 I believe and they have a weird bolt pattern which won't fit most tranny bell housings. They also use a different bore/stroke desige... I believe it is 3.9'' bore and 3.65'' stroke or so. The aftermarket aluminum blocks are all expensive so far as I know.

GM performance parts sells a 4.00 bore bare aluminum small block for around $3500. I think PAW sells an aluminum long block 350 for $8600 and a 427 big block for $9000. My point - there's no cheap way to build an all aluminum engine.