What can I do to a 383?

[santacruzcharger]

Hey Guys,

I'm working on putting together a laundry list of things to do for my 383 rebuild.  I have an all original, numbers matching 1970 Charger 500 with a 383 2-barrel that I'm looking to keep fairly stock looking visually, but want to beef it up a bit internally.  This will be a street car, so obviously nothing extreme.  Will probably bore it out, change intake and 4 barrel carb, etc.  Any and all suggestions are appreciated, even specifics in terms of brands, etc.

Thanks!!

[c00nhunterjoe]

I'm a firm beleiver in the 383. A strong bottom end, mild cam and good heads will build a screamer. Problem is it will cost you more to build the bottom end because of the higher cost of good pistons for the 383. 

If you are looking more for the torque monster sleeper then a 438 stroker maybe what the doctor ordered. The complete rotating assembly is 2000. Drop a set of stealth heads on it painted the same color as your block and noone will know they are aftermarket heads.

[Cooter]

There's a set of $5K "906" heads for sale in the vendor section as well for the "Stock Appearing" look too!

[heyoldguy]

What is the budget?

[santacruzcharger]

Thanks for the input!  I would say the budget is somewhere between $5,000-7,000 (ballpark).

[BSB67]

Thanks for the input!  I would say the budget is somewhere between $5,000-7,000 (ballpark).

For just the engine, or ........?

[67_Dodge_Charger]

I have a 383 that I stroked out to 496 with a kit from 440 Source some years ago.  My final cost was around $10k.....  I would not go big with a 383 if I planned on using the car strictly on the streets.   IMO I would go with a rebuild kit and make sure my heads would handle a stronger cam, 4BBL carb and intake.  I would go with hp exhaust manifolds cause they would look better than cheap headers.  For $7k you would have a pretty nice looking engine that looks stock and slightly warmed up.  The torque converter, transmission gears and rearend gears will dictate how quick your car is off the light.  Go with a 400 block if you want to build a bigger engine and you have a $10k bill burning a hole in your wallet.

[Chryco Psycho]

the easy build is a 436 CI using a 440 crank & rods & new pistons , stealth heads , 60303 lunati cam , RPM intake & a Proform 850 carb

[santacruzcharger]

The $5,000-$7,000 budget would be just for the engine rebuild.  Thanks again for the input, keep the ideas coming!

[71bee]

I always liked the idea that you can mildly stroke the 383 to 426 C.I. 

[BSB67]

I cannot answer your question directly without considerable time as I have not done a 383 in a long time.  But someone on here, or certainly Moparts can help you with specifics.  I can tell you that your challenge with a stock stroke 383 will be getting the right compression ratio to maximize your build's power output.  To really get the most out of your engine, you'll need to achieve a; zero deck/10.5:1 CR/Aluminum head motor, or a quench/9.5:1 CR/ iron head motor.  Unless something has changed, I don't think that piston exists, or it takes a very thoughtful selection of parts, and machining to get there.   If you really want the most out of your engine, this is the first thing you need to figure out. 

Second, after getting the right CR, is GOOD heads.  People can write a page on what a good head is, and still not cover it all.  At the risk of over simplifying, good heads start someplace on the sunny side of $1,500.

The cam selection is also key, but I'm presuming that it will be something stockish and that is really all you need to know about that for now.

[firefighter3931]

the easy build is a 436 CI using a 440 crank & rods & new pistons , stealth heads , 60303 lunati cam , RPM intake & a Proform 850 carb

Yep.....that's a nice combo with a lightweight rotating assembly. 

It'll rev like a smallblock yet make bigblock torque 



Ron