My quest for torque....

[86camaro]

On the old site I had a post similar to this asking what would be the best parts for a torquey 383.. Not that it doesnt have any.. I just want alot more. So far the only mods Ive done are the intake and carb. I was told to use the stock 4bbl intake wich I did and I got an Eddy 650-700 carb. Someone suggected to me that I stroke it out with a 440 crank?? Will it work even tho their differant blocks? What would I need crank and rods or pistons too? Whats a good cam to go with? Lope is fine. Im thinking of getting a set of Heddmans or Hookers.. 1 3/4 Long tubes were suggested. Would some aluminum heads be a good investment or should I just have the stockers fully ported and polished? The engine has 117,xxx miles on it with no rebuild so far and still runs great. Once she hits 150,xxx Im gonna pull the engine and rebuild it and put all these parts on. Whats the stock rear end gear on a 69' Charger 383/auto and what would be a good gear to move to with a posi? Thanks

[andy74]

id use a 3.55 to 3.91 depending on your rear tire height.id also stick with a cam with 220 to 230 at 50 duration,and .460 or so lift,you wont have to rev the snot out of it to get decent power,also id leave the stock stroke alone, unless your crank is already fragged,why spend the extra dough,and you can use it for better breathing heads! or if you really want a lot of torque,get a 440!

[PocketThunder]

I have somewhere a printout of a article where some guys stroked a 383.  i'll see if i can find it in my stack of papers that i print out as i read them for future reference..

[694spdRT]

There are several buildups available if you do some searches. Keep in mind the 383 block is not really the best choice for torque output with readily available 400 blocks yielding more cubic inches for basically the same money. It can be done but most go with the 400. You are, at the very least, going to need a 440 crank and have the mains turned down or have you block machined to accept 440 mains. You will also need aftermarket pistons and they now have "off the shelf" pistons for 400 block. You will have to check on 383 piston availability. I think you can get by with stock 383 rods as long as the horsepower produced is not huge. Your rod choice will also dictate the piston you can use as B block strokers can also use the 440 rods.

Overall for a nice street engine without a lot of hassle just get the 383 rebuilt and balanced, shoot for compression of no more than 9.5 to 1, have your heads gone through, get an Engle K 54 or K 56 cam, 3.55 gears, a stall converter around 2500rpm, use the intake manifold you have or preferably a Holley street dominator intake if you can find one, and TTi headers with a 2 1/2" X-pipe system.   

Or, my choice, find a 440 core and get a lot more torque for the same money except the cost of the 440 engine core.

[Chryco Psycho]

the 383 is always low on torque , the 360 has a longer stroke , but they can work well , good compression & cam choice + head porting will give great power