O.K. finally got the time to dig into the 383, prorac1 ask about the way I was checking the cam and he was right in a way, I found the push rod was hitting the block on #1 exhaust and throwing off my reading. The cam has .321-.322 lift on all the lobes so the cam is a DC 284/484, The timing chain was a link belt not a double roller, and very sloppy. Then the dist bushings were worn out, the oil pump drive bushing was worn out the shaft worn bad, the oil pump was stock and looked like rocks went through it, never seen one so bad. Pulled the pan and some how the bearings looked good. The valve springs were stock single spring no damper and weak, probably floated at 4000 rpm and is why it wouldn't rev. The intake was a Edelbrock dual plane and no gasket other than the valley pan and it was leaking.
The fix, A Howard's double roller chain with 9 positions to adjust, set it up for 4* adv and actually got 3.5*, the cam had a 108 cl and now is set to a 111.5 cl, intake closed at 70* ABDC, now 66.5* ABDC. Comp cams 911-16 valve springs, Melling HV oil pump DC shaft and a NOS dist that I had set timing at 38* total . New intake gaskets and valley pan, I ran real good but had a off idle stumble, the 1412 Edelbrock 800 was to lean, so I put the smallest metering rod in that came in the kit and it was almost perfect, drilled the #35 squirter nozzle to #37 and that fixed it with the pump rod in the closest hole to the pivot. The car will cruise at 1500 RPM in 3rd gear all day long, has a nice rough idle at 900 RPM and will spin the tires 1/2 way through 1st gear sideways in 2nd gear and it pulls like a bear.
