Opinion’s Wanted on 383 Build
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View attachment 1715788007 Guys,
Looking for opinions on this Edelbrock Top End Kit for a 65 383 block I’ve been gifted. I haven’t gotten into the tear down yet but it looks stock and I’m guessing the heads are 516’s.
Planning on building this for my 67 Dart.
let me know any thoughts on the kit?
Thanks!
What is your intended use? For street it looks pretty good. Should make good torque for street driving. That directly relates to fuel economy.
IMHO, there is a big market crash coming. Probably worse than 1929, and it may last longer. Fuel economy will be important.
I looked at the kit specifications.
Cam: 204I/
[email protected]", 270/280 advertised, 0.420"/0.442". LCA not listed. This is an older design commonly refered to as an RV cam.
Something along the lines of Howards Cams; CL720862-08DL may be better today. Both the Edelbrock and the Howards are hyd flat tappet so oil with ZDDP is required. Say Penzoil 10W-30 intended for diesels?
The Howards cam:238I/238E @0.05", 266I/266E advertised, 0.558" lift on both lobes. This one is ground with a LCA of 108°. David Vizard's cam LCA selector for paralell valves (mainly sm Chevy) is his 128 formula. Based on intake valve curtain diameter and cylinder displacement with about 10:1 to 10.5:1 compression, would indicate 103.5 LCA for your application.
The Edelbrock specs say built to order, so you could probably call and request a different cam with specs like the Howards. Another option if theiir cost goes up or they do not have a cam close to the Howards, buy the kit and sell the unused cam and lifters. With that Howards cam you would need to check the valve springs for rate and coil bind. Valve to piston clearance is mandatory with a new build. Make sure you have valve clearance for 0.600 lift in case you decide an upgrade is in the cards later. Then you know you can slip a cam in later without having to machine the pistons.
Comp is part of Edelbrock now and has similar cams to the Howards. May be able to arm wrestle them for a reasonable upgrade.
