1968 Road Runner '383' vs. 1968 Chevelle 'SS 396'

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I owned a 69 RR back in the day, 383/335, torqueflite, 3:55 gears, air-grabber hood, all original I was the 2nd owner. I had two buddies with Chevelles, one a 396/325 with headers & 4 speed, the other a 396/350 with a TH-400. Neither could beat me, either on the street or at grudge night at Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, WI.
 
Head-to-Head

The 1968 Road Runner '383' walks all over the
1968 Chevelle 'SS 396' 'L-35'.

With each running 3.55 Gears, it wouldn't matter
which Transmission was backing their respective Engines.

With connections, some guys were 'lucky' enough to get a 1968 Road Runner '383' with a 'Regional Office' approved set of 3.91 Gears.

With 3.91 Gears, the Road Runner would still handle a
SS 396 'L-35 that was backed with 4.10 Gears.

Torque-Flite A727-B
The Road Runner '383' had an excellent 10.75" Torque Converter
{#2801764} with a 2350 RPM Stall-rate.

Also, the Governor was a higher RPM unit which allowed for better 'heavy' throttle shifts.

A-833 4-Speed
The Road Runner '383' had a Type-1767 11" Clutch-Disc, which
was a fairly durable unit.

The Pressure-Plate was rated at #2181 lbs., and it was well-suited
for Heavy-Duty street use.
 
I have owned, new, 2 '68 RR. The 1st one I purchased in the fall of '67. It was a lemon! Bad, bad oil burner 383. Factory build issues.

The dealership took it back, and I purchased a another '68 RR in the spring of '68. It came with an automatic and the 3:55 Sure Grip. The dealership, Iverson/Max in Mitchell, SD put in a set of 3:91's for me.

The car ran well, I won several trophies with it at Thunder Valley, Marion SD the summer of '68. The 396 325/350 hp Chevelle or Camaro's were no match for it. The 396 375 hp was another story! The car would consistently run 14:50-14:70's.

I sold the car later that year, planning on a 3 year stint in the army. The army stint only lasted 4 months, medical issues. So, the rest of the story, no RR and the gentleman that bought it was not interested in selling it back, so, I ordered and purchased my '69 A56 340 in the spring of '69. That is alluded to on several other posts on FABO.

I consider myself very, very lucky that I was able to own 3 of MOPAR's best back in the day. AND able to get my A56 back last year. The muscle car years were the BEST!

Pa karp (Curt Rees)O:)
 
I often found myself wishing that Ma-Mopar would have offered different versions of their engines like the General did. The General offered three different versions of the 396 (four if you count the lowly 265hp 2-barrel L66) in power ratings of 325hp, 350hp and 375hp. Would have been nice if Ma had something similar going on with the 383. You had to wait until '69 before you could get 375hp in an A-body when Ma finally stuffed the 440 in there for us, but of course with that heffer of an engine stuffed in there you couldn't get power brakes or steering with it. A "factory" "B75" (375hp 383 B-engine) would have been a sweet factory option!
 
I had a silver with black top and SS hubcaps on my '68 396 Chevelle SS, it was a great car that I wish I still had, bought it with 30k on the clock for $1,100 in Daly City on Mission Street in 1975. Just got tired of losing to every single Mopar that came along, that 396 SS is the reason I'm here on FABO, cool, neat car, just couldn't hang with those crazy Mopar guys, so I joined up and haven't looked back since!
:burnout:
 
396 Camshafts

396/325 HP 'L-35' {#3874872}
Type .................... 'Hydraulic'
Lift....................... .398"/.430"
Duration................ 244*/286"
Duration @ .050" ... 192*/203*
Overlap................. 38*
LSA ...................... 110.5*

Valve Springs
Valve Closed ......... #90 lbs.
Valve Open .......... #220 lbs. @ 1.46"


396/350 HP 'L-34' {#3883986}
Type..................... 'Hydraulic'
Lift....................... .461"/.480"
Duration ............... 268*/274*
Duration @ .050" ... 214*/218*
Overlap ................ 78*
LSA ..................... 115*

Valve Springs
Valve Closed ........ #100 lbs.
Valve Open .......... #315 lbs. @ 1.38"


396/375 HP 'L-78' {#3904362}
Type ................... 'Mechanical'
Lift ..................... .520"/.520"
Duration .............. 316*/302*
Duration @ .050" .. 242*/242*
Overlap ................ 80*
LSA ..................... 112*

Valve Springs
Valve Closed ........ #100 lbs.
Valve Open .......... #315 lbs. @ 1.38"
 
magnumdart said:
I did see a lot of 396's with broken cranks Mike.
Click to expand...
I did to magnumdart, I always thought it was the owners but as time went on I herd chebby owners
say the bottom end was weak.
 
I played with a few big-block Chevys back in the day. I don't think it was the bottom-end was weak. It was more like everyone thought they had a smallblock Chevy & tried to buzz the s&*t out of them! Given the technology of the day, I think a good street/strip big-block was good for 6500, MAYBE 7000 tops!
 
'1968' 396/325 HP 'L-35' vs. 396/350 HP 'L-34'

396/325 HP > 325 HP @ 4800 RPM's
396/350 HP > 350 HP @ 5200 RPM's

Both Big Block Chevy's had the same;
* 2-Bolt Main Block
* Compression Ratio {10.25-1}
* Oval-Port Cylinder Heads {2.07" Intake ~ 1.72" Exhaust}
* Cast Iron Intake
* Rochester Spread-Bore 750 CFM Carburetor
* Exhaust Manifolds

Difference >

The 396/350 HP had the High-Lift Hydraulic Camshaft {.461"/.480" Lift},
and the Higher Load-Rate Valve Springs {#315 lbs.}

Also, the 'L-34' had a Forged Steel Crankshaft, and better Connecting-Rods
{beefier at the large-end} with higher-strength 3/8" Rod Bolts.

And, the 'L-34' had a high-pressure Fuel Pump {7.3 - 8.5 lbs.},
as compared to the 'L-35' which had {5.5 to 7.0 lbs.}.
 
69 Cuda 440 said:
General Information

The 1968 Chevelle 'SS 396' Sport Coupe
Base Price ........................................... $2889.00

Standard Equipment
* 396/325 HP 'L-35'
* Bench Seat
* 12-Bolt Rear Axle {Open Rear}
* 3.07 Gears
* 3-Speed Manual Transmission
* Drum Brakes {9.50"}
* Special Heavy-Duty Clutch
* F70 x 14" Tires
* 14" x 6" Steel Rims
* Dog Dish Hubcaps
-------------------------------------------------------------

Options

> Bucket Seats {Code A-51}.................. $110.60
> Console {Code D-55} ...........................$50.60
> Soft-Ray Tinted Glass {Code A-01} ....... $34.80

> Posi-Traction {Code G-80}.................... $42.15

> 3.07 Gears {Code H-01} .......................... N/C
{Standard Equipment w/3-Speed Manual Transmission}
{Standard Equipment w/4-Speed 'Wide-Ratio' Transmission}
{Standard Equipment w/T-H 400 Automatic Transmission}

> 3.31 Gears {Code H-05} .......................... N/C
{Standard Equipment w/Powerglide Automatic Transmission}

> 3.55 Gears {Code G-96} ........................ $2.15
> 3.73 Gears {Code G-94} ........................ $2.15
> 4.10 Gears {Code G-84} ....................... $41.10

> Powerglide {Code M-35} ...................... $194.85
> T-H 400 {Code M-40} .......................... $237.00
> 4-Speed Wide-Ratio {Code M-20} .......... $184.35

> 4-Speed Close-Ratio {Code M-21} ......... $184.35
{Only available with; 396/350 HP 'L-34' and 396/375 HP 'L-78'}

> 396/350 HP {Code L-34} ..................... $105.35
> 396/375 HP {Code L-78} ..................... $237.00

> Body Accent Stripes {Code D-96} ........... $29.50

> Heavy-Duty Suspension {Code F-40} ....... $4.75
Includes; Special-Duty Front and Rear Coil Springs,
Front and Rear Shock Absorbers

> Power Brakes {Code J-50} ..................... $42.15
> Front Disc Brakes {Code J-52} .............. $100.10
> Power Steering {Code N-40} .................. $94.80
> Heavy-Duty 70-Amp Battery {Code T-60} .. $7.40
> Heavy-Duty 61-Amp Generator {Code K-76} $5.30
> Heavy-Duty Radiator {Code V-01} ............ $13.70

> Special Instrumentation {Code U-14} ........ $94.80
Includes; Tachometer 7000 RPM's {Redline 5500},
Ammeter, Temperature and Oil Pressure Gauges.

> Bright Metal Wheel Covers {Code P-01} ...... $21.10
> Mag-Spoke Wheel Covers {Code P-A2} ....... $73.75
> Mag-Style Wheel Covers {Code N-96} ........ $73.75
> Rally Wheels {Code Z-J7} ......................... $31.60
Click to expand...

I'll take a 2-door post in beige with G80, G84, M21, J52 L78, F40, T60, V01, and K76. Price: $3524.85 sticker.
 
Jarlaxle said:
I'll take a 2-door post in beige with G80, G84, M21, J52 L78, F40, T60, V01, and K76. Price: $3524.85 sticker.
Click to expand...

Same model, triple black.... Miss my El Caminos, good luck, finding a useable one for a good price now....
 
Every fast motored street Chevy I ever saw run had a brutal wheel-hop issue. Unless they had the money for ladder bars, they could never hook-up out of the hole, just made a horrible sound, and left broken black tire marks on the ground; while the Mopar's (depending on how they were tuned) either drove away or once the real fast Chevy's finally hooked up pulled on them. I remember some fast GTO's, AMX 390's and one or two fords, but they were few and far between.
 
E-Man

On the 1968 Chevrolet, the '4.56' Gear Ratio was 'Code K7'.

Dealer Installed Only, on the Chevelle SS 396.
 
jbc426 said:
Every fast motored street Chevy I ever saw run had a brutal wheel-hop issue. Unless they had the money for ladder bars, they could never hook-up out of the hole, just made a horrible sound, and left broken black tire marks on the ground; while the Mopar's (depending on how they were tuned) either drove away or once the real fast Chevy's finally hooked up pulled on them. I remember some fast GTO's, AMX 390's and one or two fords, but they were few and far between.
Click to expand...


Dead nuts 100% correct. I think Chevy invented wheel hop. Even the "all new" and "redesigned" Corvette chassis from 68 all the way to 79 was supposed hook like the dung who flung, but they had terrible wheel hop. Want proof? Watch the opening scene of "The Enforcer". There's what appears to be a 68-72 big block vette in that scene. When the girl tells him to "buzz off" he gets hideous wheel hop out of the scene. Always thought that was funny as hell that the car they designed to squat and transfer weight, spun like all hell. They never figured out that when the car squats in the rear, it's from the action of the rear axle being pulled up and OFF the ground making the tires UNhook. LOL
 
Correcto Mundo

Back in the Day,

Lakewood was the first to come out with the 'Wheel-Hop Kit', to change the
Rear Suspension Trajectory.

After installation, it was like Night and Day.
 
Yeah, but Mopar had it right from the factory about a decade before with the SS rear suspension.
 
The Wheel Hop Kit

Lakewood 'GM' Wheel Hop/Traction Bar Kit

Nothing more than a ductile-iron shim plate that fit between the
Rear-End Housing and the Rear Upper Control-Arm.

It raised the upper control-arm mounting point on the Rear-End,
changing the 'IC' {Instant Center}.

Basically, raised the level of trajectory, to force the rear-wheels
down at launch and during acceleration.

Add in 50/50 Drag Shocks {20.58" Extended Length}, and you
eliminated 'wheel-hop' and increased traction immensely.

It was a 'must' for Stockers or Street Performance Chevelle's.

http://static.speedwaymotors.com/RS/SR/Product/55021609_L.jpg
 
Egbert

For Your Information

In NHRA 'Stock' Class >

The Mopar 383/335 HP engine was factored down {-25 HP} to 310 HP by the NHRA in 1970's.

In 2002, it was dropped another {-10 HP} down to 300 Horsepower.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Chevy 396/325 HP was only bumped down {-5 HP} to 320 Horsepower.

The Chevy 396/350 HP was bumped down {-10 HP} to 340 Horsepower.

The Chevy 396/375 HP was bumped 'up' {+20 HP} to 395 Horsepower.
 
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