383 or 440 Dilema

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IRISH RT

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Had A 440 sitting here to put into an Aussie A body Valiant, Then a 383 came my way and It made me think , What would be the best for the old girl . got all new suspension already there plus 8.75 diff. The first thing is weight vs stroke another is of course space for headers plug wires etc , Just got A manual reverse valve body for a 727 which I orginally purchased for a SB 360, But put a Lokar cable kickdown on Instead,

Which way would you go and why, Oh yeah Its street and strip probably 50/50 :burnout::burnout:
 
440 cost same to build. Low revs and huge torque. 383 revs hard and is super dependable. Overall potential for hp to dollars goes to 440 in my book. FYI I have a 383 dart and it's a blast but cubes win everytime
 
younggun2.0 said:
440 cost same to build. Low revs and huge torque. 383 revs hard and is super dependable. Overall potential for hp to dollars goes to 440 in my book. FYI I have a 383 dart and it's a blast but cubes win everytime
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Cheers Have you run your 383 on the strip just wondering what Times, So the Torque of the 440 will get you of the line Quicker, and the 383 will rev out at the top end???
 
This 383 vs 440 question is old and tired. Old timers have given me this advice, and I myself have found this to be true from experience in a typical apples to apples street/strip BBM comparison: 440 is 60+ hp higher than a 383. No magic in the 383 from the bore/stroke ratio, it just gives up 60+ hp. Period. End of story.

Both are heavy, both cost the same to build. If you have both, build the 440.
 
you can build a 383 to be badass but it costs bucks

here's one with venolia pistons (bucks), lightened crank (bucks) , stage VI heads (and more bucks) runs high 9's low 10's in a big old roadrunner

440 is cheaper by far

it's a guy from ontario "Hutch" on moparts
Hutch
Reged: Jan 29 2003
Loc: Ontario Canada
Re: 450 hp 383? [Re: 383man]
#8123689 - Fri Apr 25 2014 01:56 AM

This is a mild motor but a bit of an oddball at the same time. 3.365 stroke ,7.100 rod , short piston , 11.5:1 compression , DC590 cam , stage VI heads , 2.14 X 1.81 valves, unported victor cut to fit the heads and a 4150 style carb. This is not its best outing as the converter was a bit too tight and this small stroke motor is hard to get a converter to work properly in. Has been a best of 9.86 at 137mph in a 3100lb car. Runs like a street car and this is through mufflers. If I want to go faster I just have to rev it. It went its fastest shifting at 8000 rpm but this run is around 7500 as I was qualifying for a heads up 10.0 class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K6ard18yo8
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you will want to crank the sound ;)
 
Just pick one and build it!. All this garbage about which is best, 383 or 440, is just that....garbage.
 
'Bout all I can add is pretty basic. With a 440 in an A body, you have to pull the heater blower motor to remove the passenger side valve cover. With the 383 you don't. Having owned both, ('68 383 Dart, '69 440 Dart) I preferred the 383. It was much easier to do plug changes etc. than the 440 and had just as much pucker factor. :glasses7: Low decks rule!!!!
 
IQ52 said:
Just pick one and build it!. All this garbage about which is best, 383 or 440, is just that....garbage.
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This ^^^^^^ from the man who does it for a living. I would listen.
 
grumpuscreature said:
'Bout all I can add is pretty basic. With a 440 in an A body, you have to pull the heater blower motor to remove the passenger side valve cover. With the 383 you don't. Having owned both, ('68 383 Dart, '69 440 Dart) I preferred the 383. It was much easier to do plug changes etc. than the 440 and had just as much pucker factor. :glasses7: Low decks rule!!!!
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The heater blower motor does not come into play as the Aussie A body has a fan internally,
 
there is no displacement for replacement. pick one and build it right. it's cheaper.
Herb Mcandless told me that years ago. I got alot of advise, labor and parts from his shop before he sold it. whichever you choose it's gonna cost ya to make it reliable.
horsepower comes at a price.
 
Street driven under 4500rpm.............440

Street /strip built properly..................383
 
There both very capable engines, both have no problem making 450-550hp the 440 obviously will be a little more streetable and make more torque for any given hp. Less torque might be a good thing when trying to get her to hook up. And even though a 383 is smaller, by time it's rebuilt it be just under 400 cid
Pretty much stroker small block size but more capable.
 
No replacement for displacement, I go with what i got "Farmers adage" USE, what you HAVE. I got a 383....SO I'm using it, You got a 440 AND a 383, pick one toss a coin, heads its a 440 tails its the 383... IF I "HAVE" a 440, I'd USE it, but I don't.....

440 tho is cheaper to build then a 383, why? It was a big block "performance engine" from Ma Mopar...The 383 wasn't....More parts available as well for the 440.....
 
IQ52 said:
Just pick one and build it!. All this garbage about which is best, 383 or 440, is just that....garbage.
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He basically wants bang for the buck, and you say it doesn't matter? He has both, it's a no-brainer - put $$$ into the 440.
 
67 Power Wagon said:
No replacement for displacement, I go with what i got "Farmers adage" USE, what you HAVE. I got a 383....SO I'm using it, You got a 440 AND a 383, pick one toss a coin, heads its a 440 tails its the 383... IF I "HAVE" a 440, I'd USE it, but I don't.....

440 tho is cheaper to build then a 383, why? It was a big block "performance engine" from Ma Mopar...The 383 wasn't....More parts available as well for the 440.....
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I agree, i would build the 440.
However, the 383 Magnum and Road Runner engines WERE performance big blocks......
 
The performance 383 was not a powerful engine. At 330 or so HP, it doesn't rate. But that doesn't matter since modifications fix the ill's.

Do a 440 and rest well.

The 440 in OE trim wacks out 375 HP. Add headers, intake and a open air cleaner, yea, your making clearly over 425 and it still has the stock cam and compression.
Add a small cam (just bigger than stock!) and you can add another 25hp and still run cheap pump swill.
 
IRISH RT said:
Had A 440 sitting here to put into an Aussie A body Valiant, Then a 383 came my way and It made me think , What would be the best for the old girl . got all new suspension already there plus 8.75 diff. The first thing is weight vs stroke another is of course space for headers plug wires etc , Just got A manual reverse valve body for a 727 which I orginally purchased for a SB 360, But put a Lokar cable kickdown on Instead,

Which way would you go and why, Oh yeah Its street and strip probably 50/50 :burnout::burnout:
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451Cuda said:
He basically wants bang for the buck, and you say it doesn't matter? He has both, it's a no-brainer - put $$$ into the 440.
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Okay, I'm feeling argumentative 451Cuda. I don't see any mention of "bang for the buck", so that must be your interpretation of, "Which way would you go and why?"

Not everything is horsepower, though I can do that with the best of them.

The way I would go might not be the best for the OP. I really struggle when someone asks me what they should do. That's a lot of responsibility that I take seriously. My answers are mostly, "I did this and got that result." They can decide if that is what they want.

I look at these useless arguments about which one is best and "feel just a little bit of puke in my mouth" (thanks Kevin L.). This cam is better'n that one. This head is worse than that 'un.

Put a big block Chevy in it if that is what you want, I don't care! Figure out what you want and build that! What difference does it make what anyone else wants? I'm not going to do what everyone else thinks I should.

I design my own stuff and take responsibility for the success or failure, and occasionally pass on the results. Use the information or ignore it as you please.

383 or 440..........BS.........pick one!
 
I agree everyone should do what they want...but he did ask for our opinions. Once they do that, the argument of minding our own business is negated.

And I said he basically wants bang for the buck, which is my interpretation of "What would be the best for the old girl"and "weight vs stroke". He didn't really state his exact goals, so I went with what was given. I guess he needs to clarify what those goals are?
 
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