Good evening everyone. So I've been working on my first build for about 6months or so, and while awaiting parts and money I have used this site to obtain a lot of information that most do not have. Kudos to everyone on their builds. Keep them coming. I've decided to post my progress and to seek advice from other members as I grew up Chevy and still getting used to Mopar Power. Yes I said Chevrolet. But I am pleased to announce I own and drive a 1500 Dodge Ram Hemi. Enough small talk: I bought a 1963 383 B block on EBay last September and my plans are to put it in a Demon or Barracuda once done. This is going to be more than just a daily driver but not an all out Super Stock. Here's my story....
Gettin My Feet Wet - 383
- Thread starter Djeagle86
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69conv
error 401
Welcome! Enjoy the journey. We'll help.
After a few days I found a guy in East Ark that is great with engines. Initially I just wanted block work done and then I would figure out everything else on my own. I quickly realized this isn't that simple. The older gentleman is a lil rough around the edges but he is a cool guy once you get to know him. He is helping me with the build. Here's some pics of it in the shop:
Thanks!
zac_F71
Well-Known Member
Nice you couldn't find a 383 core locally? I'm amazed that it showed up looking as good as it does in the pics..
Do you have a car yet? Some swap parts are dependent on the car's options..
Do you have a car yet? Some swap parts are dependent on the car's options..
I searched on CL for the longest as well as talked to the local racers and nobody had much. A few 400's and 440's and that's about it. I went for the 383 to be different. Plus they still have a lot of power. No car as of now. I would like to find an early A body within 5 or 6 hours of Memphis. I don't want to spend the shipping cost on a California car.
zac_F71
Well-Known Member
I see I woulda went 400 not many options for a 383 - you are right though they can make good power! - The 400 has the same deck height but the largest bore, plus up in MN 400 blocks sell for $700 or so..
Good luck on the car search! Early A bodies (pre 67) it can get tricky to fit a big block from what I've read and seen on here
Good luck on the car search! Early A bodies (pre 67) it can get tricky to fit a big block from what I've read and seen on here
Exactly. No one seems to want the 383's (I paid $300 including shipping) but people don't mind charging $600 up for a 400 or 440 block.
A 67 would be nice; however, a Demon would make my day. I'd love to have that on the street.
famous bob
mopar misfit
you guys around western ark. ought to look up Jim Hale in van buren , he`s got a lot of stuff !
mguner
How many is too many?
Lots of great tricks for a 383 plus you don't need the outrageous flow numbers to get max performance from the smaller cubes. One thing to remember is to relieve the tops of the bores for valve shrouding making sure you stay out of the ring travel. You can kinda see it on this 440.
I'm never really around that side of the state, but next time that I am I will definitely look him up. Appreciate the info.
When we were measuring the bore we found that a few of them had a minute raised groove in them towards the bottom. I think it had to do with the previous pistons that were in the bore before. At first I was thinking sleeves were going to have to be pressed in which meant more money; however, we tried going an extra thousandth on the boring and honing process to clean them up which worked. Now we have a .040 over engine. Of course the edges got chamfered.
Good question. My ears are open too... :???:
mguner
How many is too many?
This is something that has been in the Mopar Performance books over the years. You see the head gaskets have a relief area where the notches go. It is just a crescent shaped bevel that evens the combustion chamber up with the bore to eliminate turbulence and improve flow. My machinist has been doing it for decades and says you can see the difference on the dyno. I don't know how much the gain is but it is worth doing while you are there...
While the block was getting prepared I called up Muscle Motors for a fully balanced rotating assembly. After calling several reputable parts companies, just to find a crank was like searching for a diamond in the ocean. New Chrysler parts are hard to find but I am glad to find out more manufactures are starting to produce more parts.
More pics of the cleaned block
More pics of the cleaned block
roccodart440
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There is a reason for that but you can cheaply stroke that 383 to 430ci if I remember correctly. 300$ including shipping. You pretty much got a free engine.
The rotating assembly I ordered from Muscle Motors is their 450/383 kit. The crank is 4340 steel using 6.700 long rods. Ross dished pistons, bearings, and rings all come with the kit fully balanced. The price was reasonable except that since the bore is 4.2900 now, I had to get custom pistons which considerably added to the cost and waiting time. The guys there have excellent customer service as they could have easily been rude when I called them as much as I did. I sort of was impatient haha. Also, they can really tune the parts to your needs. No wonder they are featured in Hot Rod magazine.
Is there that big of concern with valve shrouding in a 4.29" bore ? 340's run 2.08 and bigger valves without much concern.
I'd go with a turned down 440 crank since it only a little more trouble which makes the perfect size street engine IMO perfect for the 400-550 hp range.
I'd go with a turned down 440 crank since it only a little more trouble which makes the perfect size street engine IMO perfect for the 400-550 hp range.
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