I have been thinking about a 383 for awhile. Comments welcome on your combos. Should I build my shortblock or buy a shortblock or...........? All comments welcome. Nodular iron or steel crank? Street car driven to shows and for pleasure. I do want it to perform when asked.

Aftermarket cast (nodular) is probably more than adequate - that is what I run.

If you are good at assembly do it yourself. you can build a nicer shortblock yourself for the same price as one with cheaper parts done for you. You can also setup the engine exactly how you want it done.

If you don't feel comfortable building one yourself, a few extra bucks is money well spent to have one put together by a local (and reputable) machine shop.

Just my opinion.

Couldn't agree with Eric more. Reputable, LOCAL machine shop for the short block. Learned the hard way about "crates". I'll never do it again - too many unknowns, too many places for corners to be cut - corners that cost big bucks down the road.

Best,

If you were a TC member you would know about a stroker motor for sale in the Members Section. ;)

M.Y.

I just finished a 383 for a kid around the block, and I'm impressed with it power. It seems to have more power than my 396 375 hp. He wanted a lot of low end power, and didn't want to take it above 6K (he's running a 69 Chevelle on the street). He was also on a budget and was real limited in what he could spend. This is what I set up for him:

1976 4 Bolt block.

383 Nodular crank.

Clevite 77 H series bearings.

Speed Pro Hyper 383 pistons (400 HP coated type).

882 Stock heads (76cc), that we had ported and polished. He already had these heads, so we used them.

Elgin 1.5 Roller tip rockers.

HD connecting rods, with ARP bolts.

Holley High rise dual plane intake.

750 Holley, with vacc secondaries.

Crane cam 62 degrees overlap, 450 lift, 274 duration.

* it's a mild cam for a 383, but that's what he wanted. It's also a Hydraulic cam, he wanted this for maintenance. He's no mech, so adjusting Hydralic will make his life a bit easier.

Without question we had it balanced.

Static compression was 9.5 to 1
Dynamic compression should be close to 8 to 1.

If you decide to go with a 383, make sure you do all the grinding on the block before you get any work done. I used the old Pistons and rods first with the new crank to see where I had to grind. Expect to put it together and tear it apart three times to see where you need the clearance. Make sure the rod ends that you are using match the ones you plan on putting in. Otherwise, you will have to do this a slightly different way. Don't grind too much, or you will end up in a water jacket. Make sure you have good lighting and rotate the crank over several times (slowly) and watch both sides of the block. Once you get the correct clearance, the rest is just like any other engine build up. If you don't want to go with a big block and want plenty of low to mid range power, this is one great way to go.
Now my brother wants me to build one for his Camaro..... and I thought I had built my last engine years ago.

Fred. graemlins/clonk.gif