What power will I get from a 383? What do I need to get to build my 350 to a 383? Where can I get it?

You will need a stroker kit, or you might get lucky and find an actual 400 sbc crank. Summit sells the stroker kits. The block will need some machine work done on it.

the more money you put in it the more power you will get out of it....

dont think of a 383 and a performance engine...think of it as a small block that has 383 cubic inches...now, stick some $$$ in it and then its a performance engine...

anyways,

for a 383 you need a 400 cranke (3.75) and 6" rods, which i think are 400 rods also


you can run out 350hp and 400 and some trq on a relativly inexpensive build...like 9.5:1 and some stock heads with minor work and your basic headers carb , cam and intake......

or

my buddy has an 11:1 383, the holley systemax kit (alum heads and intake) a retro fit roller cam/lifters from crane, 800 4bbl, and headser and he has like 450hp and 500trq.....no dyno numbers but thats probably pretty close

and all that stuff is like $3500

What power will I get from a 383?

10.75:1 compression
AFR195 heads
Comp XE284 cam
Perf. RPM manifold
Holley 800DP
1-5/8" headers
through a Tremec 3550 and Moser 9"

362hp and 398 ft-lbs at the rear wheels.

Factor in a 20% drivetrain loss and that's about 450hp 500 ft-lbs


- Matt

the more money you put in it the more power you will get out of it....

dont think of a 383 and a performance engine...think of it as a small block that has 383 cubic inches...now, stick some $$$ in it and then its a performance engine...

anyways,

for a 383 you need a 400 cranke (3.75) and 6" rods, which i think are 400 rods also


you can run out 350hp and 400 and some trq on a relativly inexpensive build...like 9.5:1 and some stock heads with minor work and your basic headers carb , cam and intake......

or

my buddy has an 11:1 383, the holley systemax kit (alum heads and intake) a retro fit roller cam/lifters from crane, 800 4bbl, and headser and he has like 450hp and 500trq.....no dyno numbers but thats probably pretty close

and all that stuff is like $3500
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Just for info, 400 rods are 5.565 not 6" All small blocks are 5.7 except the 400 & some of the newer engines like the LS1/ 6

That said, my choice is to use a 5.850 or 6" rod in a 383 as it makes internal balancing easier which is my preference.
Also makes the piston lighter which is not a bad thing,,, :)

That said, my choice is to use a 5.850 or 6" rod in a 383 as it makes internal balancing easier which is my preference.
Also makes the piston lighter which is not a bad thing,,, :)

I like the 5.85" rod idea...it moves the bottom ring up high enough to get it above the wrist pin hole. :thumbsup:
No need then for a rail support.

I like the 5.85" rod idea...it moves the bottom ring up high enough to get it above the wrist pin hole. :thumbsup:
No need then for a rail support.
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Trust me, there is nothing wrong with a support rail. I have a number of both 383.s & 489's "long rod" engines with them on the street with zero issues.
I have two 489's in motor homes, one with 80,000+ miles at last count on propane & it runs just fine.
Only issue he has is it is a little noisy on start up until it warms up now.

The only pistons I will not use with the 6" rods are the KB's that use the lower oil rail as the support.
A number of documented cases of these causing problems including at least one member on here that found the stupid little pin that keeps the rail from turning in the pan,,, this is not a good thing :(

But the support rails are actually stronger than the piston & the only place there is nothing under them is about a half inch at the pin. They are or seem to be spring steel I very very strong. :)

There'll be about a 30 gram savings using the 6.000 rod and shorter piston, even when when you factor in the add'l weight on the extra oil rail carrier. The 6.000" will give you overall better performance also. There will be slightly less work to balance the short rod ass'y, as you'll remove less material from the crank, due to the heavier bobweight. Stay away, at least as of now, from the 5.850 rod for two reasons, first, it's actually heavier than the 6.000" rods and second, it's about $50.00 more for a set than both the 5.700's and the 6.000's. Production numbers higher on these two sizes keeps the price lower. The above numbers pertain to Eagle products, as we don't use "Scat" parts. We also try to use only "Ross" pistons, but, personally I have no problem with other "good" brands. We will NOT use "Keith Black" pistons unless they're specifically asked for by the customer. We sell them, but we don't use them. Between the excessive ring-end gaps and the pins to position the oil rails, it's asking for more problems. We actually used "Ross" pistons and "Eagle" rods in the "Most Powerful N/A Pump Gas Small Block In The Country" that produced 732+ H.P. on 89 octane, a few weeks back. Thanks, Gary in N.Y.

For the street, wouldn't 5.7" rods be better? Correct me if I'm wrong here, but, aren't 6" rods usually used for track motors? If I remember right, I remember reading somewhere here in TC that it's "harder" to find the right cam to clear a motor with 6" rods. Is this or is it not correct?

For the street, wouldn't 5.7" rods be better? Correct me if I'm wrong here, but, aren't 6" rods usually used for track motors? If I remember right, I remember reading somewhere here in TC that it's "harder" to find the right cam to clear a motor with 6" rods. Is this or is it not correct?
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No it isn't correct that there is any difference in cam clearance.
The bottom of the rod is the same so why would the 6" rod have more of a clearance issue?
If you use the Scat 6" - 7/16" bolt I beam capscrew rod it has more clearance than a stock 400 rod out of the box :)

And, he 5.7 combo can be pretty iffy regarding internal balance unless you select the parts real carefully as you can't get enough counterweight on the crank. Unless of course you like adding about $75 per piece of Tungsten to your balance job which can get expensive real quick,,, ,

Hmmm.....that's weird. I remember reading somewhere on here, don't remember what thread, anyway, someone was telling me that the 6" rods, being that the rod is higher up in the piston, makes it "iffy" for a street/strip motor. I don't remember what the reason was, but from some reason I'm remember something about the actual size of the piston, from skirt to crown, and the bottom/cap end being either longer or bigger to the point that it could hit or potentially hit the cam lobes. I wish I could remember where I read that, oh well. Well, I'm just going off memory here :p :D

Just to clear things up, we both are talking about a 350 to 383 stroker, not a 400 to 383 de-stroker, right? lol :D I know that, obviously, the 400 block is bigger then a 350's, so clearance issues aren't an issue.

Hmmm.....that's weird. I remember reading somewhere on here, don't remember what thread, anyway, someone was telling me that the 6" rods, being that the rod is higher up in the piston, makes it "iffy" for a street/strip motor. I don't remember what the reason was, but from some reason I'm remember something about the actual size of the piston, from skirt to crown, and the bottom/cap end being either longer or bigger to the point that it could hit or potentially hit the cam lobes. I wish I could remember where I read that, oh well. Well, I'm just going off memory here :p :D
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I know of the posts, I have seen them but you have to remember that a lot of posts are just being repeated from what someone has been told or read & just because it gets repeated enough does not necessarily make it a truth,,, :D

The only part of the rod that gets close to the cam is the top corner of the rod bolt or corner of the rod depending on type.
The other "issue" is with the pin being up in the oil ring area which in my opinion is a non issue as I have a number of engines both big & small block running around without problems.
This is probably not going to be a 100,000 mile+ deal because the skirts are shorter but you also have SLIGHTLY LESS wall loading because you have a "better" rod angle due to the ratio of stroke to rod length which again is really a big non issue in my opinion.
Here is an old post on rod length I did a while back for you to chew on for a while,,,,
And yes, we are discussing a 350 stroker not a 400 destroker,,,

There is really nothing wrong with the 400 rods strength wise. They are probably as strong as almost any other stock small block rod,,, just shorter.

Would I recommend them,, no, but I have built a number of them with stock rods.
I like a minimum of a 5.7 rod & prefer a 6" rod in a 400 & contrary to popular belief, I do not feel there is anything wrong with a short piston or with the pin in the oil ring if the piston uses a support rail.
I do not like the KB style deal of using the lower oil rail as a support.

I have a number of both 383 & 400" engines both on the street & in circle track with 6" rods & some have a LOT of time on them.
I also have two 496" engines with 6.385 rods in them in motor homes on propane that have over 80,000 miles at last count without issues.
These have the oil support rail.

On rods in general regarding length,,

No one seems to notice that a 400 with stock rods has a better R/S ratio than a 496 with a stock rod yet almost no one seems to have a problem building these??

I have posted most of this before so I will just copy it

Just my opinion, but I wouldn't spend a lot of time worrying about "short" or "long" rods

There are arguments for both short & long rods & in my opinion the best rod is the one that is long enough to connect the piston & crank together & leave you enough room for internal balancing.
Their is a minimal gain in regards to cylinder wall loading which gets way overblown in a longer rod
But, in theory the shorter rod is less sensitive to intake reversion given the same cam as the piston dwells SLIGHTLY longer around BDC.
It also moves away from TDC SLIGHTLY faster which tends (AGAIN IN THEORY) to help crappy heads or restricted intake stuff.

Here is something I have posted before for a little more info

I'll probably catch all kinds of flack for this but here's my opinion.

First let me say I normally prefer a longer rod as it makes for a lighter piston but,,,
Rod length is one of the most over rated, over discussed parts of engine building.
I favor a rod long enough in strokers to be able to clear the needed counter weight as it normally makes balancing easier. If the rod is too short you can't get enough counterweight on the crank to balance it.
If you were to take the crank angles differences between say a 5.7 & 6" rod & overlaid them on a graph you probably wouldn't be able to differentiate between the two lines on the graph!

In a longer rod engine the piston dwells longer around TDC & less around BDC which can be argued both ways.
If it is moving away from TDC slower it isn't putting as much power into turning the crank nor is it "pulling" on the intake as hard, but it gives the charge more time to build pressure.

Ok, if it's a "short" rod it is moving away from TDC faster it will put more power into turning the crank sooner & should tend to help crappy heads or restricted intake stuff.

My basic opinion of rod length is if you don't have a good reason to change that actually makes sense,,,, leave it alone.

This was summed up real good at the Superflow Advanced Engine Technology Conference a couple of years ago in a round table discussion with some of the very best in the business of engine design in NASCAR.
This ain't a direct quote but it went something like this:
You decide on a stroke, design a piston to fit your needs, measure the deck height of the block & then make something to hook them together ;)
That was pretty much the consensus on the importance of rod length in overall engine design for most applications.

http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/131229/

this might help

I sought advice from both Mike and Gary when I did my 383 a year ago. Both advised the same thing, internal balance, 6" I-beam 7/16" capscrew rod, forged pistons, so that's what I built. It runs great, uses no oil, and has no audible piston slap (unlike my new chevy truck.)

The SRP forged pistons are cute, short lil things, oil ring right thru the pin bore, VERY light.

Having driven one for a year now I can say that when you jump on the loud pedal there's enough torque to make your nuts go back up where they were when you were a baby.

Mine instantly hits 5000rpm and stays there till the tires ( 10" rears) catch up and then its 5500RPM and shift. That usually is just beyond the intersection I launched thru as in past the second crosswalk. :)

The top of third gear is where the speedo needle is no longer visable and I have a fully functioning 2004R behind the 383. Ergo, I have no idea what my actual top speed is.

Truthfully I have never tried to find out since I installed the 2004R. I am getting too old to drive that fast in traffic and I'll sure as hell never see top speed at the drag strip, assuming I ever get a chance to go to one and race it.

383's rule on the street.