Stock 383 - need some more ballhs

[73restomod]

Intake - http://www.summitracing.com/parts/edl-7186/overview/make/dodge - $280
Cam - http://www.summitracing.com/parts/lun-10230704k/overview/make/dodge - $470 or http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cca-k21-227-4/overview/make/dodge is as large as you should go given stock compression and piston clearance - $482
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cca-k21-223-4/overview/make/dodge $482 or http://www.summitracing.com/parts/lun-10230703k/overview/make/dodge - $459 are also good choices if you want to reliably run vacuum assisted brakes, and not worry about piston to valve clearances. All these kits include the cam, lifters, timing chain, valve springs, retainers, and locks.
Headers - http://www.ttiexhaust.com/Category-ClassicHeaders/383-178/TTi383-178.htm which will fit right and last, but you'll pay for it at $890, or there is http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g9141/overview/year/1970/make/dodge/model/challenger if you don't mind the chinese option. - $393 which may or may not result in a massive header ache upon install.
And custom length pushrods will be required no matter what, http://store.440source.com/Manton-Pushrods-Cut-to-Fit-Pushrod-Set-3_8-x-060-Wall-_95/productinfo/105-1022/[/url] or if you have some wiggle room still in the budget,
get these https://www.prwonlinestore.com/product/3244011-bbm-pqx-platinum-series-steel-shaft-rocker-arm-system and these.
Cylinder heads - http://store.440source.com/Stealth-Aluminum-Cylinder-Head-COMPLETE-SINGLE-HEAD/productinfo/200-1055/

[wantone]

Somebody call the Smithsonian - best thread ever!  Sticky that ^

[The Cuda Guy]

With what ever cam kit you get I would recommend getting a three bolt cam and timing gear.  I have read horror stories on here and moparts from guys who have went with the single bolt option.

Good luck with what ever you decide.

Don

[1 Wild R/T]

Cam - http://www.summitracing.com/parts/lun-10230704k/overview/make/dodge - $470 or http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cca-k21-227-4/overview/make/dodge is as large as you should go given stock compression and piston clearance - $482

So at no point do you discuss compression ratio due to the poor piston selection available for 383's... Then you grab a cam selection that in a low compression 383 is gonna offer zero balls till at least 2500 RPM's? 

And someone posts "Somebody call the Smithsonian - best thread ever!  Sticky that ^" 

Might wanna take those 440 Source Stealth heads in & have them milled to get the chamber volume down in the 72 cc range...  And stay with the smaller cam options or get lots of gear & a loose convertor or a 4 spd...

[73restomod]

So at no point do you discuss compression ratio due to the poor piston selection available for 383's... Then you grab a cam selection that in a low compression 383 is gonna offer zero balls till at least 2500 RPM's? 

And someone posts "Somebody call the Smithsonian - best thread ever!  Sticky that ^" 

Might wanna take those 440 Source Stealth heads in & have them milled to get the chamber volume down in the 72 cc range...  And stay with the smaller cam options or get lots of gear & a loose convertor or a 4 spd...

OK, so you want to target me for making suggestions, fine, but at no point prior to is it discussed what the cylinder psi is, or if its been verified an early or late 383, if it's been blueprinted prior, etc. etc. , So gig on me for assuming/not assuming a couple of things, but it seems to me that your guilty of the same.
Also, not all of those cams are that aggressive; I have a 440 with a 284 PS (which has nearly 241 duration @ .05 lift, and .484/.484 lift) in it that is a bone stock 73 low compression bottom end (only has 105psi cranking on average) in a 79 dodge W150 and it has torque off the bottom in spades. All it took was removing the Holley Street Dom. Single plane to wake it back up and putting an Eddy rpm on it. Burns the tires with a stock converter, hunting gears while spinning until traction is attained. No I didn't build it originally but I fixed its issues best as I could without tearing it down.
Any newer casting 440 source heads only have an 80 cc chamber to start with and with a .030 cut will be around 75cc. I also selected 4 different cam kits all different lift and duration, of which yes, they have more lift than a stock 383 magnum cam, but less overall duration, and only slightly more @.050. So yeah I threw some hotter sticks in there, but it was for the OP to look at and determine from what his known combination is whether or not to use.


The last Comp kit is pretty damn tame to be honest.

[1 Wild R/T]

OK, so you want to target me for making suggestions, fine, but at no point prior to is it discussed what the cylinder psi is, or if its been verified an early or late 383, if it's been blueprinted prior, etc. etc. , So gig on me for assuming/not assuming a couple of things, but it seems to me that your guilty of the same.
Also, not all of those cams are that aggressive; I have a 440 with a 284 PS (which has nearly 241 duration @ .05 lift, and .484/.484 lift) in it that is a bone stock 73 low compression bottom end (only has 105psi cranking on average) in a 79 dodge W150 and it has torque off the bottom in spades. All it took was removing the Holley Street Dom. Single plane to wake it back up and putting an Eddy rpm on it. Burns the tires with a stock converter, hunting gears while spinning until traction is attained. No I didn't build it originally but I fixed its issues best as I could without tearing it down.
Any newer casting 440 source heads only have an 80 cc chamber to start with and with a .030 cut will be around 75cc. I also selected 4 different cam kits all different lift and duration, of which yes, they have more lift than a stock 383 magnum cam, but less overall duration, and only slightly more @.050. So yeah I threw some hotter sticks in there, but it was for the OP to look at and determine from what his known combination is whether or not to use.

The last Comp kit is pretty damn tame to be honest.

Don't get me wrong, your later cam choices are good... I only copied the one cam as a problem... Thing about a 383 is the short stroke really makes cam selection much more critical than a 440... And even the 69-70 magnum short block has crappy pistons to far in the hole to make decent compression.... After 70 & most rebuilder type pistons are a total joke..... 

I didn't mean to pick on you, it just struck me when the OP calls it the post of the year & you didn't hit on the weaknesses of 383's.... They can run strong but they are less forgiving than a 440...

[73restomod]

True, smaller motors are always troublesome for cam selection. I build many small short stroke motors, for ATV's, I also port and flow cylinder heads for them. One of my motors came in 3rd overall in the Unlimited 450cc class against factory teams this year which is a high point for me lol. Cam spec changes from track to track and race type. Short stroke motors do better with more lobe separation when low end torque is needed for woods course where corners are tighter and numerous. It's funny when I started looking at cam specs for these small motors how much less cam is needed for a 10k rpm terror, even lift wise. A 383 thou small by big block standards, can still be a power house for its size, just needs to rpm. It's funny how stroke has a double impact on torque, but not as much on horsepower. Piston speed becomes faster at any given rpm, for an engine of any given size, thus port speed and reversion characteristics caused by lobe separation is less critical, allowing tighter lobe separation for a given grind which allows for better high rpm breathing, due to better cylinder evacuation. However, to little bore limits valve size, increases shrouding, and limits overall air flow. That's why no little Chevy 383 could ever hope to run with our Mopar 383, for ultimate power we can rpm it and really use a head to deliver big air flow, but it does come with a cost, a softer lower rev range. To me that's not a weakness, though it's just a difference, that's why I didn't point it out as one. Build to it's strength's or change it's strength's that's the best part of motor building.