383 Buildup

[A383Cuda]

Ok, so as many of you know, I am knew to the Mopar scene. I have a 71 E body with the 383. I have noticed that I have a few oil leaks and a tranny fluid leak. I am also wanting to detail the motor. So I am thinking about pulling it to take care of all of these things. I will be primarily cleaning and repainting. I would however like to wake the car up a bit. Any suggestions as to other changes I should consider? Intakes, carb, heads, cam, etc? I would like around 450hp on pump gas. I also intend to add a shift kit to the tranny (HD 727) and change the rear gears from the 276 ratio to a 355 or 390 ratio.

[A383Cuda]

On a Chevy motor, when you deck it, you lose the markings on the stamping pad. Is this also true on a Chrysler motor?

[Chryco Psycho]

the 383 will lose its markings as well tey are stamped if front of the right head
 the options to modify the engine are endless depending on your budget  , cam heads intake carb & exhaust will make the biggest gains , alum heads are an option , I would use TTi mandrel bent exhaust

[Oldschool]

   Pretty good advice... ..........................Oldschool

[A383Cuda]

The car currrently has Hooker headers on it backed up by Flowmasters. I was thinking perhaps changing to 1.6 or 1.7 roller rockers. I don't know enough about the quality of the heads yet. I understand that I can use the 440 heads as well. Are these decent heads with a polish and port job, or should I just take the aluminum head route. I have also been told that Edelbrocks cause clearance problems with the spark plugs. I have seen many articles on building up a 440, but nothing on building the 383. I was kind of hoping to find a tested combination. Any suggestions?

[Chryco Psycho]

the 383 is a short stroke engine & will never produce the torque of a 440 & both the 383 & 440 use the same head casting in most years so no real advantage there ,  we haaad a terrible time fitting bolt on Eddy heads on a friends 440 , everything seemed to be a problem , the valves are not in the same position in the heads & hit the pistons with a very mild cam , porting & machining iron heads will cost 2/3 of what the eddy heads cost new but it costs extra to fix the problems with the eddy heads
 Using the Mopar 528 cam with ported iron heads , a Holley street dom intake & 750 cfm carb  will produce good results with a nice flat powerband , I use the Ductile Iron Crane rockers in either 1.5 or 1.6 ratio

[GoMango]

Here's an article I stumbled across on a 383 build up...might be something to look at

http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/techarticles/155_0209_resto/

[EVIL72]

 Great articles, those 383 can really make some power, I can't wait to find out what mine will do.

[moparnut]

Your engine builder can save the numbers on your block if you ask him too,atleast mine can and has offered.But If it is a numbers engine I would find another to build(either a 383 or 440)and bag the numbers motor

[KTO]

Here is the build in my coronet

383 .040 over
'66 closed chamber heads with oversized valves and mild port job
a touch over 10:1 compression
Mopar 284/484 cam
edelbrock performer RPM intake
full length headers
3" exhaust
750 afb
b&m shift kit



That should get you close to your 450 mark. I've ridden in built 440's that give a stronger initial head jerk during launch, but once it gets up in the revs, there is no stopping the 383.

The car originally had 3.23 gears. I put in a set of 3.91s. Good god did that make a difference.

I am debating on adding a set of 1.6 or 1.7 roller rockers and a single plane M1... not sure if it is worth the effort and $ though. It's a really easy drive now and has some good scoot for a big car.

[A383Cuda]

great article...That's what I'm looking for.

[todd383]

hey 383 cuda, my 383 in my challenger made over 500 hp. 9.75to 1 comp. hughes engine stage 2 cast iron heads, there 3038 cam/ 1.6 roller rockers, performer rpm intake, tti 17/8 headers, and a 770 cfm holley carb. every thing was gasket match ported too, and the torque was also over 500 ft lbs. And this thing flat out flies!!!

[A383Cuda]

Thanks for the info guys. It seem quite similar to what is on there now except for the cam and head porting. I have the Edelbrock RPM intake, original holley(750 carb?), stock heads, super comp headers, flowmaster exhaust, and a cam with a little lope to it (not sure of the grind). The car has the HD727 auto tranny which I plan to add the shift kit to. It also has a 2.76 rear gear. My first step will be to add the 3.91 or 3.55 gear set and shift kit. Then I will see how it drives. porting (or heads) and cam will soon follow.

[EVIL72]

 If you change the gears from 2.76 to 3.91's it's going to feel like a whole new motor.
 Years ago when I swapped the grears on a 70 Challenger with a warmed over 383 from 3.23 to 3.91's it made a HUGE difference!
 The only problem was the REAR tires started wearing out ALOT faster than the front for some odd reason......    

[Chryco Psycho]

I would swap to 3.55 unless you really never do any extended highway trips , 3.91 gets old fast on the highway