383 fans

[TreeFrog]

I think you will find part of the problem in pricing...you can get a block or used engine...the price for a 383 and a 440 are about the same....then you have to rebuild it...the 383 last I saw cost more...so you are putting a little or close to the same into an engine with less umph!

Its like using a 273 0r 318 instead of a 340 or 360, its almost not to be compaired...

Its like a 440 vs a 426...done right both could out do the other as a std build... but which one would you rather have... Hey we have two 383's, and I would trade them both for a 426, but that does not mean I don't like them.

when faced with buying the 72 Challenger, I had a choice of small blocks or big blocks(as the engine that was in the car was to be removed...ended up not being removed later) I decided big block... now redo a 383 or buy and build a 440...The 440 was a better deal in the end, and had it not been for the engine coming with the car I would have bought the 440.

but credit to the little loved engines...there is never enough...

[71bigblock]

but credit to the little loved engines...

I prefer, "Displacementally challenged"   

[Mr. 440SixPack]

I respect all mopar engines...I mean all muscle car engines. But If I had to choose from 383 or 440, I would take 440 without thinking. Why? Well the name 440 sounds better, It is bigger, It is more muscle car style, low revs, high torque, more stock horsepower and so on. Eh...what am I talking anyway?...I have never driven any mopar so I don't know how it feels ...

Offtopic: How high can you rev the stock 440?

[whitesatinmopar]

Offtopic: How high can you rev the stock 440?

Why that's easy, just let the lil lady drive it  !       

That's in reference to our own lil Rev.,........thank you. 

[todd383]

Hey, im a huge 383 fan myself. The 383 in my challenger makes over 500 horse power and 520 ftlb. of tq!!!!!!  nothin crazy here, mild ported heads, rpm intake, 9.8-1 comp. and a good hughes hydralic cam, and pump gas. as long as u match the parts right, you will have  one kick ass 383!!!! one thing that 383's need is compression, i think that most of them that came from the factory had lower then advertised comp. We did one 383 build up (stock magnum) but with 10:1 compression, and it dynoed at 358 hp, and 410 ftlb. of tq. the same hp #'s as the 440!! but aith a little less tq. and there easier to work on, (smaller engine) and lighter.  A good runnin 383 will very easily keep up with a 440 any day! both in stock cond. What ticks me off is reading those stupid magazine articals back then, 15 sec. quarter mile times, thats bull!!!! back in 91, at the mopar nats, me and my friend john drove his  71 383 4 speed cuda down (323 gears) and a complete stock rebuild, we ran a 13.99 at 100 mph!!!!! that was faster then most stock 440's and hemis that were there!!! Long live 383!!!!

[whitesatinmopar]

I hear what your saying Todd, and I too beleive the 383 should not take any negativie feedback. But I've also heard guys say they got 400 hp out of a wild built 318, it may be possible but how much is such performance going to cost you? Now the stock 440 mag with no "extras" puts out a conservative 375 hp. I'm not  ot  here, just pointing out you can do almost anything with any block with the $$$$. And quite honestly as far as BB Mopars go I feel the 383 will give ya more for the buck than the others.

As I've said I have a 383 and a 440 block just waiting for some attention and eventially find it's way into a certain lil Dart, well the 383 happens to be a matching # block in the Polara 500, so the 440 will be the lucky dog to find a new home. I know it will cost me a bit to build her the way I want but, ya get what ya pay fer. 

BTW, when it comes time to build that 383 it will not be a stock build, thanks to Nick (74 Chall) I have a dual quad set up including the carbs. Now that "boat" of a car will eat up some extra performance mods., but she also will look rather cool when that hood it raised. 

[tosho62]

  Not long ago one of the Mopar magazines did an engine build to prove/dispel the  myths surrounding the horsepower ratings.  They did a 340-383-440 and later a 426 hemi.  The motors were blueprinted and built to factory specs and compression ratios were checked to assure accuracy.  The 340 is slightly underrated at 275 hp (@ 287 actual) the 383 magnum/super commando factory rated 335 is actually 358!  The 440 4bbl rating of 375 is slightly overrated.  I believe it was about the same as the 383. The RB 440 is heavier than the 383 and lacks the revs making the 383 (stock anyhow) more bang for ya buck.  The hemi was basically spot on, however  not an impressive engine in stock trim by any mean.
    I used to street race not that many years ago with a 383 in my Challenger. Never lost (N E V E R) to a 440 or hemi unless I was sandbagging them for my own personal gain.

[moparnut]

Actually you can find 383's much cheaper and more plentiful than 440's.They cost the same to build since all the parts interchange except pistons/rods. I personally like to keep the same displacement that the car came with according to the Vin,unless it was a /6 car.My bee numbers motor is getting bagged and a replacement going in.It would look stupid to have a 440 in it when the badges on the side say 383 and the Vin saying the same,at least to me.Same with my GC

[js27]

I have owned 318-340-360-383-440. I like them all. I think 383's are very under rated. I ran a 383-bored 30 over with a soild lifter flat tappet 520 lift  crane cam,12.5 to one forged TRW pistons,915 heads with just gasket matched ports, with a 750 holly and a edelbrock single plane intake with a accell dual point ingnition with a hemi 4-speed and 4:56 gears in a 3800 lb 1967 GTX and it ran low 12's all day long and on a cool night in Reading I hit 11:98 @ 114:64 mph.
Yes they will run.
I beleive they are about 150 lbs lighter than a 440 and have the same stroke as a 340. I used to shift that baby at 7500 rpm (on a cabel drive tach) all the time and once I missed a shift and the tell tale needle was on 8600 and as far as I know nothing got hurt because it kept running the same numbers .
440 will make more power but don't write off 383's..
JS27