• Welcome to For E Bodies Only !

    We are a community of Plymouth Cuda and Dodge Challenger owners. Join now! Its Free!

Recipe for "Stock Appearing" build for '70 383?

rossgn

Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2013
Messages
12
Reaction score
9
Looking for a stock appearing performance recipe. I know it's not stock appearing, but will be running 1-7/8" headers through stock mufflers and resonators. Would like to retain A/C and ower brakes.

20231225_184422.jpg
 

rmchrgr

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2025
Messages
16
Reaction score
15
Location
Stamford, CT
Anything 400 block based - 470", 500", 512". Is the stock appearing idea just kinda sorta meaning aluminum heads and intake under a stock air cleaner or does it have to be factory iron heads and intake?

What is the ultimate goal for the engine?
 

rossgn

Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2013
Messages
12
Reaction score
9
Anything 400 block based - 470", 500", 512". Is the stock appearing idea just kinda sorta meaning aluminum heads and intake under a stock air cleaner or does it have to be factory iron heads and intake?

What is the ultimate goal for the engine?
Street car I already have a Edelbrock Performer. Considering aftermarket alum heads, if anything, to get some weight off the nose. I would have both powder coated or painted to match block. Want to end up with a setup that would work with minimum 93 pump gas.
 
Last edited:

rmchrgr

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2025
Messages
16
Reaction score
15
Location
Stamford, CT
If you're willing to use aluminum heads a good bet would be Trick Flow 240s. There isn't much else in that price range that will be as effective. Stealth heads are OK and cheaper but the TFs flow more air. With appropriate pistons, aluminum heads should allow about 10.5:1 -11:1 compression with pump 93.

The Performer intake is basically a copy of the stock iron intake in aluminum and would likely be a cork on a stroked big block. Though it is taller, the Performer RPM is a better all-around intake if you're able to swing it.

A hydraulic roller cam would be a good choice on the street. Strokers can generally handle more cam duration than a stock stroke combo so you want to make sure whatever profile you choose will provide enough vacuum for power brakes.

A few years ago I built a stroked 383 (438") for a friend of mine. It was a very basic combo as he did not have a big budget. We used a 383 block bored .060" over with very basic machine work. 440 Source rotating assembly and OOTB Stealth heads with Fel Pro .039" gaskets for 9.3:1 C.R. Edelbrock Performer RPM intake. Hughes hydraulic cam HUG SEH2832BL-10 and lifters, Comp Pro Magnum rockers, stock pushrods, Comp double roller timing chain. High pressure oil pump and 440 Source 6 qt. oil pan. Generic headers were used on the dyno but in the car ('66 Fury) he is using TTi 1 7/8" headers and a full TTi 2 1/2" exhaust system. MP distributor and electronic ignition, Taylor wires, Champion plugs. Holley 750 3310 carb.

450hp @ 6,000 rpm and 475 lb. ft of torque.
 

mayhem

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 21, 2021
Messages
64
Reaction score
18
Location
Pacific NW
Street car I already have a Edelbrock Performer. Considering aftermarket alum heads, if anything, to get some weight off the nose. I would have both powder coated or painted to match block. Want to end up with a setup that would work with minimum 93 pump gas.

Do you already have the 383 block or do you just want an engine that visually appears to be a 383 (a'la a stroked 383 or one of the 400 based stroker variants)?
 

autoxcuda

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2016
Messages
77
Reaction score
17
Location
Los Angeles
>snip<

A few years ago I built a stroked 383 (438") for a friend of mine. It was a very basic combo as he did not have a big budget. We used a 383 block bored .060" over with very basic machine work. 440 Source rotating assembly and OOTB Stealth heads with Fel Pro .039" gaskets for 9.3:1 C.R. Edelbrock Performer RPM intake. Hughes hydraulic cam HUG SEH2832BL-10 and lifters, Comp Pro Magnum rockers, stock pushrods, Comp double roller timing chain. High pressure oil pump and 440 Source 6 qt. oil pan. Generic headers were used on the dyno but in the car ('66 Fury) he is using TTi 1 7/8" headers and a full TTi 2 1/2" exhaust system. MP distributor and electronic ignition, Taylor wires, Champion plugs. Holley 750 3310 carb.

450hp @ 6,000 rpm and 475 lb. ft of torque.

That a pretty stock looking 383 with dual plane intake and 440 source heads.

Could do a 383 based stroker with 496 cubic inch too. Maybe buy the 440 source CNC heads and a cam in the 235 to 240 duration @.050 range. That would be in the 500+ hp range.
 

Chryco Psycho

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2008
Messages
4,780
Reaction score
2,420
Location
Panama
The best stealth recipe IMO is to stroke to 436 CI , basically a 440 in a low deck block , if you go bigger you start to push the piston pin intto the rings , more of a race combo , but the 436 removes 7 lbs of rotating mass & is abetter build over a RB 440 , I can get a lot of power porting production Iron heads but I agree the TF 240s are superior
 

Ricks72Chlgr440

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 2, 2023
Messages
323
Reaction score
244
Location
Sisterdale, Texas
Looking for a stock appearing performance recipe. I know it's not stock appearing, but will be running 1-7/8" headers through stock mufflers and resonators. Would like to retain A/C and ower brakes.

View attachment 135976
For the money, stroker kits are the way to go. A lot of your recipe will depend on how deep your pockets are. With all of your engine mods, be sure to also look at the transmission/rear to ensure they work together to get you what you want. I put a 512 stroker (440 block) into my Challenger and use the 727 with 3.23 rear gears on the street.
 

rmchrgr

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2025
Messages
16
Reaction score
15
Location
Stamford, CT
The best stealth recipe IMO is to stroke to 436 CI , basically a 440 in a low deck block , if you go bigger you start to push the piston pin intto the rings , more of a race combo , but the 436 removes 7 lbs of rotating mass & is abetter build over a RB 440 , I can get a lot of power porting production Iron heads but I agree the TF 240s are superior
I agree that the 383/496" is a bit too much. The 438" we built was damn near perfect for my friend's application. It went in a C body with a column-shift automatic, a "street hemi" style onverter and highway gears. Runs smooth, produces good vacuum and has a nice rumble with a TTI exhaust system. It is the most power this guy has ever had under his right foot. He drives it around NYC and on the surrounding highways and it does everything he wants it to do and then some. Any more power and it would be downright dangerous as this guy drives like a maniac and the car is an unsafe rust bucket.

Only thing I will say is that the stock-length pushrods we used were a tad too long. Ultimately it ran OK but shorter pushroods would been optimal to get better geometry. I did suggest to the guy we should re-do the pushrods but he ignored me and has been driving it for several years now - he is cheap and not real informed when it comes to this stuff. Last time I saw the car the valve train was pretty noisy. I can only do so much.

That said, with the stroke of the 496", the rod angle on the thrust side becomes fairly severe. A combo like that would also warrant a fairly big cam but then you start getting closer to the ricky racer side of things. Frankly, my friend would have never used all the potential of a combo like that anyway so it would have been a waste to build it.

Here's a quick video clip of our 438" on a dyno. We put it on a dyno mainly for proper break in and then we made a few pulls to see what it could do. There was not much tuning done, didn't really need it. We tried moving the timing a few degrees either way but it didn't increase power. It seemed happiest at 35º. It was very good air on this day (mid. Nov.) so the correction factor actually removed some power.

 

rossgn

Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2013
Messages
12
Reaction score
9
Picking up the 383 block with crank, and the 440 crank, today. Still on the fence as to keeping stock crank, going with the used crank, or maybe the 440 Source kit.
 

rmchrgr

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2025
Messages
16
Reaction score
15
Location
Stamford, CT
Honestly, the 440 Source stroker kits are actually pretty decent for the money. If the 440 crank you're getting needs to be machined at all you're better off spending the coin on a new part that has not been subjected to millions of cycles. You'll need pistons anyway and I'm guessing rods as well, might as well get everything from one place. They will balance the assembly for you too. It was worth the expense for my friend not to spend the money for the extra machine shop steps as he was able to put those funds towards other parts. No problems with the 440 Source balancing or quality.
 

autoxcuda

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2016
Messages
77
Reaction score
17
Location
Los Angeles
Shame they don't have a kit for 3.915" stoke crank. That would be 450-451 cubic inches with a 1.67 rod angle ratio.
 

mayhem

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 21, 2021
Messages
64
Reaction score
18
Location
Pacific NW
The best stealth recipe IMO is to stroke to 436 CI , basically a 440 in a low deck block , if you go bigger you start to push the piston pin intto the rings , more of a race combo , but the 436 removes 7 lbs of rotating mass & is abetter build over a RB 440 , I can get a lot of power porting production Iron heads but I agree the TF 240s are superior

This ^^^^^^^^^
 

Chryco Psycho

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2008
Messages
4,780
Reaction score
2,420
Location
Panama
I prefer to bore .040 over or less , the couple of extra CI doesn't outweight the added strength of the cylinder wall
 

rmchrgr

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2025
Messages
16
Reaction score
15
Location
Stamford, CT
I prefer to bore .040 over or less , the couple of extra CI doesn't outweight the added strength of the cylinder wall
The one in the dyno clip I posted was bored .060" over because it wouldn't clean up at any less. We didn't have it sonic checked -again, budget. Definitely not ideal for a race engine but it's what we had to work with.
 
Back
Top