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Fred, do you recall what the 383 hemi P/S guys were making back in the day?

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Back before NHRA had a policy of all Pro Stockers being 500 CI / 2350
pounds, they used to factor different engine at varying
weight-to-cubic inch ratios in that class, assigning whatever figure
they thought would make for competitive racing. Because of heavy
pistons and difficulty in getting the requisite 15:1 compression,
Hemi's had fallen out of favor. Some people tried de-stroking a 426
to 383 cubes, but it didn't work well, exacerbating the compression
ratio problem, as well.

One of my closest friends at that time (1981) was a racer who looked
at the problem and decided to attempt to add the 426 Hemi heads to a
383 block, The 383 was lighter, had a shorter stroke, and a better
rod angle (in his opinion), using shorter, lighter connecting rods.

He eventually built 10 of these blocks, which were 400 CI blocks (he
said the casting cores for the 400's had more meat in the cylinder
walls, determined after sonic testing a bunch of 383/400 specimens.)

One of these blocks ended up in the late John Hagen's Plymouth Arrow
Pro Stocker and without any factory help, nor more than a few months
development time, set the mph record for Pro Stock. The car also was
runner-up to Lee Shepard at the Pomona World Finals that year, the
last race before the 500-inch/2350-pounds for everyone rule went into
effect the following year.

How fast might this combination have been given an ounce of factory
help, or a couple of year's development time???? VERY fast, I'd say.

The modifications to the block were covered in detail in an article I
wrote for Super Stock and Drag Illustrated in the June 1980 issue.
There are lots of photos to document the addition of the row of
hold-down bosses to the valley area, and the machine-work and welding
in of half-tubes to enable the push rods to lay down the required
angle to connect with the exhaust valve rocker arm pushrod sockets.

It was a job for a welder who could weld cast iron to steel and not
have it crack at the seam, due to thermal expansion/contraction.

One of these engines went into an A/Dragster and promptly grabbed the
record for that class (a Canadian, named Wally Dyck.)

Some were sold to high-line Mopar guys like Butch Leal; I think Dick
Landy may have ended up with one. I know that Charlie put a 440
crank in one and ran nitrous to it in a Volare he built for IHRA Pro
Stock.

I also wrote a follow-up article about the accomplishments of that
engine for Chrysler Power magazine a couple of years back, but I
can't remember which issue, offhand.

At any rate, the whole deal was about specific output, and the 383
has it all over the 426 and 440 when it comes to that, because it's
moving a smaller amount of air through the same (Hemi) valves and
ports, enjoying less friction, a shorter stroke, higher redline, and
less reciprocating weight along the way.

Charlie did a lot of research on welding techniques before he came up
with a successful rod and heat combination in order to make welds on
the block that didn't crack in competition, but he finally got it.

I think he was selling these things for a thousand dollars apiece; a
pittance, considering all the work involved.

I think he also added an oil return line from the heads to the pan,
as the Hemi had no oil return that would work with the low-

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