I am rebuilding a Gran Coupe 383 2bbl car, it came with two 383s (one original). It has a 727 trans and 8-3/4 rear.

In my head I'm thinking warmed up 383 with F.I. for reliability and a 500hp target, mostly to avoid significant investment in the rest of the drivetrain.

Is 500hp range a reasonable expectation? I've heard it's hard to get more than 1hp/ci from a 383 Mopar motor, and I suspect it may need to be a lot bigger.

Also I've built a few LS1/2/3, flatheads and small block chevys, but haven't built a Mopar. Is there a good shortblock builder in the SF Bay area (to use the numbers matching motor), or a recommended vendor for the motor and trans?