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We tend to poo poo the stock displacements because strokers are all the rage (And yes I want a 500" 400B engine too!) But really, a 425hp 383 is easy and affordable with the Stealth heads and a really good cam and valvetrain.



My comments about the 383 have nothing to do with wanting a stroker.. And getting 425Hp out of a 383 is gonna require very good machine work & picking the right combo of parts... A 383 due to it's bore size vs deck height/combustion chamber volume makes it tough to achive a true compression ratio greater than about 9-1 without using a domed piston... If you use aluminum heads & design for quench 10.5 is a safe number to shoot for so leaving 1.5 points on the table effects the power curve and fuel economy considerablely.. The numbers at peak may only be 10% but lower in the curve where most engines run 95% of the time the effect is greater..

400's devoloped a reputation as smog motors, typically as delivered they had a 8.0-1 compression ratio.. But getting a 400 up to 10-1 + is fairly easy & you have the benifit of 17 more cubes...

I just spent a few minutes calulating it out... If you can get the piston set at zero deck height & mill the stealths to 75cc chamber volume your be right at 10.5... It'll take a custom piston & machining the heads but...

Or you can build a 440 with off the shelf pistons, off the shelf Stealth heads obtain quench & a good compression ratio plus 57 more cubic inches..

So the money you saved on your core will be eaten up trying to make the 383 run the way it should...

BTW if your not familar with quench read this..

http://www.kb-silvolite.com/article.php?action=read&A_id=39

or this..

http://racingsecrets.com/article_racing-10.html

I realise the articles are titled as racing oriented but quench is more useful as a street engine concern then a race engine concern.. In a race engine racing fuel isn't a big step.. On a street engine getting the most power out of the available fuel is the key to a good street engine..