I have my 383 from my 1971 cuda with automatic transmission all apart, and I need to put it back together. I was initially going to go with a stroker kit from 440 source, but I now think I would prefer to keep it more true to what it is.

However, I do want to get as much power as I can from the build, meaning proper pistons and piston to deck height, cam, and head work.

I want to use my 352 heads, intake, and HP exhaust manifolds. I don't need to spend top dollar on things. So, I'm curious about a few things.

1 - What pistons to use? I think my block will clean up at 0.030 over. I've heard bad things about the hypereutectic pistons.

2 - What piston to deck height, using the 352 heads. How much to cut the block and heads to get the compression correct?

3 - What valve for the heads? What valve sizes?

4 - What about the cam shaft? I'm thinking of using the Comp Cams 21-224-4.

Thanks for the advice.

There were some good detailed posts on building a 383 over the last few months. Might try the search function. I'll try also.

I'll make some general comments. Getting the deck height dialed in is usually a two step deal. Get your block cleaned and checked out then rough bore and ask the shop to deck it just enough to get it square and even. Then you can start figuring. Depending on what you come up with the deck may need a second cut. Finish hine

On the piston, nothing wrong with hypers. They are popular in 383 builds. They just need ring gap set per instructions. I'd shoot for a compression ratio in the low 9's with iron heads and a moderate cam. This is possible on a 383 but not easy.

On the heads, I'd stick with stock valve size. Going bigger can get expensive with little to no benefit in a 383. You can figure out how much to cut (if any) after you have the block height and after you have picked a piston. Beyond a good rebuild, the heads would benefit from some clean up porting (pocket port). If you go beyond that, cost will exceed a new set of aluminum heads.

The cam you picked looks like it is about one size up from stock. It would wake up the engine without making it hard to live with. It should work fine with stock rockers.

Good luck.

I assume once I know if the bores will clean up at 0.030 over, I should get pistons prior to final decking in order to know where the top of the piston sits?

What piston to deck height do you suggest? Would zero be ok here?

What's a good source for valves that work and won't break me?

Thanks.

For the valves I would ask the machine shop that does the heads for a recommendation on good quality replacement valves. Your build does not need stainless racing valves. Muscle Motors used to do a nice job on iron heads at reasonable cost. I don't know if they still do. If you need a shop for the heads, it might be worth giving them a call.

For the piston and deck height, it isn't really possible to make a 383 a quench engine without a custom piston or custom machining. Instead, the goal is to match up the parts to get compression in the low 9's to make a healthy pump gas engine. A zero deck piston would help get there. You need to measure the cc's of the head and deck height then use a calculator like the one linked below to figure compression and deck height with available pistons.

PS to calculate piston height: H=.5*stroke + rod length + piston compression height. Actually measuring assembled parts is an important check but you can use the formula along with measured deck height to check various combos on paper.

http://www.summitracing.com/expertadvice/popup.aspx?Control=CompressionCalculator

I actually made a spreadsheet a while back to calculate a bunch of stuff. I can't recall if I completely finished it, but I think it is. All the major stuff is there though. See attachment.

Have the shop correct the deck height. They will then be able to give you a number to use while you shop. There has been a lot of discussion on here over the years about the lack of 383 piston selection. A few hundred more for a cusomt piston might be well spent as you can get exactly what you want accomplished.

Thanks for the good info.

Maybe I should just go with the 440 Source 438ish ci stroke kit. That's $2k+, but has everything. I wonder, by the time I buy pistons, rings, bearings, pins, etc., how much I would have spent to build the bottom end?

The longer stroke makes it much easier to manage CR... plus more HP and torque in a stock looking package. You'll have to figure cost but I'd say no question it makes a better engine.