I am new to moparts, and I have a question:

I currently have a stroked 383(431) short block in my garage.

Car is a 2nd gen charger with a 4 speed.

Car will see lots of street use with drag days thrown in.

Is the 431 enough motor for a 69 charger? Or will I be wishing I built a 470- 500 " motor.

Indy has a 470" kit with a machined 400 block for $ 2500. Would that be a better choice, or will I be better off buying a killer set of heads for the 431?

Remember, I am looking for a hot street car with occasional drag use.

Thanks, as I do not know what to do!!

Outlining your performance expectations and requirements / limitations would help a lot in providing an answer.

I need a reliable motor for use in the summer, and wild enough to pull high 10's-low 11's in the 1320.

At the weight of the Charger B-body I would take the more cubes if I could afford it. It can always use the extra torque to reach your goal. Ron

Okay, would the 470" do the job from Indy? Seems like a good deal at $ 2500 for the block and rotating assembly.

If not, what short block/ head combo would do what I require?

Heavy car, you need a 500 incher if you want to run 10's without spending a ton of $$$$. Indy does not have a good rep for machining or customer service.

Sheldon

You will probably want to go right to 500ci's. Give muscle motors or Best machine a call. Today stroker kits are priced very well for most racers.

P.S. welcome to moparts!

Car will see lots of street use with drag days thrown in.

A short block is just the begining of your list of needs. Hard to combine your comment that car will see lots of street use, dependable, and cut a 10 second ET. Besides keeping it running cool water temps, everything behind that engine has to be able to hold up, then you have to hook it to the street.

Many here with track cars try to do this. Be prepared to spend 10-12k on your set up, not even considering the SFI stuff your going to run. then it has to tech to run those times.

Get a 440 block and build a motor like 383man has.

I have a 437 build, but not as a street motor, but I firmly believe that high 10s could be achieved, without a whole lot of issues.
But rest assured the weight will work against it , lose weight where you can!
Putting the right cam,heads intake package,will be key as well as the converter you choose.
I could see that 430-maybe 410 gears could do it?

"THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR CUBIC INCHES"

Guys I do appreciate the answers. The 431 I have is almost ready to be broken in, so you see my dilema!

I have been thinking about a set of standard port Victors that are hogged out. Between thse heads and a good cam setup I wonder how it would run...... I am stubborn enough to try!

By the way, the car is a 4 speed and I plan to purchase a Dana so I can pick any gear I need. Not stuck with what I have.

Fire away with any head/cam/gear suggestions.

Going 10s is doable with 431" and streetable. The winners of drag week in the small block, normal aspiration class run in the mid 10s with, by rule having less than 431"!

If I were you I would get some nice std. port aluminum heads/ported and a mild solid roller and see where you end up. Std. Victors would be nice too. May not be 10s but you would be close.
If you already have the shortblock ready, it wouldn't be money well spent to get a different one. For the street id go with 4.1 gear and 3500-4000 stall.

Head flow and RPM will be your friend hear to make the 431 work. A good set of aftermarket standard size port heads, single plane intake, 1 7/8 headers and a matched solid cam to run 6500 to 6700 rpm will help you build power needed to make your goal. If it is not too late, relieve the cylinders at the top of the bore next to the intake valves like the 426 SS motors did to help intake flow. Be carefull not to go to far down the bore.
On the size of the cam, it will take duration in the 255 + range at .050 cam lift with total lift of .550 or more to make use of good heads and reach your goal. The highest gear ratio you can tolerate out back will help as well. A 4.10 gear or more will help a lot but if you can tolerate a 4.56 I would go with it. Combined with a 27 inch drag radial for the track and the tallest tire you can stuff under it for the street, it should work pretty good.

A few questions:
1. Are the pistons forged? How about the crank? As someone has already mentioned, nitrous would go a long ways to help you get into the 10s/11s.
2. What type of cam set up are you looking for? Solid or hydraulic? Flat tappet or roller? Rollers are nice.
3. What type of rear end gears are you looking at? To get into the 10s/11s, you're probably going to need at least 4.10s, which won't be friendly on your gas mileage when the car is street-driven. DAMHIK.

That said - I would recommend the Indy SRs. If you stick with the 431 block and go with SRs, you won't have to buy the high-dollar TTI headers that you have to use with the SRs if you're running an RB. The EZs are something else to consider, but IMHO they don't have as much potential as the SRs. The Victors could be overkill for 431.
Good luck.