To keep busy until the mercury is above 65 I am toying around with an idea to build a 432 stroker from a mostly complete .030 over 383 that I was give free (sans crank).

From other engine builds I have plenty of heads, tin, etc. for B/ RB motors.

I have a cast 440 crank that had a spun main bearing that I was going to throw away, but a friend said to keep it for a stroker truck motor. Well after moving it around the garage it occurred to me that I may be able to turn the mains down to B size and run it in the 383.
My question is, can the cast mains be turned down like the mains of a forged crank?

LY rods would be used, and 906 heads. My only other concern right now is pistons. Does anyone know a shelf piston that retails under $500?

I remember AndyF used some Diamond pistons for his 383 build, but they were .990 pin and I don't want the added expense of bushing the rods.

The idea is to build a mild performance motor that would drop into anything and be fun to drive.
Also, It would make some shelf space for more Mopar parts.

Anyone else have a 383 stroker?

here is a little about a cast 440 crank in a 400. I have the whole article at home in an old CP issue. http://www3.sympatico.ca/big-d/460.htm

Thanks for the article. I love the old school tech.

Anyone else miss High Performance Mopar and Chrysler Power?

Well, it sounds possible with the crank.

I actually looked into this option when I was starting my 383 build. From what I remember (10 years ago) it is possible.

You will have to notch the block like any stroker crank.

I however just went with my forged 383 crank and used 440 rods with Ross pistons.

Good luck!!
eight

very do-able. my 383 with a 440 stroke, eddy heads made right at 500 hp at the crank.

cast 440 cranks are good to around 500 i believe, so dont plan anything crazy, and it'll be fine. a low rpm torque motor would be perfect for that 440 cast crankshaft and stock iron heads.

that sounds like a good idea. so what would the final cubes be? would make a good street motor

426 with stock bore (4.25 x 3.75- 6.76 rb rod) and Around 432 with overbore.

I may drop the crank and block off this week to get checked out and machined.

Now to find pistons...Ross lists 99169 for this combo....Diamond has several with .990 pin. Any others?

So you guys have turned the mains down on a cast crank?
I believe the other problem is you have to cut the counter weights down thereby necessitating the use of mallory metal on the already lite crank.

I'd love to hear more about your combo. I have a spare 383 and a spark forged 440 crank. Matter of fact I have spare 440 rods and pistons as well. but I dont think the pistons will work. Not sure. I have been interested in this for a while. I wanted to build a stroker motor from parts, but some say it is just as much as buying new stuff. Plus now you have chevy stuff as choices also.

I have one ,steel 440 crank,polished LY rods and Ross pistons +.030 5cc dome.You will need to cut the counter weights (CL 7.20) and rebalance the assembly internaly.You should not need any mallory metal to balance.Bobweight is 2255 or so IIRC.Note that the pistons are very short 1.320 CD and it will be necessary to run oil ring support rails.Cast crank will be fine at 500 h.p.

Diamond catalog on line is 3 years old and list some stuff.
They are blocks from Mancini's so Wes can get you pistons usually with our discount. having them in 1.094 pin is no problem and their shelf pistons will be much more than they list. Diamond for a change to 1.094 pin custom is nil. full on custom diamond pistons are about the same price as their shelf. so just over $600 for a light weight piston
http://www.diamondracing.net/MoParSection.pdf

just wondering why not just build a 440? its already more cubes and less work.

I already got a 10.5 to 1 446 with ported Edelbrocks, Comp XEHL cam, etc. My big-buck new school combo...

I like building motors....a stroker is next on the list of to-do. The spare parts 383 is more of a low-buck old-school deal for me. Iron-heads and looking at an MP .528 solid cam. Swap meet intake and headers, no chrome- maybe even paint it chrysler blue.

Last time I had a set of rods LY bushed for .990 pins, it was expensive. I will have to look at the trade-off price for Diamonds custom pistons.

I am going to have to look at the cost of turning the counter-weights down, and balancing.

Does a forged crank need to be turned down?

What is the cubic inches if you use a 440 crank in a 383 for a stroker? Be curious what the average horsepower is on a straight forward stroker build like this. I think a set of stealth heads and a used parts 383 stroker would be relatively inexpensive. Certainly builing a 440 would be similar in price but with additional cubes, but there are so many 383 just lying around. I am surprised this is not a more popular thing.

A standard bore 383 (4.25) with a 440 crank (3.75) will yield a total of 426 cubic inches.

Its commonly called a 432 (@ .030 over). It's a good combo, but the 400 block version (451) offers a little more, and 400 blocks are pretty plentiful. So that's the way most people go. The smaller bore of the 383 shrouds the valves more than the bigger bore 400, so the 400 breathes better.

with that said, if you've already got a 383 block and a 3.75 crank..... It's a good option.