Quote:

Quote:

The B has 2 minor advantages:
1. shorter cylinder wall = stronger and stiffer
2. shorter pushrods are much stiffer in the same diameter and wall thickness



if #1 is true, how come i consistently see the same amount of distortion in the cylinders of the low deck blocks as i see in the RB blocks when a honing plate is installed?

re; #2 buy stiffer pushrods for the taller engine if needed.



#1 because the deck's are the same so the distortion you see is the same. But, the length of the cylinder is shorter so the strength of the cylinder will be stronger, thickness being equal between the two blocks.

I agree with your response to #2.

But, to continue, the 383/400 block is stronger downstairs due to the smaller main housing bore as well as it being a slightly more compact setup because of the shorter deck. The lower rod ratio will increase the bottom end and the added stroke will offset the smaller bore difference. BUT you can get a super victor intake for a 440 with a dominator flange that you can't get for a B deck block. Some builders feel it gains more to add a spacer/adapter to get a dominator to fit though so I'm not really sure of the real advantages of this.
To put it in a different perspective, I have dyno'd both combos with similar heads and cam specs. They both made right around 570 hp on pump 91. The RB had an eagle crank that hit the bottoms of the pistons with the counterweights (I really don't like eagle crankshafts). I had to grind a bunch more material out of the RB because of the larger rod journals too. I don't care if you want the RB block, go with the 2.2 journals and save some headaches. For that matter, run the 4.375 stroke and get 520ish inches.
To sum it up, if you have a 383 block, build the 496. 440, go 493 (.030 440). If you have both, decide which one is better based on a packaging standpoint: weight, clearance, etc...