Thank you to all who have replied.
Below is the reason I don't want to build a stoker. Again I don't even have an engine right now... if I wanted more cubes I could simply locate another 440....
I want a faster revving engine paired to a nice manual trans that pulls strongly through the gears. My hp goal is general, if I make awesome if I get close that is fine as well. I'd be content with a stock 383 if I didn't feel I could improve its power for not much more money that a stock type rebuild and head work.
I have had my fair share of torque monsters... I'm tired of replacing tires.
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What’s not to like about the 383? It seems that these engines have fallen somewhat out of favor in recent years as attention has turned to big blocks of ever increasing cubic inches. For a moderate investment, a 383 can be built into a sweet high-revving powerhouse. Study the 383’s numbers compared to the popular engines of the competition. The 383 carries a bore and stroke of 4.25”x3.375”, while the 396 Rat had a embarrassingly undersized bore of 4.094”, and a 3.766” stroke - as long of an arm as a 440. At the Ford camp, the 390 was even worse, with a bore only slightly bigger than a 340 at 4.050”, and again a 440ish stroke length of 3.780”. The 383 was a thoroughbred by comparison to the competition’s similarly-sized big blocks. In fact, the FE Ford fan’s coveted 427 block had less bore diameter than the dirt-common Mopar 383. Even the Chevy guys’ big guns, the 427 rat and the 454 had bores no bigger than Chrysler’s 383. You won’t see Ford or Chevy fans passing up 427 FE's or 427 and 454 Rats, but we tend to walk by those 383s with nary a second look. Why?
We decided to explore the 383’s hidden potential. Anyone who remembers the 383 equipped musclecars knows that these engines can run. Garden variety 383 RoadRunners, Superbees, Challengers, ‘Cudas and A-bodies vastly outnumbered the more exotic Hemi and Sixpack cars back in the day, and these 383 cars contributed far more to the musclecar mystique and legend than they are given credit for today.
