Quote: ""OK, I'll be the guy in the flame suit and ask the question - Why alter the short stroke (oversquare)design of the engine? Conventional thought says to use as large a bore as possible (in combination w/short stroke)""
I have to admit the ratio's of the 383 are pretty good, and and I dont really understand why it wouldn't be best to keep them close to original. The rs is about 1.8 if I remember right, which is even better than a chevy 302. While it may not generate the torque of a 440 or a stroker combo, its still pretty good, and with the right gears and stall in a 3200 lb car it would seem to my uneducated opinion that it should perform pretty well. If it can get to 6000 rpm plus quick and stay there, isnt it crank revs ( at say a 1:1 final ratio to the rear for example) that gets the job done? I mean if there is enough torque to the rear wheels with engine and gearing to get up and moving, at some point the higher crank revolutions mean faster speeds ie MPH, which in the right balance means faster times.
Not everyone wants to run super steep gears, nor owns a 3200lb car.
For a street car, torque is where it's at and is most fun to have, which is usable in any gear. How do you get torque? Cubic inches.
I think the 400 block is the best of the wedges Chrysler has made from the factory, but I want to use a stroked 383 as it's what's "right" for my B'Cuda and I want to do something diff.
If you want to run high RPMs all day long, then you're talking Billet cranks, aluminum rods, Casidiam-coated titanium wrist pins, etc. But who does that on the street?
