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I appreciate your interest...I understand that compression ratio is a value that needs to be factored in when determining the application of a camshaft...Suffice it to say that the pistons are advertised as .030-over replacements for the 383 HP engine...I do not know what the EXACT compression ratio is, and I frankly don't care. I would assume that it is close to what was advertised...that's good enough for me. This is not a race engine. I just wanted to hear of fellow hobbyists experiences with the cams in the subject line. Thanks




Your "assumption" can get you in trouble, even for a street engine. First of all, the CR of a stock 383 was less than advertised, but more importantly, when you get "stock replacement" pistons, they are gonna be generic one-size-fits-all, not duplicates of the original pistons.

It doesn't matter what year 383 you specify, what carb, or what factory CR rating, you get the SAME piston that's probably gonna end up .050-.100 below deck at TDC. Then when you put on your Fel-pro .039" head gaskets instead of the stock steel shim, you end up with maybe 7.5 - 8.0 to one CR - nowhere near close to advertised.

Your cam question really can't be answered properly without having some idea of your actual CR; that's why someone brought up the issue - they were trying to help you, not harass you.