Quote: FWIW I know a couple of guys that put closed chamber heads on a 68/9 383 and had piston clearance problems because of the o/+ deck height of the engine. It isn't all BS. Some were + some were very close to deck.
Only 3 ways this could have happen, someone decked the blocks, the factory screwed up and the deck was way too short which means they would have had to cut the intake or head to get it bolted together or they had something that was very special that no one knew about. I have 2 69 383HP engines in my garage with the heads off, both are factory deck and both still have their factory rotating assemblies, neither have pistons above the deck. Now I know that 2 hardly makes a sample, but I have had others in the past and everything was the same.
There was a guy that I used to work with, he's dead now, that ordered a 68 Road Runner NEW that he CLAIMED was some special 365HP package to run against the Chevelle SS with the 375HP 396. I never could find anything out about this and he was known as somewhat of a BSer so I just took it as that.
Until someone SHOWS me one of these MYTHICAL positive deck 383's or some factory documentation they are nothing more than unicorns ....
I doubt any brand any motor available to the public came positive deck but then again I havent seen it all.
What do those two 69 motors you have measure at? Pretty decent for a stock motor?
