383 street stroker build help/questions

[1Burgfish]

  Have a few questions on stroker combos for a 383, I have been looking at the 440 source kits but want real world experience from members who have used these set ups in their cars. First I want a motor that has good Torque and vacuum for street. Thinking of going with Stealth heads for sure without porting but not sure what cam size,torque convertor, and gearing. Would like a 6pac set up but would be fine with a good manifold and carb combo that works. Trying to get information from the field before I contact the builder.  Any help would be greatly appreciated....

[Filthy Filbert]

First motor I built was a 383 stroked to 438 with a 440 source kit.

Edelbrock RPM heads, RPM Dual plane intake, 750 Holley DP, and a cam around 235 duration at .050" lift, with a max lift of .525; and it was a very streetable 505 hp/535tq on 93 octane, and had plenty of vacuum for my brake booster... but it was a manual transmission that I could downshift for spike the manifold vacuum.

The 440 source kit mic'd out all in spec and essentially dropped right into the block with very little work.  —bearings needed some trimming but that was 15 years ago.   I think bearings now account for the increased radius on the journals.

Overall, I'm a fan.   

[1Burgfish]

  Thanks for the input , I just talked to 440 source and decided to go the 438ci route instead of the 496ci because of the extra machining involved with the 496. I am trying to see what heads to go with, Stealth, Eddys, Trick flow, Speedmasters......

[Chryco Psycho]

You made a great choice , basically this is a 440 with 7 lbs of rotating mass removed , they make great power & will ive as they rod ratios etc are still 440 .
Eddys are no better than the Stealth heads but cost almost 2x as much .
The cam intake & converter all need to match , the cam is the most critical part so everything needs to work in the same power range , if the cam is good from 2200 up you need to use a 2400-2500 stall & an intake that works there as well , the converter must lock higher than the cam powerband starting point but you do not want the converter slipping on the highway to prevent overheating & hindering fuel economy  , I can help you choose the parts but I need a lot more info on the gearing , planned use , typical RPM range you will run it at etc .

[autoxcuda]

Thanks for the input , I just talked to 440 source and decided to go the 438ci route instead of the 496ci because of the extra machining involved with the 496. I am trying to see what heads to go with, Stealth, Eddys, Trick flow, Speedmasters......

What extra machining it required?

[1Burgfish]

  Right now I'm in the planning phase since I have to get the engine cleaned up to see what the bores look like, I want to build the engine for street use and would like to be able to drive the car long distance to shows have good vacuum for power acc. rear gearing either 3:23 or 3:55 planned RPM use 2800 - 3000. Let me know what other info. you need. Thanks for the expert help. 

[1Burgfish]

  On the 496 the block bores on the bottom have to be machined for rod bolt clearance it has to be done on one side of each bore.

[autoxcuda]

On the 496 the block bores on the bottom have to be machined for rod bolt clearance it has to be done on one side of each bore.

Usually people do that with a die grinder by hand. Nonetheless, if you are paying someone to build the motor, it's an extra cost.

Used to have to do that with small block until they changed to rods that threaded directly into the rod and had strong I beam rods. IIRC, the over 4" stroke SB's need notching.

[Chryco Psycho]

OK with 3.23 gears & 26" tall tires you will be around 2600 RPM @60 MPH
so you can use a 2200-2400 rpm stall , you want a cam that will work starting 2000-2200 range , I always use the Holley Street Dom intake but you need to find one used , they are one of the best intakes ever !
the Lunati 10230703 cam would be a perfect match starting around 1800 rpm if you want a flat tappet hyd cam , you could also choose a hyd roller in the same RPM range .

[1Burgfish]

  Thanks Chryco Psycho for your help , I will let the builder know and I will see if the block is good for a rebuild once he takes it apart and cleans it up and checks the bores....