Question on crank shift grid 383

[kmiller]

Hello

I got this 383 engine with a car deal and the owner said his friend built it and didn't know anything about it.
(He cant get a hold of his friend, the motor was built 5 years ago.)
So I tore into it last night and noticed the grid cuts in the crank. The pistons and rods are not stock they appear to be billet , the crank looks to be forged and is has 400 heads on it
Engines are not in my wheelhouse but my conclusion is that they built a stroker

Thoughts ?

Oh and I do I measure the cam lift ? I have no paperwork or numbers to go by

[Chryco Psycho]

Looks relatively stock to me other than balancing .
it is a steel crank .
you can get a rough idea of the stroke just using a tape measure & measure from the edge of the block when the piston is at the very top of the travel & the very bottom , this will give you an idea of the stroke length .3.31 inches is stock stroke , if they used a 440 crank it would be 3.75"
To measure cam lift you need a dial gauge to measure the distance the valve travels from closed to fully open

[1 Wild R/T]

Looks stock to me, what makes you think those rods aren't stock?  Better pictures would confirm it but the only thing I see is a little balance work...

[MoparLeo]

The people balancing this crank were taking a lot of weight out of it for some reason. Shorter rods and pistons would reduce reciprocating weight.  The notch across the counter weights and heavy drilling in one of the counterweights  are obvious. Cam part #s and/or specs are usually stamped/engraved on the end of the camshaft./font]

[kmiller]

Thanks for the advice on measuring the stroke I'll report back once I get a chance too and

I'll try and get better pics

[DeathProofCuda]

When I was building my 383 a few years back, the selection of aftermarket pistons was pretty slim for Mopar 383s.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I'd be surprised if anyone was making billet pistons for a 383 Mopar.

[RUNCHARGER]

Counterweights are turned down. Let's hope it's a 440 crank.

[Fastmark]

Those are stock rods for sure. The notches ground on the counter weights are std procedure as well. It is a steel crank. I doubt it's a 440 crank made to fit a 383. That was done years ago before cranks got so cheap. It's possible. Some of the holes in the counter weights are normal but that crank has some extra ones not factory. The old 383 pistons in a 69-70 383 were heavy. My bet is they bought a cheap set of KB hypers and had to remove a lot of weight to balance it. They have a number cast down where the pin is. See if you  can see a number there. I just built a motor that had failed with those pistons and people get them because they have deep valve notches and low comp. And they are cheap. I don't care for them.