Chevy 383s destroy 350s in overall power. Readers have figured that out, since 383 stroker combos are the ones we get asked about most often, and most of the shops we talk to peddle more 383s than not. These days, if you need to buy a crank when rebuilding your small-block, there's no reason not to add the extra cubes; a 383 is just as cheap as a 350.
So you're sold. But people still have questions about 383 combos, so after we threw one together for a video project and then noticed that it made pretty good grunt-eclipsing both 500 lb-ft of torque and 500 hp-we decided to give you the parts list so you can build one of your own. This one's based on a ZZ4 short-block we blew up on the dyno a few years back, so it uses the late-style one-piece rear-main seal that takes a special crank and matching oil pan. Other than those model-year-specific bits, the combo could be duplicated with any 350 or large-journal 327 block. Not counting the core short-block, we used about $6,400 in parts, and that's complete from carb to oil pan and from water pump to flexplate including Performance Distributors ignition and even paint and oil. Our only extravagances were ARP accessory bolts, a tuner-built 850 Holley carb, a hydraulic-roller cam, and aftermarket cylinder heads, but the latter two are the key to making the big power you just can't get with flat-tappet cams and stock heads.
What makes our 383 pretty basic is the use of a stock block with a budget crankshaft (we used a forging, but a cheaper casting would be fine at this power and rpm) and with stock 5.7-inch rods upgraded with ARP bolts. Also, Chevy 383s with 5.7 rods are often cheaper to balance externally, so that's how we did it, using TCI's SFI-approved Rattler balancer and counterweighted flexplate. (Shorter rods require smaller crank counterweights to clear the pistons at TDC, so Mallory metal may need to be added to balance a 5.7-rod 383 internally). The pistons are lightweight Speed-Pro forgings with 12cc dishes for just under 10.0:1 compression with the pistons at 0.010 inch in the hole and with the 64cc chambers in the World Products Motown 220 heads. We used budget iron heads, though we think the compression ratio may have detonation problems on the street without aluminum heads, so we recommend Motown Lites if you want to duplicate this engine.
The Comp hydraulic roller is an XR294HR stick with 242/248 degrees of duration at 0.050, 0.540/0.562-inch lift with 1.52:1 roller rockers, and 110 degrees of lobe sep. This cam cleared the stock rods (cam-to-rod clearance always needs to be checked on 383s), and also has plenty of valve-to-piston clearance with the Speed-Pro pistons. It's also got the chop you want, idling at 950 rpm with about 9 inches of vacuum. We could drive it every day, but we live hard. We wouldn't go much bigger with a hydraulic roller (because we'd go to a solid at that point), and if you want perfect driveability, we'd pick the Comp XR276HR (224/230 at 0.050, 0.502/0.510 lift on a 110 LDA), but then we'd certainly use heads with 72cc chambers rather than our 64s to drop the compression to 9.2:1 to avoid detonation. That combo would probably make around 465 hp and nearly 500 lb-ft, but at less rpm.
But never mind that. The point here is 502 lb-ft at 4,700 rpm and 500-plus horsepower from 5,700-6,200 rpm. Someday we hope to stab this 383 in the Crusher Camaro, which has been relieved of its 632. Meanwhile, here's all the parts we needed to get the power done.
Parts And Prices Description PN Source Price Long-Block 3.75-stroke forged crank SME-3-51-05L057 Summit Racing $589.95 TCI Rattler balancer 870003 Summit Racing $359.95 ARP crank bolt 134-2501 Summit Racing $18.88 ARP main bolts 134-5202 Summit Racing $25.88 TCI ext.-balance flexplate 399773 Summit Racing $84.88 ARP flexplate bolts 100-2901 Summit Racing $7.88 Fel-Pro rear main 2919 Dougan' $18.88 Speed Pro pistons LW2605F-030 Dougan' $477.04 Speed Pro file-fit rings R9771 35 Dougan' $122.00 Speed Pro main bearings 139M Dougan' $59.13 Speed Pro rod bearings 8-7100CH Dougan' $63.09 Speed Pro cam bearings 2100M Dougan' $33.71 Speed Pro freeze plugs 3818059 Dougan' $7.08 Motown 220 heads (2) 014150-2 Summit Racing $999.00 ARP head bolts 134-3601 Summit Racing $49.88 Fel-Pro head gaskets (2) 1003 Dougan' $74.56 VHT paint Chevy Orange Summit Racing $6.39 Oiling Milodon pan 30909 Summit Racing $256.88 Milodon rear pan baffle 32500 Summit Racing $5.25 Milodon pickup 18314 Summit Racing $34.88 Milodon oil pump 18750 Summit Racing $56.99 Milodon oil driveshaft 23050 Summit Racing $13.95 ARP oil-pump stud 230-7001 Summit Racing $4.88 Milodon oil pan gasket 41001 Summit Racing $27.95 Milodon dipstick 22005 Summit Racing $52.95 Dougan' oil-filter adapter NA Dougan' $36.00 K&N oil filter HP-1011 Summit Racing $9.95 Lucas 20W50 oil (6) 20500-1 Summit Racing $29.70 Induction Hardcore 850 carb Plus Series 850 Hardcore Parts $499.95 Performer RPM Air Gap 2601 Summit Racing $199.95 Fel-Pro intake gaskets 1205 Dougan' $15.24 Ignition Tri-Power distributor 14720 Perf. Distributors $295.00 Milodon hold-down 65710 Summit Racing $12.39 Live wires C9052P Perf. Distributors $99.00 Valvetrain Comp Cam kit K08-443-8 Summit Racing $676.69 Pro Magnum rockers 1301-16 Summit Racing $265.69 ARP cam-bolt kit 134-1001 Summit Racing $3.95 Comp valve covers 220 Summit Racing $125.95 Hardware 221 Summit Racing $24.69 Fel-Pro v/c gaskets 1604 Dougan' $31.87 Fel-Pro timing set TCS-45121 Dougan' $8.96 Exhaust Summit headers G9001-9 Summit Racing $199.50 Accessories ARP stainless bolt kit 534-9501 Summit Racing $77.95 Milodon water pump 16210 Summit Racing $74.88 Milodon thermostat 16401 Summit Racing $10.95 Milodon water neck 65720 Summit Racing $18.99 TCI Starter 351100 Summit Racing $189.95 Total $6,359.11 True 383 Power RPM LB-FT HP 4,000 491 374 4,100 492 384 4,200 496 397 4,300 497 407 4,400 498 418 4,500 500 428 4,600 501 438 4,700 502 449 4,800 500 457 4,900 496 462 5,000 493 469 5,100 490 475 5,200 486 481 5,300 482 487 5,400 479 492 5,500 474 496 5,600 467 498 5,700 462 501 5,800 457 505 5,900 450 505 6,000 439 501 6,100 431 501 6,200 425 502
