So I have my 74 Vette that I am wanting to boost the power on. I have the opportunity to barter for a 383 Stroker motor that is in pieces and I was wondering what heads and cam would be a good combo to get me some good HP out of the 383?

 

Designing a motor build HAS to be done in a "whole picture" mindset, the choices will depend on what gears you have, what transmission you have, how you are going to use the car when done, what kind of exhaust you are going to to use and on and on.

it's not just as simple as picking a cam and heads.

if you can give us some of the above mentioned info. there are many on here who can help you out,but they will need this kind of info.

 

What kind of power do you want? How much are you worried about street manners, what are your driving needs? What tranny do you have. If it's an automatic, what stall speed converter do you have? What is your rear end gearing?

Mike Roland

 

I don't need to pass emissions, but I will be doing in town cruising and weekend drag racing on occasion. I want 400+ RWHP. I have a set of hooker headers and and straight pipe dual exhaust. It is an automatic 3spd trans, I will be putting in a 3000 stall converter. Basically I want a fast/loud/fun vette.lol I am open to ideas.

 

I have to mirror Mr. Jig A Low's comment. Strokers have the added complexity of creating clearance issues inside the engine if they aren't the right rods, cam, heads, etc. And the cam has everything to do with 4-speed vs. Auto and a bunch of other things.

Compression ratio and a bunch of other things factor in to head selection by chamber size and runner length which are keyed off of your piston type, distance to deck, bore, etc.

In a nutshell, it just ain't that simple.

All that said, if you're looking for a TYPE or BRAND of head to perhaps investigate, I just got a set of PBM Strike Force heads that have a lot of very nice touches. Very good castings. I have all PBM and ARP parts going onto them and they are being built by my local engine guy. Because they come as bare castings, once you pick the critical dimensions, you can lengthen the valves, heavy the springs, and do whatever you choose on a part-by-part basis.

Cam is totally an individual thing. Solid vs. Hyraulic? What are you going for? What will the heads handle and how does that relate to your piston location?

You get the point. Lots of times you can't even make these choices until you put together the parts you HAVE, then see how that will work with the parts you NEED. It is a process. Not a "buy a bunch of stuff and bolt it together" project.

 

It takes a pretty stout 383 to put out 400 rear wheel hp in these cars with there power eating drive trains, especially with an automatic.

 

I understand that, Kind of why I'm trying to get some ideas about how I should go about this to acheive these results. maybe a trans upgrade? Gearing upgrade?

 

one issue your going to have is the difference between town cruising and drag racing.

if you gear the car for best performance on the track, it will likely be less fun during your town cruising, or the other way around.

not that it can't be done but it will take more digging to find the right combination that will work with both uses.

 

A trans or gearing upgrade won't put more POWER to the ground. It will change the mechanical advantage the power has over your vehicle, making it quicker. But there are sacrafices to this...cruising RPM's is usually the big drawback.

Making a 500hp 383 isn't impossible, to be sure. You just need to make certain decisions that cater to POWER instead of COMFORT. Not to say you can't make a powerful, comfortable engine, but everyone's tolerance is different.

I CHOSE to put solid rollers in my car so I could run 200# spring pressures...that so I could run big lift at high RPM's. The downside is that I'll be adjusting valves.

Lots of things that need to work together. Having an auto is fine...you'll lose some power through the slushbox...but the bit thing is matching your stall to your cam, and that to your heads, specifically your intake runner volume. And that to your carb.

I'd put the money into your engine over the transmission or gearing. Except for perhaps "breathing" on your transmission to handle the new power. Line pressures and stuff, I mean.

 

My main thing is going to be power in this. It's not going to be a Daily Driver. Just the occasional Cruise down speedway and kick the **** out of some little rice poppers. And some fun passes down a dragway.

 

Afr heads for sure. Size will depend on rpm range as will the camshaft size. As already mentioned the rest depends on gearing and compression, youve already stated having a 3k rpm stall and that helps along the route your headed. Youll probably want 1.75" primaries on your headers. Light weight valve train componients will help with higher rpms. A good hydraulic roller with light weight roller lifters would also help. The 383 should have all forged components in the rotating assembly.even if your power range starts at 2800 rpm it will still cruise, but wont likely get any kind of milage with the gear you'll need to be in the power band.

 

Find out more about this 383 first....what pistons rods etc etc. Could be a nice starting point or?? Flat top dished, domed or?

 

I know its got flat top pistons. Not sure about the rods. I'll know more and have pics of it tomorrow

 

I know its got flat top pistons. Not sure about the rods. I'll know more and have pics of it tomorrow

 

If its not all forged dont bother. For the power level your looking toward cast wont hold up.

 

Sweet thanks. I'll post more details tomorrow when I know more. I appreciate all the info so far. If you guys are running 383s let me know what you have set up, what your power is looking like and hp ratings and 1/4 mile times. Thanks!!

 

I agree with that, with a tunel ram one might be pushing in the +550 range but since the author mentioned 400RWHP he will need to change a whole lot more than a motor, with that said, what would be a parasitic loss of a drive train combo that can take 400rwhp? could it be more than 100hp/20%?

 

With a tunel ram air intake I would have to then modify the hood or no hood, correct? I like the sound of 550hp, but I'd like to keep it under the hood for now. In a few years when I get my '69 427 I'll pop that baby out of the hood! But for now just power beneath the hood.

 

Google " 383 engine recipe "

There's your answer.

TCT

 

I found this combo when googling. I think It might put me close to my goal. Has anyone used a setup similar to this??

383 cu. in. engine with 9.5:1 compression and a 750 double pumper. With a 280° hydraulic camshaft and the AFR 190cc Street heads, this combination makes an awesome 471 HP and an incredible 515 ft-lbs of torque. This is the ultimate street engine.
Displacement: 383 cu. in.
Carburetor: Holley 750 double pumper
Heads: Air Flow Research 190cc Street
Intake: Air Flow Research FloPower RPM
Camshaft: Comp Cams 280° Magnum hydraulic, with 280° of duration, 230° of duration @ 0.050 in. lift, and 0.480 in. lift
Headers: 1 3/4 in.
Distributor: MSD
Timing: 34°
Comp. Ratio: 9.5:1

MAX HP: 471 @ 5500
MAX Torque: 515 @ 4500