for the my 73 duster i plan on pulling the 318/904 combo for a 383 and a 4 speed (when i finish getting all the parts for the swap) im sending the 383 to get machined. see how the rotating assembly looks, and go flat top pistons, alot of head work and a full roller valve train. My question is who makes the best street roller cam for the big blocks, and is it worth going stroker?

Thanks,
Steve

 

Depends on plan for the car if a stroker is needed. Havent heard of many stroking 383's but i suppose there is kits for it... A lot of the Mopar strokers are 400 based... As for the cam question, someone else that is more familiar with roller assy will have to answer that for you...

 

Rather than spend lots of money on your heads Get a set of Eddelbrock Aluminum heads. It also helps in the weight..

 

most of the 400 and 440 stroker stuff works on the 383, 440 source has kit up to 528 for the 383... the stock 440 crank in a 383 makes it a 413.. but for a cruzer you guys think weight saving is best route over stroking?

 

Good point on the heads. Do some cost comparison on exactly how much it will take to to get the heads to flow.

Other that the obvious reduction in friction, lack of constant adjustments and long life, you can add significant lift to the lobe and dial back duration to make the same flow as flat tappet with less duration on the roller.

BUT there is a catch: Example. I have a motor that flows plus 270 cfm at .575 lift at the valve. At .600 they go turbulent and the flow is poor. So anymore lift than what my heads flow is not only a waste of money but it will hurt performance.

If you have a block and rotating assembly then you should next pick heads. They are the most important part of the build.

Camshasft comes after you have some particulars like:

Flow thru the intake, flow thru the intake /exhaust valve, percentage between the two, headers available, etc..

Strokers are great but it depends on your goal.

What is it you are trying to accomplish?

 

A Duster with a BB has a lot of weight on the front. Anything you can do to eliminate some weight will help. Probably save 100 lbs that's 1/10 in the quarter mile

 

the goal for this car is a nice cruzer for the street and beatin up alittle at the track or where ever we end up. my machinist sets the heads up me with my intake and cam spec (when i get that far) part of me still thinks i should find a 360 to pump up but the 383 is just sittin in-front of my tool box and is the easiest option. and in tryin to avoid dumping to much money at the moment because the challenger im building is alittle over the top. just not sure what direction to go with the 383

 

You machinist will set up your valve springs for the open and closed pressures that your cam needs. If you can put that motor in, you can set up your springs easily. But a good machinest with the right tools can do it in short order.

Not a thing wrong with a 383. I would run it in a heart beat. I think you are heading in the right direction. A roller valve train is a GREAT way to go.

Can you get us a casting number on your heads? and we can give you some flow data. If by "head work" like you said above, you just mean valve job or RR then thats cool. We can spec you something based on stock flow. I think I assumed incorrectly you were doing flow work.

 

Weight savings are out the window anyways, but a stroker motor isnt any heavier than a non stroker... Weights are somewhat different between the B and RB, but the saying still holds tru.. "There is no replacement, for displacement"

 

the motor is out of a 71 road runner and is an HP code motor i can get number for ya later if ya like. BUTthe machinest we use actually bought our tolling from my families buisness when we made the transition into the desiel world. the company actually builds race boat engines and in the past has done some over top motors for us (stock 350 with flat tops and stock cam making over 450hp in one of our boats and will be port matching and flowing the 605 hemi for my challenger when i get that far as well as example)

 

a 360 or 383 set up right make tons of power
i like the sound of a 7000 rpm B.B. and the 383 can do it all day on p. parts and since your mostly using it on the street your motor will last for ever and with that kind of rpm potential after heads you can run a sweet roller cam ive used comp cams and have had good results hehehe. maybe save the money dont stroke it put it into other parts

 

did you use a comp hyd. roller cam?

 

Don't know if you found a cam, didn't read much of the thread, but I will ALWAYS say:

LUNATI cams. Only way to go. Fantastic cams.

 

Chevy 383 stroker with 475 HP full roller engine combination. This engine was designed to make your weekend toy or mild drag strip car come to life.
This 383 Chevy "Stroker" motor is a Speedway Exclusive! Machined and assembled at BluePrint Engines, each engine is dyno tested.