383 Torque Monster Build

[jpeshelman]

Just a general question when building a 383, what have you found out to produce the most low end torque and descent power.....not reving the car to the moon. Trying to get some opinions before i start a build.

Thanks

 

[Jim Lusk]

Best torque is going to be found with a stroker crank, but you can get good torque if you keep the cam mild and run a good dual plane intake. My son's old 383 had a 230 @ .050 cam with around .480 or .490 lift. Swapping from an old TM6 to a DP4B made a HUGE difference in low end torque.

 

[jpeshelman]

I was given a TM6 intake with this '70 383....it seems that intake is more for upper rpm power and you sacrafice low end torque, like you said. im in between building a period correct 70's hot rodded 383 or a new and improved 383. I like the older/original era look, but i also want some performance. Im just trying to weigh out the options.

 

[BBBCUDA]

Get the compression up, (not easy with stock style pistons), small cam, dual plane intake. My 383 in a '67 Barracuda has a .465" lift cam, which is actually smaller than that due to the crappy ratios on the stock rockers, Edelbrock RPM intake, and 9.97/1 compression. It's only been to the track a couple times, but it ran a 12.4 ET shifting at 5,000 rpms. flat.

 

[zanderzone]

I have a 383 -496 stroker
Here is a dyno with 2 runs
Green run is with a single plane intake
Blue run is with an edelbrock RPM dual plane intake

The torque was incredible with the dual plane but the single plane had more in the top end at the drags.

Cheers
Dave

 

[bOb shingler]

isn't a 383 torque monster an oxymoron?

 

[moper]

The two most important things with building a 383 for performance are block machining, and piston choice. The block's cylinder decks are always much taller than the blueprint spec. For the numbers guys, decking the block on any of the old horizontal millers usually means removing the ID stampings... So it's best to find a shop that has a CNC mill that can properly cut the decks without losing the numbers. Then, have the block blueprinted at least. At most, take the piston you want to use, determine the correct deck needed for your plans, and have it cut to that height. Most pistons are short in compression height. So you can end up with a domes piston that struggles to reach 9.5:1 static. The factory Hi Po pistons don;t help either. So buy great pistons, and have the block prepped by a performance shop with good modern equipment, and you're on your way. A 9.8-10:1 383 with open chamber heads and the right cam will make 400hp easilly with similar torque figures. It's not an RB stroke, but it will make RB power on pump fuel.