Good Deal on a 383?

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MuuMuu101

MuuMuu101

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Hi there, I've got a '68 Dodge Dart that I plan on building up to be a little bit of a handling car. I currently have KH discs up front and plan on putting an A-body 8 3/4 on the rear. The 8 3/4 I have has an open 489 cased 2.76 gears. I just found an ad online for, essentially, an entire drivetrain swap and was wondering if it was a good deal. This is what the ad reads...

"383 Mopar High Performance Engine for sale, due to unforeseen circumstances must sell ASAP. This engine was intended to go in a 1968 Dodge Dart, my loss is now your gain. This is a brand new engine that has never been turned over it features...
906 HP Heads
Tri-Y Schumacher chrome headers
Edelbrock Performer RPM intake manifold
Edelbrock 750 cfm carb
MSD Distributor + MSD performance wires
NOT SHOWN BUT INCLUDED: water pump, 727 Torqueflite automatic trans., 8 3/4 rear end (X) stamped, brand new radiator, plus many extras...must sell all together, but willing to negotiate."

Do the Shumacher's headers fit well with power steering?

I'm just curious on a good value to determine whether or not I should go for this or if I should just keep looking for a small block.

I was also planning on installing 1.06 T-bars, subframe connectors, Afco or Hotchkis rear springs, an entire suspension rebuild, LCA reinforcement plates, and sway bars. How badly is the extra weight in the front going to effect the overall balance of the car. I've seen Jim Lusk's son's Barracuda autocross with a 383 before.

Thanks for your help.

Mods, if this is in the wrong section, can you please move it?
 

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I dunno......a small displacement BB with iron heads, and you want to make a handling car? I don't think that's going in the right direction. Maybe if it had aluminum heads, but I'm still no big fan of small BB's.

I mean why? A stroker small block with a lot of aluminum components on it and maybe the battery in the trunk seems like the hot set up.
 
cudavert said:
I dunno......a small displacement BB with iron heads, and you want to make a handling car? I don't think that's going in the right direction. Maybe if it had aluminum heads, but I'm still no big fan of small BB's.

I mean why? A stroker small block with a lot of aluminum components on it and maybe the battery in the trunk seems like the hot set up.
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Kind of what I was thinking but it's what's available. I don't know much about BB, so I wanted an opinion. I generally look around CL every other day to see if a decent LA 360 pops up. For now, I don't really want anything crazy. Just more power would be nice. I was planning on making the suspension upgrades regardless of small block or big block.
 
roadrunnerh said:
I would want to know EXACTLY what was done to the rebuilt motor and who rebuilt it.
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That's another thing I was thinking about... He doesn't give much info on the specs or the condition of the transmission and rear end.
 
I think your better off going with a stroked small block if you want really good handling.
 
I emailed the guy to see what has been done to the engine and if he can give me more info on the trans, rear end, and what other parts that come with it for curiosities sake.
 
MuuMuu101 said:
I emailed the guy to see what has been done to the engine and if he can give me more info on the trans, rear end, and what other parts that come with it for curiosities sake.
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You're looking at $1,000 for the headers/intake/carb/ dizzy.

Is the rest of the package worth $2,000?
If the 8 3/4 is posi and ready to run as is there's another $800-$1,000 .

Is a 383 long block of unknown origin and 727 worth another $1,000? If the engine is solid I think it could be a nice deal for $2,500 to $2,800. Lots of unknowns and "ifs".

I would find out a bit more about the engine internals and consider offering $2,500 for the lot and let it unfold from there.
 
If your really wanting a great handling dart I think a 408 sb would be better. If this is more of a driver that you want to handle OK than this 383 might be ok.
 
bOb shingler said:
All that stuff is well worth the asking price.
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I agree - A core 383 is a few hundred - even with marginal work and stock parts as a reman it's worth $1200. The new parts are over $1000 w/shipping and tax. The core trans is another $200, the 8 3/4 is around $1000...
 
Well worth the price wish I were closer try buying all the pieces for this money
 
So this was his response to my email...

The engine is a remanufactured engine built from Santa Ana Speed. I don't recall if I saw any paperwork on the engine itself this was my Dad's project, but did have paperwork on the 906 heads. The trans and the 8 3/4 are not cores they were working and functioning when they came off. The 8 3/4 rear end is the 741' X stamped rear-end for an A-body with the small bolt pattern axle.
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He's still fairly vague... I don't know. Should I attempt to go for it? I could always sell my 273, 904, 7 1/4, and extra 8 3/4 to make up for a fraction of the purchase. I'm just not sure how big blocks handle in A-bodies. Honestly, this car is going to see about 90% street driving with very little track time. Maybe once or twice a month at most (if not less). I'm curious what his 8 3/4 gear ratio is.

The shop the engine was built at has a good Yelp rating...
http://www.yelp.com/biz/santa-ana-speed-center-santa-ana
 
Sounds like a good deal. I don't think he's being vague as much as he just doesn't know what was done to the engine. They can be made to handle just fine. Is it easier with a small block? Yes, but with the proper application of parts...
 
The consensus I read is that a big block will not give more HP than a small block in an A-body unless you install large headers, which means hacking up the inner fenders. Without aluminum heads, the car will be very front heavy. Personally, I would put the money into a nice small block. I sure wouldn't put the heavy factory cast iron water pump housing and water pump on, since aluminum versions are fairly inexpensive.
 
BillGrissom said:
The consensus I read is that a big block will not give more HP than a small block in an A-body unless you install large headers, which means hacking up the inner fenders. Without aluminum heads, the car will be very front heavy. Personally, I would put the money into a nice small block. I sure wouldn't put the heavy factory cast iron water pump housing and water pump on, since aluminum versions are fairly inexpensive.
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But how about the body twisting torque and lower RPM that you will never get out of any type of small block. I think this is a pretty good deal does anybody really ever know exactly what they are buying when purchasing it out of the car. Is this enough room for headers?
 

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dodge71demon said:
But how about the body twisting torque and lower RPM that you will never get out of any type of small block. I think this is a pretty good deal does anybody really ever know exactly what they are buying when purchasing it out of the car. Is this enough room for headers?
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A 408 or 416 will out torque a 383. The shape of the block doesn't determine how much torque the engine will make. The OP obviously wants to stick with the factory K-frame and likely power steering so a small block makes a lot more sense.

Could you rebuild a core 383 for about this price? Probably not considering the other things included.

I'd have a very hard time swapping an iron head big block with open chamber heads into any car that handling is a consideration, or anything that gets driven a lot. I think for a nice street a-body on a budget, it would be better to go with something like a 360 or 5.9 magnum.
 
desmo900 said:
You're looking at $1,000 for the headers/intake/carb/ dizzy.

Is the rest of the package worth $2,000?
If the 8 3/4 is posi and ready to run as is there's another $800-$1,000 .

Is a 383 long block of unknown origin and 727 worth another $1,000? If the engine is solid I think it could be a nice deal for $2,500 to $2,800. Lots of unknowns and "ifs".

I would find out a bit more about the engine internals and consider offering $2,500 for the lot and let it unfold from there.
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kinda what i was thinking.. really depends on if the engine is good.. if so it seems like a decent one stop shop price..
 
goldduster318 said:
A 408 or 416 will out torque a 383. The shape of the block doesn't determine how much torque the engine will make. The OP obviously wants to stick with the factory K-frame and likely power steering so a small block makes a lot more sense.

Could you rebuild a core 383 for about this price? Probably not considering the other things included.

I'd have a very hard time swapping an iron head big block with open chamber heads into any car that handling is a consideration, or anything that gets driven a lot. I think for a nice street a-body on a budget, it would be better to go with something like a 360 or 5.9 magnum.
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That's another point. I will be sticking with the small block K-frame, so I'd use Schumaker's mounts if I were to get this. So based on Schumaker's website and Firm Feel, those headers should be good with power steering? Still on the fence... :banghead:

What's the difference in drivability between a small and big block? I know mpg would be a big difference.
 
If they say it will work...you can probably get it to work. I would not be surprised if grinding/denting of the headers may be required...as with any aftermarket part.

Also, it doesn't appear you'd be getting any accessory brackets or pulleys with this, so you'd have to buy all of this...where if you swapped to another small block, you already have it...same goes with wiring, it would have to change.

Did you ever wonder why they never sold many 383 a-bodies and why they were discontinued? The 340 was just as fast, handled better, and came factory with power steering. You'd have everything you needed but a driver's side mounting bracket already to swap in a 340 or 360.
 
What's the difference in drivability between a small and big block? I know mpg would be a big difference.
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really depends on how each is set up.. either one could be more streetable and get better mileage than the other..

do you have anything for the small block build yet? if so what exactly do you have?

the 383 deal could wind up being a lot cheaper in the long run then building a stroker small block if you are starting from scratch..
 
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