Nicks Garage 383 build

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PRH said:
Usually there’s several, “here we goooo……”

I didn’t catch that the carb was a Holley VS.
With a stiff spring, those will def kill off some power.
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It is without a question a 600VS and the secondaries were barely opening NOT a 750vs. The fact that putting on a high flow 750dbl didn't make much of a difference is a testament to how little air that big block was moving- then again had he ever used his dyno air turbine to measure he would have access to all kinds of valuable information. I wanna say that 387 was moving a whopping 470-485cfm.

No rear main magically stops leaking once it starts (unless it's a new rope style) . Maybe the pan gasket swelled up or maybe someone tightened something up that didn't make final edit. Don't know don't really care. J.Rob
 
Ramm,
We got told a couple of days back on this forum, that two 850 carbs were not too big for a small block stroker. Maybe Nick should have tried these.....
 
Bewy said:
Ramm,
We got told a couple of days back on this forum, that two 850 carbs were not too big for a small block stroker. Maybe Nick should have tried these.....
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Exactly what Nick should have done except you need a VERY special adapter to "stack" them one on top of the other in order to use the stock manifold.

All kidding aside the 850 doesn't really work all that well on just about anything due to the venturi/throttle bore sizes. Take a good look at why a "950" seems to work quite well on almost anything. J.Rob
 
Bewy said:
Ramm,
We got told a couple of days back on this forum, that two 850 carbs were not too big for a small block stroker. Maybe Nick should have tried these.....
Click to expand...


Yeah, that’s what I’m running on 340 inches. Two true 830’s.

Since you can’t tune of course you can’t do it.

Also your love affair with door stop carbs causes you to make less power but evidently that doesn’t bother you.

Keep running small carbs and going slow. Keep that reputation going.

BTW and FWIW if my engine wasn’t a street engine and if I had the carbs I’d be running two 1050’s.

And it would make more power.
 
Speaking of manifolds, did anyone else notice Nick had a short, maybe 1/2" spacer on top of a divided-plenum intake? I've never liked that transition from open to flange irregularities/shelves. On a 4-hole intake, you can run an inverted tapered 4-hole spacer with the holes DOWN to smooth the flow, and on a divided plenum, HVH makes a radiused-rib spacer that fits RPM intakes' divider perfectly, but an iron factory intake could be port matched to it. Not sure if this caused a torque deficit, but I can't see that flow pattern being good or helpful. A 1" straight 4-holer probably would have jacked their torque numbers a bit, IMO. Like someone said earlier, there is more to successful engine building (for power) than bolting parts together.
 
Newbomb Turk said:
Yeah, that’s what I’m running on 340 inches. Two true 830’s.

Since you can’t tune of course you can’t do it.

Also your love affair with door stop carbs causes you to make less power but evidently that doesn’t bother you.

Keep running small carbs and going slow. Keep that reputation going.

BTW and FWIW if my engine wasn’t a street engine and if I had the carbs I’d be running two 1050’s.

And it would make more power.
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YES!! THIS^!! You have to basically DOUBLE the CFM when switching from a properly built/tuned engine with a dialed open plenum single plane to a 2x4 tunnel ram. 340=2x750, 440=2x850, etc. We ran 2x660s on our FED rail 383 (Offy TALL tunnel ram) and I felt it needed 2x750s, we went to a 471" stroker and put a M1 (short runner, bigger plenum) tunnel ram on it with two 850s and I wanted to try 2x1000's on it!!
 
Bighead440 said:
YES!! THIS^!! You have to basically DOUBLE the CFM when switching from a properly built/tuned engine with a dialed open plenum single plane to a 2x4 tunnel ram. 340=2x750, 440=2x850, etc. We ran 2x660s on our FED rail 383 (Offy TALL tunnel ram) and I felt it needed 2x750s, we went to a 471" stroker and put a M1 (short runner, bigger plenum) tunnel ram on it with two 850s and I wanted to try 2x1000's on it!!
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Whats really interesting is when you mount the turbine on top of the T-ram carb enclosure--What would you expect the CFM to read? J.Rob
 
RAMM said:
Whats really interesting is when you mount the turbine on top of the T-ram carb enclosure--What would you expect the CFM to read? J.Rob
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Doesn’t matter because it’s not measuring pumping losses.

If it makes more power it makes more power.

I had a Pontiac on the dyno a week or so ago. He had an 850 and I have an 830 (1.410 X 1.750).

My carb was up 11 HP or close to that across the board.

It showed it was flowing the exact air but made more power.

It wasn’t an air flow issue. The boosters I use don’t restrict any air and their gain is through the roof.

Just about anything on pump gas should be using annual boosters but they need to not restrict flow to get some booster gain.
 
Seems like the normal thread progression going on here………
A thread is started about an underachieving engine build that’s making roughly .88hp/ci(actually, it’s not really an underachiever……that’s just what a combo like that’s gonna do)………and the discussion has turned to whether or not the required tunnel ram swap should include the use of 2 x 850’s or 2 x 1000’s.
:eek:
 
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Ahhhhh, yes always use big carbs. Just Mopar Joe tried that on a 440, Torker 2. 1050 Dom made 6 hp more than a 850.....but the 850 had 6 ft/lbs more tq @ 4000 rpm, & very likely more below 4000. That means in a race, the 850 would be in front @ 4000.....& the 1050 playing catch up.
 
PRH said:
Seems like the normal thread progression going on here………
A thread is started about an underachieving engine build that’s making roughly .88hp/ci(actually, it’s not really an underachiever……that’s just what a combo like that’s gonna do)………and the discussion has turned to whether or not the required tunnel ram swap should include the use of 2 x 850’s or 2 x 1000’s.
:eek:
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Typical. The discussion always turns into max horsepower.
 
Yep spend a grand for 5 horsepower and loose torque. On a street car that doesn't hook. For the guy that just wants to freshen up the 383 in his Road Runner. :rofl:
 
Bewy said:
Ahhhhh, yes always use big carbs. Just Mopar Joe tried that on a 440, Torker 2. 1050 Dom made 6 hp more than a 850.....but the 850 had 6 ft/lbs more tq @ 4000 rpm, & very likely more below 4000. That means in a race, the 850 would be in front @ 4000.....& the 1050 playing catch up.
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lol.
 
I'm with RAMM on the 383, never seen one that was very impressive. Years ago, I had a 71 RR with a tired 383. Being poor I did a stock rebuild, it was still a pig. Within a year I found a 67 440 out an IL state police car. I did the same poor boy rebuild, new valve job, hone, new rings, bearings and gaskets. Wow, what a difference, the 440 was twice the motor the 383 was. At the time I had a pretty good collection of 383 cores, I loaded all them up and sold them for scrap, LOL.

When I had the rebuilt 383 in my car, I made the mistake of installing an Edelbrock Torker. One test drive and the factory intake went back on. After my 383 experience my thoughts have always been build the bigger engine if one is available. It usually cost the same for parts.

As for 383s in A bodies, in a street race I've never seen one outrun a 340 A body.
 
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justinp61 said:
my thoughts have always been build the bigger engine if one is available.
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Usually is but a lot of it cause people generally won't run the required gears stall etc.. Most under gear their combos and most seem to run 3.23-3.55 the larger the engine the closer for those gears to be ideal the smaller the further from ideal they become. Eg.. 450 hp 440 vs 383 vs 318 usually need vastly different gears and stall to run optimal.

So I find most people's comparisons not really apple to apple but an ripe apple pick from a tree to old apple laying on the ground comparison.
 
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justinp61 said:
As for 383s in A bodies, in a street race I've never seen one outrun a 340 A body.
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I guess they didn't have a super tuned 68 Roadrunner engine and hooker headers. and a few other goodies. :D
My brothers poor 360 Duster never had a chance, he eventually went 440.
 
My 1969 road runner stock with 4-speed Stomped a 1968 440 built and had slicks he could not believe it so we went through the quarter again and same outcome and he was not happy
 
I had a 383 magnum in a 1970 dodge charger SE four-speed 323 gear could not keep tires on it.The torque was unbelievable and most of my friends did not like riding with me because it held them back in the seat. The motor was all original except for headers so to say the 383 is a piece of junk. I don’t think you know what you’re talking about.
 
toolmanmike said:
Yep spend a grand for 5 horsepower and loose torque. On a street car that doesn't hook. For the guy that just wants to freshen up the 383 in his Road Runner. :rofl:
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No haven't you heard? The 383 is the biggest POS Mopar ever made!
 
Not sure why everyone is allways beating up on Nick - are there any other shops/makes putting stuff out there ?
 
stillrunners said:
Not sure why everyone is allways beating up on Nick - are there any other shops/makes putting stuff out there ?
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Not as in depth as he does. I like the guy. So he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Neither is anybody else around here. And I mean anybody.
 
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