383 or 440 for my amateur vision

[Big_John]

The typical first response when someone wants to customize their car is, "What do you want your car to be", except this is obviously a cruising car, not a dragster.

Good that you are asking yourself this question...

Cruiser sounds like what you want... and start thinking about what you expect in a cruiser.

if I am looking for more oomf, torque, horsepower out of my car, is it worth switching to the 440 or should I stroke out my 383?

You can't beat a stroked 440 for a heavy car. You want low end torque to move the weight.

I know it sounds crazy and stupid, but I have this custom vision of my black beauty with a 440 in it, B&M/TCI tranny, updated rear gear and a supercharger.

It's good until you mention the blower. Now you are adding $$$ and lots of complications to the project. This sounds like it's a first build for you, so I'm going to suggest you stay with a more conventional build. A stroked 440, the right cam, rear etc. (think package) can be a ball to drive and fast enough to scare yourself from time to time. With a supercharger, you are looking at custom forged pistons, racing gas, lots of tuning to get it right and on and on.... Read that as a lot of time and money..... and along with that the fun just starts draining out of it...

 

[Davea Lux]

The 440 has an added advantage even if you do not stroke it, an extra 57 cu in out of the gate. On a mild build shooting for 1 horse power per cubic inch, that is an extra 55-60 free horses over the 383. I'm with John on the blower, lots of trouble, it will run great today and tomorrow it will run like crap because the relative humidity changed.

Dave

 

[mikedrini]

I disagree that a 440 is cheaper than a stroked 383. By the time you buy the engine and accessories, you’re looking at the difference in price between a regular piston kit and a stroker kit.

The real issue is the mismatched heads. That means you’re buying new heads and then will need to rebuild them. If you’re getting aftermarket heads then it’s a moot point.

But that’s all small potatoes compared to the conflict between the brief and your later comments. Is this a dream engine making big power with a blower, or a budget build?

Answer that before you start asking about more details.

Money is not technically an issue, because I am building as I go, not all at once, so I have the time. I am interested in buying aftermarket heads, but would not dismiss the idea of buying a matching head for either of the two I currently have (either an additional 516 or 915). There's a lot of back and forth about Iron VS Aluminum heads, so I am not sure which direction to go with those. This is a dream engine as you stated, making big power.

 

[mikedrini]

If you decide to build a stroker 383, check out this site: www.musclemotorsracing.com

Dave

I saw an article on them on Hotrod Magazine and am intrigued. THE block as they call it is enticing.

 

[mikedrini]

Good that you are asking yourself this question...

Cruiser sounds like what you want... and start thinking about what you expect in a cruiser.

You can't beat a stroked 440 for a heavy car. You want low end torque to move the weight.

It's good until you mention the blower. Now you are adding $$$ and lots of complications to the project. This sounds like it's a first build for you, so I'm going to suggest you stay with a more conventional build. A stroked 440, the right cam, rear etc. (think package) can be a ball to drive and fast enough to scare yourself from time to time. With a supercharger, you are looking at custom forged pistons, racing gas, lots of tuning to get it right and on and on.... Read that as a lot of time and money..... and along with that the fun just starts draining out of it...

Big John,

Thanks for the input. Sounds as though starting out with a stroked out 440 is the way to go. Then at some point down the road, if I wish, I can open the door to the blower possibility.

 

[bajajoaquin]

Money is not technically an issue, because I am building as I go, not all at once, so I have the time. I am interested in buying aftermarket heads, but would not dismiss the idea of buying a matching head for either of the two I currently have (either an additional 516 or 915). There's a lot of back and forth about Iron VS Aluminum heads, so I am not sure which direction to go with those. This is a dream engine as you stated, making big power.

In that case, go with a 400 or a 440. 400 has the advantage of being a stiffer block and starting with larger bores. It will also use your existing accessories (although if you're not cost-sensitive, that's not a huge advantage). You can get more cubes out of a 440 and you're not racing it so you may not be taxing more than it can handle, and if it's a dream motor, being able to say you have a stroked and blown (heh heh) 440 may be something that is important.

You'll want aluminum heads. No sense in going for the dream motor and strangling it with cast iron. Depending on the power level, you're probably looking at Trick Flow, Indy, or Edelbrock Victors. That has now used up my knowledge of the "big power" head market.

 

[FinFury]

915 has bigger valves and flows better than 516. Both are closed chamber heads and the chamber size is roughly the same if I recall right

 

[PurpleBeeper]

Here's my 2-cents, so take it for what it's worth.

1. A blown, stroked 440 + associated parts (cooling, torque converter, trans upgrades, fuel system, DANA rear end) will cost in the ballpark of $30,000 if you build it all yourself ($50k if a shop builds it) & will not really be a street cruiser.
2. Have you considered nitrous oxide?
3. Have you considered a SD Concepts centrifugal supercharger? (fits under the hood)

Gut check time.... seriously, what do you want from the car? Fast? Cheap? Dependable? You can only have 2 of those 3 things.

Personally, I'm a nitrous guy since I street drive my cars (even my daily driver has a bottle). Might you consider a moderately-cammed 440 (say 292/509-ish) with a 250hp shot of nitrous?

I believe FinFury is correct about the 516/915 heads...both closed chamber, but the 915's have a the larger exhaust valves like the '68+ motors. I have "heard rumors" that only the '67 GTX & R/T heads had the larger exhaust valves & other 915's didn't (not confirmed at all). I believe the ports are identical, so you could add some larger exhaust valves (& open throat) on a 516 head and effectively turn it into a 915 head.

I agree with bajajoaquin that you'll want some aluminum heads, maybe Edelbrock's at a minimum or Trick Flows if you have an extra $4k to spend. Also, a blown 440 will spit out an 8-3/4" rear end like a piece of used bubble gum, so plan on another $3k-$4k for a custom built Dana or Ford 9". Hope This Helps!

 

[commando1]

 

[Turboomni]

I have been seriously considering doing a 440 stroker for my Fury. [Actually looking for a short block now} I can't compete with the knowledge and expertise of the guys that already posted but will tell you my "rationale" to build one.
My Fury has 3:23 rear end and I like it on the highway but I would like it to feel like it has 3:55's or higher around town and off the line, so basically I want both a low and high rear end ratio. I figure lots of torque would foot the bill and I can have the best of both worlds and keep the 3:23. That is my hope anyway.

 

[68fastop]

I went ahead and built a 383 since it was the original motor. Went with muscle motors 496 kit and f1 procharger. Has plenty of power off the line with 323 gears. But is very expensive to build. The blower alone costs about 6 grand! I like having everything tucked under the hood. Makes for a nice sleeper look!

 

[Turboomni]

Electric water pump,, for race only or can you tool around in stop and go in the summer? My daughter has a BMW 3 series with the straight 6 and it has an electric water pump from the factory. I bet your build is a stump puller!

 

[ricks_RR]

hi mike
this is rick call me buddy I got the motor