Greeetings. I bought a 65 Polara last fall and have been addressing a few things over the winter, it's a fantastic running solid car. I'm not new to working on cars/motorcycles but I am brand new to Mopars, this is the first classic one i've owned, I do have a 91 Jeep and a Ram daily driver. The motor is a 383/4 barrel, it's original to the car. According to what I've found that's a 10:1 motor? I really like the car and the thing runs terrific, no smoke no bad noises, a few minor leaks that I've addressed. However, it is a little bit of a pooch. This winter I was considering the comp replacement for the Mopar Purple 484 cam, 440 source heads, Performer RPM intake and a decent carb. The car will likely see the track 1 time if at all. Current rear is a 2.76 but I'm about to put a sure-grip 3.55 in it. So, I got to thinking - would it be a better idea to do these same upgrades to a 440 and stab that in? I understand there is potentially fab work and the left motor mount needs to be addressed but there are easy solutions for that. I have done engine swaps before so not too concerned there. My question is if I end up with a low comp motorhome or truck 440, am I just chasing my tail? If I can confirm it's from a passenger car 440, what compression ratio where those available with?
So, basically, should I stick with the 10:1 383 or is any 440 likely going to be a better option? Thanks!
So, basically, should I stick with the 10:1 383 or is any 440 likely going to be a better option? Thanks!