383 Engine Teardown - Need Advice

[Banzaiii67]

Aluminum!

X2..

is your heart set on a 383? I would start looking for a 440 if I was you.

Regarding your heads, funny thing is the same thing happened to me meangene. I had a 346 and a 906 head and they had been reconditioned, so that p.o. had to know what they did. I ended up buying some closed chambered iron heads but my situation was different.

 

[mopar 3 B]

I will take a will built 383 over a 440 any day but that's my choise.

 

[Meangene83]

X2..

is your heart set on a 383? I would start looking for a 440 if I was you.

Regarding your heads, funny thing is the same thing happened to me meangene. I had a 346 and a 906 head and they had been reconditioned, so that p.o. had to know what they did. I ended up buying some closed chambered iron bottom but my situation was different.

Closed chambered iron bottom?????

I am not totally set on the 383... but the way I figure it is. If i go to 440 i am worried i will need to upgrade a ton of other things in the car. If i stay 383, I can minimize a COMPLETE overhaul of every system.

At this point, If I don't get a call from the Machine shop saying my block is cracked... I will be very surprised.

I am about ready to punt the car... So disappointing.

 

[mopar 3 B]

If your planing on building a decent 383 all that stuff will need to be upgraded anyway.

 

[Garys1969RR]

So, more bad news. This car is kicking my ***.


The engine has two different heads on it!

One has numbers that read 3462346 - 1971/1972 383 & 440
the second has 2843906 - 1968-1970 383 & 440.

I visually inspected them after noticing the numbers. I could not see a visible different to my untrained eye.

It seems obvious to me that I am going to need to get a set of Matching heads. And that having two different is not a smart move...

Can anyone advise?

Just get one other 906 head. Then get a valve job done on them. Or you could get a 346 to match your other one. I prefer the 906 as they were used on the late 60s muscle cars and can work very well. I have a set of 906 heads I would be willing to sell. They have been ported, and had a valve job done.

 

[miller]

Agree with Gary on the heads. Nothing wrong with 906s. Simply find a match for whatever heads you decide to use.

Said it before...the 383 is a great motor to build. I've gone through 4 of 'em. Only deal is it's a low-block, compared to the RBs. 383s can be built just as strong. From the pics you posted, that motor looks great for re-building...all looks good. Simply get the parts on it right.

 

[66coronet500]

Thank you very much, I will use this with my mechanic! Too bad we didn't live on opposite sides of the continent. Otherwise I would be dumping this block in your lap to rebuild for me.

Any East Cost - New England recommendations?????

Local engine builder if you need one still.
Hekimian Racing Engines
Watertown, ma
617-926-0608
Greg Hekimian

 

[Meangene83]

I am eternally grateful for this place. If for nothing else to keep me off then dye of be itching the car!

Gary, I am interested in your 906 heads. I suppose it's impossible to find a Single one...

66coronet, have you had personal experience with them?

i have been looking at PK Machine in Fitchburg, ma. From what I hear they build a lot of Mopars. They have a nice YouTube channel of dyno'ing engines. Which is cool to see.
any experience with PK's?

 

[fratzog lover]

Hekimian is a chevy guy, isnt he?

 

[bigmanjbmopar]

Yep, If it looks like a chevy and stinks like a chevy it must be a chevy lmao and it looks like that guy is a chevy guy, but probably a great engine builder so why not?

http://www.hekimianracing.com/hpengines.html

 

[Meangene83]

Yep, If it looks like a chevy and stinks like a chevy it must be a chevy lmao and it looks like that guy is a chevy guy, but probably a great engine builder so why not?

http://www.hekimianracing.com/hpengines.html

Everything looked good to me on the Hekimian site until I saw the bible quote at the top of the site. I have no problem with religion, but it is kinda strange having it front and center on the site...

 

[IQ52]

I build high performance engines for a living and am very particular that things are balanced.

Be at peace.

Yes, the shape of the 346 vs the 906 intake ports is different. However, you will not be able to tell the difference in performance whether you use two 346 heads, two 906 heads or one 346 and one 906. Stock for stock, there just isn't that much difference unless you port them. If you feel silly (which you should not) by using two different casting numbers in your circumstances, then by all means look for one other head to match. But once you put the valve covers on, no one will know either way.

 

[Meangene83]

I build high performance engines for a living and am very particular that things are balanced.

Be at peace.

Yes, the shape of the 346 vs the 906 intake ports is different. However, you will not be able to tell the difference in performance whether you use two 346 heads, two 906 heads or one 346 and one 906. Stock for stock, there just isn't that much difference unless you port them. If you feel silly (which you should not) by using two different casting numbers in your circumstances, then by all means look for one other head to match. But once you put the valve covers on, no one will know either way.

The good news it, today I picked up two 346 heads and a 440 manifold intake for $50. Will post some pics later.

 

[Meangene83]

So I picked up these up on Craigslist for a killer deal. Spent $50 on all three.
Two matching 346 Heads. They have threaded studs installed in the holes which normally carry bolts. They look like they can be removed.
The guy stated he did this because he had a terrible time sealing the holes with regular bolts, so he used the threaded rod.

The Intake looks like the intake ports where modified and cut/dremeled to a larger opening? Is this the case?

(heads are going to be rebuilt for the 383.)

Oh yea... the more I think about it. The more I WANT a 440 now...

part of me feels like if I am gonna go through this I should put in the mac daddy.

 

[66coronet500]

Yes, He is building my 318 poly into a 394 stroker now. We have a CNC program on my heads that so far are some of the highest flowing poly heads ever. I have no experience with PK. Give Gregg a call and talk to him about what you are looking for. He is very honest and builds some great engines.

Scott

I am eternally grateful for this place. If for nothing else to keep me off then dye of be itching the car!

Gary, I am interested in your 906 heads. I suppose it's impossible to find a Single one...

66coronet, have you had personal experience with them?

i have been looking at PK Machine in Fitchburg, ma. From what I hear they build a lot of Mopars. They have a nice YouTube channel of dyno'ing engines. Which is cool to see.
any experience with PK's?

- - - Updated - - -

No he is a engine builder, Ford, Chevy Mopar or whatever else you have

Hekimian is a chevy guy, isnt he?

- - - Updated - - -

He is also a pastor. He also builds Cryogenic chambers and Jay Leno is one of his customers.

Everything looked good to me on the Hekimian site until I saw the bible quote at the top of the site. I have no problem with religion, but it is kinda strange having it front and center on the site...

 

[Meangene83]

He is also a pastor. He also builds Cryogenic chambers and Jay Leno is one of his customers.

That is one weird sentence. haha
Pastor. Cryogenic chambers? and Jay Leno is his customer. Most interesting man in the world I guess...Totally random.

Thanks for the information also.

 

[Garys1969RR]

Many engine builders match the port openings on the head to the gasket opening size. Same treatment on the intake manifold. Also, on a high rise intake manifold, such as the six pack, the intake runner meets the intake port at a rather high angle. So the flow is disrupted as it changes direction when it leaves the manifold runner and enters the head port. This is most noticeable at the top pf the runner. The stock manifold intake runners (as well as the cross ram) come in at a fairly flat angle, so the transition from intake runner to the head port is pretty much a straight shot.

- - - Updated - - -

With this in mind, some head porters (including myself) like to raise the top of the port window about 3/16" to better align the runner transition from manifold to head port. This gives more of a straight shot at the intake valve. This may be what has happened to the heads that you just bought.

- - - Updated - - -

I don't have a flow bench and don't know for sure if this modification makes much difference in the overall flow rate. But it makes sense to have a smooth port transition from manifold to head. And the motors I have done this to have ran really well.

 

[HT413]

Looks like maybe you scored on the heads, but that manifold won't fit your 383 - it's a 440 manifold from 1973.

 

[miller]

Too bad 383s get a bad rap these days. Been moving on for many years.

Yup on the intake...he would have figured it out soon enough.

 

[Banzaiii67]

Too bad 383s get a bad rap these days. Been moving on for many years.

Yup on the intake...he would have figured it out soon enough.

I'm on the fence, I have a 383 but I was trying to emulate the highest option in my 1967 Satellite that still wearing original paint.

In hindsight, the cost of rebuilding a 383 is pretty much the same is a 440 if your starting from scratch. I wouldn't hesitate putting a 383/400 in a A-BODY over a 440 but if your trying to move 3800+ pounds I'd rather have the torque of a 440. If it's a 4 speed, than it's a different story.