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WTB Good used .020"/.030" 383 pistons

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727

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Anybody have a set of good used 383 Pistons?
Looking for 9.5-1/10-1 compression with iron open chamber heads.
 
Anybody have a set of good used 383 Pistons?
Looking for 9.5-1/10-1 compression with iron open chamber heads.

It’s going to be a challenge to net that kind of compression with common pistons and a 383, but not impossible.

I think your best bet will be to find a set of TRW L2293 pistons, with the domes, commonly called the 11:1 pistons.

Then find out the CCs of the piston domes, the CCs of your specific heads, the CCs of the head gasket, and where the piston sit in the hole at TDC. Then calculate your compression ratio. If you need to adjust your compression down after that, do so by machining the domes down and/or the head gasket thickness.

Some people think the 68-69 383 HP engines were 10:1 Compression because that was the factory rating. They were not. It was more like 9.2:1. Those HP pistons have a Compression Distance (CD) of 1.932”. Off the top of my head, most 383 shelf pistons today have a CD of 1.920”, so even less compression than even the factory 9.2:1.

When I build my 383, I’ll be forking out the money for a set of semi-custom pistons just so I can have a comparable factory 69 383 HP piston.

Good luck on your quest.
 
Thank you for the info. When you put yours together, you could always get a set of closed chamber heads to get you in the ballpark. E- streets and 440 source offers smaller chambered heads at reasonable prices
 
Thank you for the info. When you put yours together, you could always get a set of closed chamber heads to get you in the ballpark. E- streets and 440 source offers smaller chambered heads at reasonable prices

Yeah, if I were after maximum performace, I'd go with aluminum cylinder heads. That's not what I'm after though. I want to restor my numbers matching 69 383 Road Runner engine as close to factory spec as possible. In order to do this, I'll need to order a set of semi-custom pistons to get the same compression distance as factory. Currently there are no available pistons today that offer those factory specs that I'm aware of.
 
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