Choosing an intake for a 383.

I'm going to start assembling the 383 for my "Jigsaw" 1970 Charger project. It is the original engine for the car, essentially a first ever for me to have a car with it's original engine still with it. The compression is going to be between 9.25 and 9.4 to 1. I have a Comp Cam Flat tappet 280/480 cam going in. Ported '346 heads, 1 7/8" headers, 2 1/2" exhaust, 727 with factory Hi-Stall converter and a 3.23 Sure Grip.
I have a Holley 600, a 750 and a 800 ThermoQuad that I can use.
I want a dual plane intake. I have the Performer RPM on my other car. I have no complaints about it.
Summit doesn't list that many intakes for the 383. I recall seeing many different styles over the years including Weiand, Holley, Edelbrock and Offenhouser.
What do you guys suggest? Anyone have a good used one that they are selling?

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/pts/d/castro-valley-holley-street-dominator/7187230412.html

It's not a dual plane but they run great & it's one of the shorter intakes so it'll fit under the hood with room for a decent air cleaner...

And that cam isn't a great choice for a 383 unless you want to throw in a set of 3.91"s..

Rpm perf with a 750 would be my choice.
Perf with the TQ would be second.
Holley intake hurts low end significantly, we just had a post (again) on moparts about it. I personally saw a huge difference with the Holley vs oem intake down low.

furious70 said:

Rpm perf with a 750 would be my choice.
Perf with the TQ would be second.
Holley intake hurts low end significantly, we just had a post (again) on moparts about it. I personally saw a huge difference with the Holley vs oem intake down low.

Click to expand...

Do you have a link for that post, I have on hand a stock '68 intake, '78 400 intake, and the Holley Street Dominator for a stock 383. I was gonna use the Holley until I read your post. I'm using 3.23 gears too.

Edit: I think this is it:
https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/2803548/1.html

1 Wild R/T said:

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/pts/d/castro-valley-holley-street-dominator/7187230412.html

It's not a dual plane but they run great & it's one of the shorter intakes so it'll fit under the hood with room for a decent air cleaner...

And that cam isn't a great choice for a 383 unless you want to throw in a set of 3.91"s..

Click to expand...

I also have a set of 3.55s and 3.91s both with clutch type Sure Grips.
I ran that cam in a 440 with similar compression and the same gearing and it ran great. Was that because of the extra cubes?

Does the EGR stand at the back have to be blocked off to avoid leaks?

Check out these tests
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/hrdp-0712-mopar-intake-manifold-comparo/
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/hrdp-0801-mopar-intake-manifolds/

Kern Dog said:

Does the EGR stand at the back have to be blocked off to avoid leaks?

Click to expand...

It's already blocked... There are two mini freeze plugs in the back of the intake..

Yeah, the 280/480 works great in a 440... On a 383 it kills the bottom end..

The Performer RPM seems to fare well again.
If I get a used intake, I may paint it engine color. If I get something new, I'll leave it natural finish. I am trading for some M/T aluminum valve covers. I may go with a rebuilt stock type '72-75 electronic ignition distributor that I'll recurve. The MP unit in the red car works but according to Rick Ehrenberg, is subject to spark scatter and unstable timing. I may replace it with a rebuilt stock Mopar one as well.
Lots of guys seem to like the MSD setups but I don't see the value in them. The big control box, the lack of vacuum advance and the expense turns me off from them.

I've had the similar setup, and i agree that cam sucks.

I made a quick decision when I chose the cam. It is still in the box so I am thinking of returning it. Comp has a few others that are milder which would probably be a better choice.
The listed duration is 231 @ .050. Operating range of 2500-5800.
The 268/280 477/480 has a 224 @ .050 and shows an operating range of 1600 to 5800.
I have to buy some other things so maybe a drive to the Summit store may be in order.

My 383 has a Mopar Performance M1 dual plane intake, with Holley 4160 750 dual feed. It has a non-stock cam that I don’t know the specs of. Rear end gear is 3.23. Previous owner said it has a Sure-Grip.

When jacking up the rear end and doing the wheel spin test, they rotate in opposite directions, indicating an open rear.. When stomping the throttle rear tires leave TWO black marks on road.. Both Rear tires are equally worn down to almost slicks, and have been on car for the past 20 years. This is strong evidence of Sure-Grip burnouts over the years to me. Yet wheels do NOT spin in same direction when I do the off ground Sure-Grip test, so I don’t get it??

Jacked up spin test says open rear. Tire tread wear and dual black marks on road say Sure-Grip..

Kern Dog said:

I'm going to start assembling the 383 for my "Jigsaw" 1970 Charger project. It is the original engine for the car, essentially a first ever for me to have a car with it's original engine still with it. The compression is going to be between 9.25 and 9.4 to 1. I have a Comp Cam Flat tappet 280/480 cam going in. Ported '346 heads, 1 7/8" headers, 2 1/2" exhaust, 727 with factory Hi-Stall converter and a 3.23 Sure Grip.
I have a Holley 600, a 750 and a 800 ThermoQuad that I can use.
I want a dual plane intake. I have the Performer RPM on my other car. I have no complaints about it.
Summit doesn't list that many intakes for the 383. I recall seeing many different styles over the years including Weiand, Holley, Edelbrock and Offenhouser.
What do you guys suggest? Anyone have a good used one that they are selling?

Click to expand...

The Performer RPM is probably the one to buy if you are buying new. Swap meet intakes worth grabbing are the Mopar dual plane or the old Direct Connection/Edelbrock dual plane. Sometimes it came with a P number on it, sometimes it was called a DP4B. Those are old intakes but they work okay on a mild 383. Just have to be careful about buying used intakes at a swap meet. Sometimes guys beat the heck out of the threaded holes for some reason and then they want you to fix their junk.

Kern Dog said:

I made a quick decision when I chose the cam. It is still in the box so I am thinking of returning it. Comp has a few others that are milder which would probably be a better choice.
The listed duration is 231 @ .050. Operating range of 2500-5800.
The 268/280 477/480 has a 224 @ .050 and shows an operating range of 1600 to 5800.
I have to buy some other things so maybe a drive to the Summit store may be in order.

Click to expand...

Considering the luck you've had with Comp Cams in the past I'm surprised you remain so loyal....

I've run them too but I've been looking elsewhere lately... I'd look at either the Crower 271-HDP or the Lunati 702 Voodoo

The only reason that I chose them is because they seem popular. I don't build enough engines to know what to pick off the top of my head. I had 2 Comps go bad but that was in 2006 when there were a LOT of cam failures. I have read that most of the blame was attributed to the lifters but what the heck do I know?
I have had good luck with the Mopar Performance cams but who the heck knows what to expect from those guys nowadays. Their prices are way high too for some reason.
I ran a Lunati Solid in my 493. I used EDM lifters and had no troubles. It made great power. I still have it but it would be a poor choice for an engine 100 cubes smaller.
I'll check the specs on that 702 VooDoo.

The Lunati is even milder than I thought. I guess it makes sense to go milder than to go too wild. The 280/474 I ran in my first 440 ran great. I thought it might have been too mild when I ordered it but it ran strong.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/lun-10230702lk

Summit has one.

Kern Dog, Find a B M1 dual plane I think the number is P4529117.

KD, my first 10 years of hot rodding was with a 383, (which I still have today and just started driving again). When I was a kid in the late 70s and through mid 80's I changed cams on Saturday mornings and went street racing or on a date Saturday night. Intakes, carbs, exhaust, cams, gears, changed regularly. With the exception of an old friend's L78 4 speed Nova, my 383 car is the most fun car I've ever driven. Currently, my engine is very similar to yours. I have more compression, but smaller headers (1 5/8"), and its a 4 spd. Its a 12 second car at about 108 mph in full street trim (H-70-14 tires) as it sits.

383's are not 440's, and are actually more like 340's. My opinions on what you do with a street 383 verses a street 440 are different. And, what you want in the end matters even more with 383 parts selection.

If its a around town car with limited freeway driving, 3.91 gear. By way of contrast, I cannot think of a situation that I would recommend anything taller than a 3.23 for a 440.

I strongly, stongly recomment not using a "better", "fast rate", "Mopar 0.904" lifter" hydraulic cam. I would simply not rely on the valve train/lifter doing it's job in the higher rpm range , which will be about 15% higher in a 383 over a 440, all else being equal. Generally speaking, the parts you listed in a 440 would yield a shift rpm of about 5600. In a 383, it will be more like 6300-6400 rpm. There is a lot of evidance that the lifters available today for our old Mopar simply will not function properly on fast rate cam lobes at rpm. I like the cam you have. It's very similar to the MP 280/.471 cam currently in my 383. I shift at 6600 rpm, and it will pull to 7000. You put a bigger cam in a 383 that you cannot run past 5600 rpm, you've just neutered it.

The 280H will have a noticable rumpity rump at idle, if that is what you're looking for. Add converter accordingly.

Of all the carbs I tried, I settled in on a 4779, 750 DP. The TQ is also a good choice. They pair up nicely with a dual plane.

Stay with a dual plane intake. The regular Performer (which is on my car and the only intake you can directly bolt on a TQ) and DP4B are nearly identical and very good choices and will fully support your top rpm hp, while being better down low. The 6 pack is the best of having your cake and eating it too, but presume that it is really not a contender due to cost. The RPM was not out at that time, but just looking at the testing data referenced above, I would pick the other two over the RPM.

I ran a lunati avertised 292 duration with .484 lift and 750 edelbrock carb a performer intake and had 10 to 1 compression with 906 heads ran strong and sounded great. Needed 2800 stalh convertor. I also used a lunati voodoo cam 60303 in my 440 and that was great cam also.

I picked the Mopar P/N p4529117 duel plane, for my 383. (this is the second time I have used this intake)
It is not the intake that makes the most power, but I went with this intake because I wanted to keep a stock looking engine bay, and I believe this is just a slightly modified aluminum copy of the cast iron factory intake, with larger runners.
I think it works great for a stock or mildly modified 383.
It has the coil bracket mounting and choke well in stock location,(if running stock carb and choke, if not get the block off plate) and painted, it blends right in.
I used it with the felpro valley tin with heat cross over blocked off, and have had no issues in the colder weather here in NY.
I dont run the car in the snow, and I usually let the engine warm up before I take off.
This used with the Mopar aluminum water pump housing, again painted, helps shave off a nice chunk of weight, while maintaining a stock look.

Again if you want the most power, and are running a big cam, and aftermarket ported heads, then this is not the intake for you, but for maintaining that stealth/stock look, I feel its a great choice.