383 rebuild advice needed

[Pat66Satellite]

I'm looking for any tips on the next steps of my 383 refresh from you guys with experience. I just received my 440Source heads and they are about to go off to the machine shop for a good once over and a milling. My short block is 40 over with KB162 pistons that are .027 below deck. Block was checked, crank was polished and rotating assembly balanced..etc by a machine shop. My cam is a hydraulic flat tappet comp xe274h, Duration 274/286, Lift .488/.491. A different machine shop will be going over the heads for me as I wasn't quite happy with the shop that did my short block. I have fel-pro 1009 head gaskets with a compressed thickness of .039. I still need a rocker arm set and pushrods. Im leaning towards just the stamped rockers (its not a race car). I have a push rod length tool though. Can I just tell the machine shop that I want these heads to be at 75cc combustion chamber? Should I do any piston to valve clearance checking before I request that volume? Can i go more? I need to get as much as i can milled from the heads due to the pistons not being at zero deck. The KB162's have a decent valve notch. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Those KB's probably have room for a 650 lift cam, I have no idea what they were thinking....
That said it should still be double checked..

With an .039 head gasket

75cc = 9-1
70cc = 9.54-1
65cc = 10-1

With an .028 which I believe is the thinnest Cometic sells for a BBM

75cc = 9.3
70cc = 9.8
65cc = 10.3

 

[cdr]

Chances are the 1009 head gasket will hang over into the combustion chamber or be VERY close to the edge, lay it on the head & check.

 

[Pat66Satellite]

I had some basic requests when I had the short block redone. I was limited in my budget and selection of pistons a year ago when the machine shop had the short block. I assumed the shop would use the measurements (compression height etc) to deck the block. That didn't happen. The engine was assembled and I was left with those pistons in the hole .027. I'm just trying to make due with what I have, and move forward. I would def like to be above 9 to 1 compression. One of my requests to the machine shop a year and a half ago was atleast 9.5 to compression.

 

[451Mopar]

Piston to valve sounds like it would be OK with those pistons, but check to be sure.
Not sure how much needs to be removed from the heads, maybe 0.060"?
Make sure they mill the intake surface too. I think the ratio is 0.00123" off the intake for each 0.00100" off the deck.
Before re-assembling the heads, test fit the intake manifold fitment to make sure the bolt holes align correctly, and the ends don't sit up on the end rails.
The valley tray likely will need a few tweeks and RTV at the corners as the end rails will be a bit tall.
Stock stamped rockers should be OK. but measure for pushrod length. You will need shorter pushrods if milling the heads (or block).

 

[diesel_lv]

The 440 Source heads are 84cc IIRC. Once done, get some solder and place a small piece at 4 corners of intake manifold w/out gasket on driver n passenger side, total 8 pieces. Torque down intake. Remove each piece of solder and measure. That should give the machine shop an idea how much the intake will need to be surfaced, minus the thickness of whatever type intake gasket you go with.

 

[Pat66Satellite]

440source heads are advertised 80cc. It will be interesting to see how close they are. My old DP4B intake already sits high on my old 516 heads as well as the new 440source ones for some reason. A little milling on it wouldn't hurt. I really need to go with all new rocker arms and shafts. My originals are pretty worn out.

 

[Fran Blacker]

Don't know if these are compatible with aluminum heads or the quality of them but they're .020. It's a shame to surface new heads to make compression. I would consider pulling short block apart and have deck milled.
https://www.amazon.com/Compatible-Dodge-Plymouth-Cylinder-Gaskets/dp/B07M6QHR1X

 

[Pat66Satellite]

Normally I would agree 100% about pulling the short block apart. This is my first time going through an engine rebuild. A machine shop had my block for 8 months. He assembled the rotating assembly without zero decking the block to the kb162 pistons. When he called me to let me know it was assembled, it was going to be another 3 to 400 bucks to pull it apart and reassemble, another 200 or so to deck the block. I was so fed up with communication and the time frame I said forget it and went and picked it up. Being a newbie, it was a lesson learned. I have since found another machine shop to do my heads. I talked to him about taking this short block apart, but that starts the process all over again. He wants to re-measure everything since he didn't build it. And that's understandable. So I'm cutting my losses basically, going to mill the heads down to 75cc and enjoy it..

 

[Challenger340]

We see LOTS of Stealth Heads... most are around 82 CC's or slightly higher, and as assembled sometimes the Valve Seat contacts are a little high for our liking, which we apply our own V/Seat prep anyways and adjust the Valves higher in the Chamber therein increasing chamber CC's.
Around 1.6 CC's is removed for every .010" off the head Deck, and once past around .030" off the Head Decks it's time to start cleaning up the Intake Manifold faces on the Head as well to maintain Intake Manifold fit.
The 'published' formula was that for every .010" off the Head Deck on a BB Mopar you needed to remove .012" from the Intake Face on the Head.... but we stay around .008" per, and again we typical don't get our panties in a knot until removing .030" +

I wouldn't sweat the .065" (.027" + .039" FP 1009) or thereabouts quench..... it is what it is and it will still scavenge the cylinder adequately on the 4.28" Bore using the XE274H at whatever static CR.
That said....
"Best" is to Mill the Block closer to zero deck.... and adjust the Head Chambers to provide as close to 10:1 as you can get with the 383 Engine if you want to exceed 400+ hp, and more importantly move the ~440 Ft/Lbs down more usable in the rpm range.

 

[dbc105]

I'm planning a 383 really close to this. My plan is as follows:
a set of Ross pistons with the wrist pin set to where i have a zero deck height.
a stock .020 shim head gasket and my 906 heads a slight cut to set the cc to about 84-86cc, this should have me about/around 9.5:1.
Crower HDP271 or HDP282 cam. Really close to the Comp Cam mentioned above.
Keep my HP exhaust manifolds and the Edelbrock Performer I have on it now as well and the currect HEI.
As money allows a set of 440 Source Stealths with the cc set to about 74cc, this will mean a light cut and with a .039 FelPro or Cometic head gasket I get a .039 squish and close to 10.5:1 with aluminum heads.
I am not going to deck the block, that is why I'm ordering pistons, it is a street engine not a race engine and I think this will give a really good dependable daily driver with good power and minimal trouble.

 

[cdr]

I'm planning a 383 really close to this. My plan is as follows:
a set of Ross pistons with the wrist pin set to where i have a zero deck height.
a stock .020 shim head gasket and my 906 heads a slight cut to set the cc to about 84-86cc, this should have me about/around 9.5:1.
Crower HDP271 or HDP282 cam. Really close to the Comp Cam mentioned above.
Keep my HP exhaust manifolds and the Edelbrock Performer I have on it now as well and the currect HEI.
As money allows a set of 440 Source Stealths with the cc set to about 74cc, this will mean a light cut and with a .039 FelPro or Cometic head gasket I get a .039 squish and close to 10.5:1 with aluminum heads.
I am not going to deck the block, that is why I'm ordering pistons, it is a street engine not a race engine and I think this will give a really good dependable daily driver with good power and minimal trouble.

I would get one ground on a 114 lsa for the stock exh manifolds also the 906 head is open chamber, you will not have .039 quench , only way that I know of is a junk KB piston with a quench dome

 

[dbc105]

cdr, you didn't read it all. I will get a quench when I go to the Stealth heads, not the 906. By using the different thickness head gaskets I can run the 906 heads till I have my money saved for the Stealths. This way I just do a head swap and the bottom end is good. With pistons on a zero deck the quench height will be the thickness of the head gasket. The cam I'm looking to use has a 112 lode separation, close enough to 114. I've already talked to Ross and that is where I am getting the pistons. They have a flat top 4.280 piston that I can get the wrist pin put where I want it. Spend $900 on pistons or spend $600 on pistons and have the block decked. I just as soon by the pistons the way I want them. If i was building a race engine I would deck the block to make sure all 4 corners were the same. My street 383 will never know the difference.

 

[cdr]

cdr, you didn't read it all. I will get a quench when I go to the Stealth heads, not the 906. By using the different thickness head gaskets I can run the 906 heads till I have my money saved for the Stealths. This way I just do a head swap and the bottom end is good. With pistons on a zero deck the quench height will be the thickness of the head gasket. The cam I'm looking to use has a 112 lode separation, close enough to 114. I've already talked to Ross and that is where I am getting the pistons. They have a flat top 4.280 piston that I can get the wrist pin put where I want it. Spend $900 on pistons or spend $600 on pistons and have the block decked. I just as soon by the pistons the way I want them. If i was building a race engine I would deck the block to make sure all 4 corners were the same. My street 383 will never know the difference.

I missed the stealth heads, but I would still get the cam ground on a 114 lsa & install it at 106 to 108 ICL , 112 to 114 LSA is more cam timing change than just the 2 deg difference in LSA.