rebuilt 1967 383 OR blueprint 408 stroker?

[shovelhead]

Hey ,im just about ready to start pulling old busted 318 outa my 74 challenger ,i was going to fit a rebuilt 383 ,roadrunner cam,aluminium intake 906 heads and summit ceramic coated headers with a refurbed 727 trans.Would this combo give me a good.fun street car that burns rubber yet cruises nice?OR the 408 Blueprint stroker 465hp thats in a crate in my garage next to my duster?It was bought to make duster a great street/strip car but i keep lookin at the E body thinking how it would differ from the 383?What do you guys think before i get my hands n knees covered in grime,the e body is my favourite just edging my duster!cheers.Jon

 

[Chryco Psycho]

No contest the 408 is much lighter & will eat up the 383

 

[Xcudame]

Unless he strokes the 383 to 431 and tosses some 240 Trick Flows aluminium heads on it! That's what I would do!

 

[Steve340]

I think 408 - weight of a small block with big block capacity.
These engines are very popular for a good reason.

 

[pschlosser]

If I were starting from scratch, and faced with building a sweet stroker SB compared to (the lesser performing Big Block) 383, my biggest concern would be making everything work together, and work right, to produce a nicely performing car.

Going factory (or slightly better than factory) has paid off for me numerous times in the past to avoid some pitfalls of going completely aftermarket. Going factory is simpler. I might choose your 383, when I want the path clear on what to buy, what to do, and ease of bolting stuff together with a nice outcome. But the BB is heavier, no doubt about it.

But a lighter SB crate motor, ready to drop in, that should already be balanced and tuned for performance, well heck, this almost seems a no-brainer. I would go with your crate motor, unless you're dead-set on dropping it into the Duster, which would also be a pretty sweet ride, mechanically, power and weight-wise, etc.

I may be a bit obsessive, but some of my projects require more research to figure out what I need to do to produce the results I want, than the time to execute and do the work to make it happen. Maybe I'm aging, but I get a bit weary of "research time" exceeding "doing time."

If you're looking to save $$$ or time, that crate motor you describe would function well in either the A or E body.

But with more work and research, the 383 stroked out with some $$$ may outperform or match the crate motor. But it will still be heavier.

 

[Chryco Psycho]

Back in the day I virtually never saw a 383 beat a 340 with similar mods , you could "build" a 383 that would beat stock 340s .
The 408 you have is a better choice from the 2 you have but building 431 stroker using a 440 crank & rods using the 383 block with 240 Trick flows is a very strong build also .

 

[shovelhead]

great replies,thank you,yes whichever car gets the 408 in will be better in terms of power to weight etc.My original thoughts was keep the challenger more 'stock' with a classic 383 but with uprated intake headers and carb and let the lighter Duster be a street/strip 'hooligan' more of point to point car ?I guess im worried that the 383 might not move the challenger to give me the exciting ride it deserves?i wont be going strip with her just street cruising but still wanting to lift off at stop lights and grin big!These 2 mopars are like my kids and both mean alot to me,which one misses out on the 408 and will the 383 upset the other?Choices eh!i got the 408 on credit cus i always wanted one in my mopar but i think the advice on FEBO always helps decision making for me,ive never driven a 383 or a 408,only driven 318 in my duster and challenger and a passenger in a stroked 400 roadrunner 12 sec car.so thanks again for help etc

 

[rklein71]

No one needs to know it is a 408, dress it up like a 340 and let er rip. My 408 in my 71 Barracuda.

 

[Challenger RTA]

Build both and see what happens? I'm in favor of the 408.

 

[Challenger RTA]

The 318 is nothing to be over looked. A shipmate has a 69 charger 318 auto. good ignition and 2bbl carb update. I think it had a very mild came update.
it would chirp the tires but still good on gas. It would purr down the pike ( speed limit in the 70's 55 yeah right) and around town and never miss a beat. puuurfect driver. We drove each other's car all the time.

 

[shovelhead]

The original 318 is shot,internally it is full of carbon and gunk,head gasket shot etc .Has anyone got a 383 e body and how do they rate it?I have new rad.headers etc ready for it and the big B 67 383 and 727 trans .How does that 408 dressed as a 340 run?Ill have room in my workshop in 10 days so ill be ready to start on her.Thank all for comments etc.Oh is the length of BB 727 same as SB 727?

 

[Xcudame]

My 70 Challenger WSS has a 383 with spreadbore 400 intake manifold and 850 cfm Thermoquad. Over 250,000 miles and still lights up the tires and gets me down the road just fine. When it's time to rebuild her, I'm going to stroke the engine to 431. Already have all the aluminum parts (water pump and housing, cylinder heads, and intake) and Doug Headers).

SB 727s and BB 727s are the same length.

 

[shovelhead]

Thats a great positive post regarding the 383,i wanna cruise her but be able to hit wot n smile wide,a pure classic street car.thanks for info on trans lengths.

 

[Chryco Psycho]

If you do the 383 build it to 431 .

 

[heminut]

Another question. Is the 383 the go to for the Duster if the 408 goes into the Challenger? The B block engines are a tight fit in an A body. Something to think about.

 

[shovelhead]

Thats a valid point too,firstly i am keeping both these mopars ,the duster is fully ready to drive ,all inside and out done just needs 318 out and 408 in.Challenger which is my favourite looking mopar needs body and full interior so its going to be more longer term project .I will always have option to swap 408 into her when she is fully finished but if i like 383 in her then ill leave it as is,also as Chryco states the 383 can be uprated too in future.So short term the 408 can be in and sorted asap and driven,ill get the 383 the challenger and get it running ,road test her as is then start to refurb body and interior.i was worried about wasting time and money fitting engines the changing my mind and then swapping them again but at the end of the day there both great cars and engines and getting my hands dirty is what it is,thats what we do owning muscle car classics,clean hands buy a shiny ,new boring AF car!

 

[Ricks72Chlgr440]

Another question. Is the 383 the go to for the Duster if the 408 goes into the Challenger? The B block engines are a tight fit in an A body. Something to think about.

I put a Blueprint Engines 408 into my 70 Duster with 727 & 3.55 gears (Strange 60 rear, 3500 stall converter w/275/60/15 tires). That package was a real mover! I could nail the throttle at 40mph and spin the tires. Of course the E body car is a little heavier, but the 408 would be just fine. If starting from scratch with the B engine, I would stroke it! 440 Source has nice parts to get 'er done. Really comes down to what YOU want out of the car. For me, I pulled the small block from my 72 Challenger and put in a nice 440.

 

[shovelhead]

Got garage space .Time to start engine and trans swap,pics of 73 and my refurbed 383.Im going to build lift frame that bolts to front frame rails using removed bumper frame like Jonny mopar did.Dropping K frame,lifting front up via hoist.just making mobile engine cradle for BB then i can free up hoist.