It is a well-known fact that the 383 strokers are miles ahead of the 350 ones. The stroke ratio, the toque power, and the rest of the factors all favor the 383. This one will also offer a larger bore dimension, increasing the stroke ratio from 1.15 to 1 to 1.07 to 1. For that reason, the torque sees a significant increase as well.
However, the digits of your bank balance might not let you get one from the shelves. If that is the case, you might be wanting to know how to build a 383 stroker on a budget. Well, you have just stumbled upon the right guide for that.
We have built a couple of these by ourselves. And through those sessions, we have gathered enough knowledge to guide you properly. So, all that is left for you to do now is to read through, take notes, and then try to build it by yourself. Rest assured, after going through the guide; it will be an easy task for you.
Things We Are Going to Need
Let us first describe the things that would be required to carry out the entire project. Considering the fact that we have a pretty limited budget, we have opted for a few parts as possible. However, the parts that we have selected are going to do the work. There will not be any requirement to get something extra.
On that note, you will find many of the stroker 383 kits on sale. If you can get a good deal, we would highly recommend getting one of them. Those would offer an insane value proposition, and due to the fact that they are a kit, there will be no need to get the parts separately.
Nevertheless, in this guide, the following are the parts we are going to work with;
- Gaskets
- Oil pans
- Timing chain
- Rings
- Crankshaft
- Rods
- Engine block
- Distributor or ignition
- Carburetor
- Valve covers
- Intake
- Cams
- Heads
- Rockers
Keep all of the parts near your working area. Also, do note that if we were not on a limited budget, we would have gone for the powerhouse kits that are available in the market. Those would have some of the high-end components, which would have allowed us to build ourselves a beast.
Keeping that in mind, if you can spare some cash, we would still highly recommend getting those kits. Those would satisfy your enthusiast’s mind and offer you the performance you were probably expecting to get out of these.
Steps to Build a 383 Stroker on Budget
Before we start stating the steps, we would like to assure you that the process will not be as hard as many say it is. However, there are some methods that can make the process harder than it has to. We have found out the straightforward and most easy-to-follow process, which is what we are exactly going to provide here.
Step 1: Balance the Assembly
The first step would be to balance the rotating assembly. This process will be easy if you have a harmonic dampener balance that will perfectly fit the weight. So, we would recommend getting one. On that note, the 383 stokers utilize the 400 small block crankshafts, which you need to ensure before balancing.
There is not going to be that much of a difference between the Cummins and the Powerstroke version. The stroker of both has the exact nature. So, you should not really worry about this factor that much.
To balance the crankshaft, start by building an internal ballot. However, if you focus more on the external portion of the crankshaft, the cost would drop down to a significant amount.
Now, you would have to get yourself some connecting rods and a flexplate or flywheel. Notice the pin on the stroker piston, which should be a 350 pin. This pin will make it easier to make the piston inside the motor sit properly in place.
Move along to the motor on the deck surface. It should be right at the place where the piston is mounted. The stroker piston would now need to be at the right compression height, which would be away from the center pin. For this, raise the center pin and let the piston go down on its own towards the cylinder.
On that note, for the chevy 383, the crank size must be three and a ½ inches. Its connecting rod must make a proper fit with the piston. Also, the rod should be five inches, and it should have 3.5 inches stroke. Rely on the aftermarket rods if the OEM ones are not accessible.
Most importantly, remember that each of the things must be balanced appropriately, or else when the engine gets into a high RPM, the components will not be able to withstand the exerted pressure.
Step 2: Weigh the Pistons, Pins, and Rods
After balancing the overall system, place all of the pistons on the scale and weigh them. Here, you need to make sure that they are all equal in weight. If one is higher than the other, save a bit off. Do this for the pins, rod bearings, and rods as well. All of them should have equal or very close weight to each other.
Step 3: Get Yourself a Set of Cylinder Heads
Once you are done weighing all of the components, you should manage a set of cylinder heads. For this, both the new and the used set are going to do fine. However, one thing that you need to consider is whether they are fully assembled or not. Without them assembled, you might need to go through a bit of hassle.
Step 4: Acquire a Working Intake
Now, you should start working on getting an intake. Depending on the heads that you have sourced, you need to get an intake for the same head. If they mismatch, the fitting is not going to be perfect, which will eventually mean that the heads will not work optimally when the engine is at the highest RPM.
Then, it would help if you got the intake and the heads in place. Make sure that you use a proper gasket on the intake ports. Also, do make sure that you decrease the turn of the short side. Also, check valve seat ridge and make them a bit smoother if they are not already smooth.
Step 5: Install the Camshaft
After setting up the intake portion, you should move onto installing the camshaft. Use a flat-tappet camshaft for this one. Set the camshaft up the parameters of 229 degrees at 0.050, 0.051 inches of lift on the exhaust. Also, make sure that the intake has a lift of 0.500 inches. It should also have an angle of 112 degrees.
On that note, the lobe separation should be about 222 degrees with the intake. If you want to increase the power, you should get yourself a roller-cam instead of the flat-tappet. However, that will increase the overall costing of the project.
Other than that, as we are using L-31 hears here, the camshaft will be highly gentle with the 383. Also, those will begin to fall off during the lifting session, which should be more than 0.500 inches.
Step 6: Work with the Pistons
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Once you are done installing the camshaft, you should move along with coating the chamber’s roof. Work with the tops of the piston and the interior of the intake as well.
Additionally, you would have to cover the ins and outs of the tubular exhaust headers. Make sure that the insides of the exhaust port are covered as well. And for the coating, we would highly recommend using something that is thermally insulated. This coating will keep the temperature low.
On that note, do ensure that you are using the powder coatings. Those are going to coat properly on the walls of the components. Also, as the heat inside of the system is going to be pretty low, the power will see a substantial increase. And the level of noise will be pretty low as well.
Step 7: Add Finishing Touches
After working with the pistons, you should work on some finishing touches. For this, first, use 1.6 to 1 roller-tipped rocker arms on the top of the engine. Then use a carburetor of 800 CFM followed along with a carburetor of 700 CFM.
Additionally, use an ignition box that has multi-sparks and a high level of energy distribution. Take a conventional oil pump and synthetic race oil, and wide-gapped spark plugs, and get the system ready for action.
Final Words
Now that you know how to build a 383 stroker on a budget, it is time to start building. Please ensure that you have all of the parts near you. And as we have mentioned above, look for good deals on kits before purchasing the parts separately. Those sometimes offer an excellent overall value proposition.
