Hello,

I have a 1974 Nova that I'm getting ready to restore.

What engine would be better, 327 or 383?

How do you get a 327 or a 383 out of a 350 Engine Block?

I'm glad found this forum. I have lots of questions....

Thank you,

Brandon

The only real difference between the 327, 350 and 383 is the stroke length. Earlier 327s had small journal cranks while later ones have the medium journal cranks like the 350s. Medium journal 327 cranks will drop into a 350 without special bearings. To make a 383 you're going to have to clearance the block for the crank/rods. If you use the crank from a 400 the main journals will need to be machined down to fit in the 350 but you can buy aftermarket 383 cranks that dont need to be machined down for around $200.

As far as which engine to use, it's your call. They never put 327s in 74 Novas and the 383 is going to give you quite a bit more power. If it were me I'd go with a 327 just because everybody has a 350 or a 383 any more. It's all your choice.

If you've got questions, dont be afraid to ask. There are lots of people here that are more than willing to help you out.

Thanks for the fast response.

Does a 327 have more low end torque? I want an engine that will have lots (ok, some) low end torque. I was thinking the 327 with a cam that gives low to mid range torque, and rough idle.

This was my high school car (12 years ago) and it had the Crane cam in it that gave it Mid to Upper range torque and rough idle. I think it was either a 292 or 302 Crane Cam. Do you know where I can find this cam?

Anyway, if I go 327 what do I need? Are the rods shorter or do I need a different crank?

I'm drooling here.. LOL

What about high compression pistons? I have a set of pistons that have a dome on them. Should I go with them or how does all this tie together with the cam I'm thinking of?

Thank for everyones help!!

It sounds like you're going to want to go with a bigger engine. The 327 isnt going to give much on the low end with a good sized cam. The 383 has a 1/2" longer stroke than the 327 does and the extra 60 or so cubes of the 383 is going to make much more torque throughout the rpm range. A 290-300 duration cam isnt going to give you much on the low end with any engine you have. Try the Summit Racing or Jegs they both have very good selections of cams to choose from.

Domed pistons probably arent going to be a good way to go if you're going to drive the car on the street, especially if you have 64cc heads. Your compression will likely be too high.

It depends on how you like to drive.... The 327 is a screamer and make good power at high rpm's. The 383 is a stump puller and will produce it's power down low in the rpm range.

If you want to impress by screaming by, 327, if you want to spin the tires while standing still, 383.

What is wrong with your 350 crank? Yes, everyone has a 350, but so what. A 350 is a cheap-to-build and powerful engine. Why avoid it? It has good low end torque and is a good rever with it's internal balanced crank. It has the best of both worlds, torque similar to a 383 and revs of a 327.

The cam you choose will depend on the gear ratio.
The compression ratio of the engine will depend on the cam.
So what gear are you planning to use??

I really like the idea of having all the torque in the low rpm's of course with Rough Idle.

Sounds like I should go with the 383. What do I need for the 383? Right now I have a stock 350 with the Crane Cam (292 or 302).

What do I need to look for in a CAM? I just received my Summit Racing catalog in the mail yesterday. I don't want to go crazy $$$ but I would like something that puts out some HP and Torque. Maybe a cam that I can use with stock heads.

Why do people bore out there blocks to .30 and .60 over? Does that give better compression? Can I use my original pistons and still get lots of power with the 383?

454C10, there isn't anything wrong with my current 350 except the fact that it needs rebuilt. If I'm going to rebuild it, I would like to get "MORE" power!

One more question.... What do you think about running Dual Carbs? Does that give more power? I really like the look of dual carbs but I don't know if it would be of any use on a 383/350 Chevy SB.

A rough idle will typically make an engine loss low end torque. The closest way to get both is to install a cam with narrow lobe separation (like 106 degrees). Summit brand cams normally have wide lobe separation so you most likely will need a CompCam, Lunati, or Crane cam. Search for these websites. Summit sells these cams also, just need to give than a part number.

If you what more power, just rebuild the 350 and spend your money on cylinder heads. Power is in the heads!!!!! Power is in the heads!!!!! Power is in the heads!!!!! Power is in the heads!!!!! Repeat after me..... Power is in the heads!!! Say it ten times!!!

AGAIN!!!!!!!! Choose the cam that matches the gear that you plan to use!!! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!!! A big lopey cam used with a 3.08 gear is going to be a major dog!

Then a big lopey cam required a lot of compression ratio. A mild cam doesn't require as much. THIS IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT!!!!

Performance is all about proper parts selection and compatibility. Each component performance needs to match all the others. For example: a long duration cam required gears, compression, high stall converter, ignition, very high flow exhaust and intake, limited slip diff, ect.

No need for dual carbs. For a wide range of applications, a Performer RPM intake and a 750cfm vac secondary Holley (pn 3310) will do just fine.

check out this.

http://chevyhiperformance.com/techa...s/148_0306_355/

Ok, check this out. I'm building a performance 350 myself right now and this is what I'm going with for cam and pistons. It "should" be in the 400hp/400ft-lbs of torque range but as we all know, I won't know until it's built.

Comp Cam 08-432-8

This is a cam recommeded to me by Comp camps tech department. Lopy idle but won't kill you cruising around town.

I'm going with Keith Black flat top pistons

Keith Black Flat Top pistons

For the rest, it's all rings, bearings and what intake you want to go with.
I'm matching this to a 700R4 transmission with a 2500 stall converter and 3.73 gears. It should get up and go real quick like and in a hurry.


Personally, I'd go with sort of highrise dual plane intake from Holly or Edelbrock with a 650 or 700cfm 4-barrel attached to it...if your hood clearace will allow it.

Now, you also talked about boring out your motor .30 or .60 over. Basically, this is normally done to fix flaws in the cylinder walls of the block...or in our case to make the motor bigger. If my math is right, boring a 350 block .30 over and doing nothing else makes it effectively a 355. And as we all know, cubic inches = more horse power and torque potential.

Also, if you want to go the 383 route, you just have to make sure you get the correct crank as 454C10 said...lots of good info in his posts. They normally run about $500-600 for a good forged crank from or $200-300 for a cask crank. I'd recommend cast for anything less than 450hp simply to save the money.

i'd say 383 cause i like the idea of more cubes = more powerer

you can make power in any rpm range in any block as long as thats how you buid it. like for instance your cam and your heads have ALOT to do with it, like a cam w/a 106* LSA and 200+cc heads you'll make you power at high rpm's and won't have alot of umph in the lower rpm's

whatever you choose take your time and have fun with it

later, J

What makes a 350 a 383?

What does dual carbs do for me? My dad has it on his 394 Oldsmobile and talk about a sweet ride.

What type of heads should I get?

The stroke length determines whether the engine is a 350 or a 383. The 350s use a 3.48" stroke, the 383s use a 3.750" stroke. Generally speaking the 383s use a .030 overbore vs the standard 4.00" bore of the 350, though most probably most "350s" are actually 355s which are .030 over 350s after they are rebuilt.

Unless you are going to build a show car, I dont think the dual carbs are going to do much for you. You'd probably be better off sticking with a carb in the 650-750 range with vacuum secondaries.

You should get the type of head that best suits you. If you're looking for a fairly mild ride then probably just about any popular factory head would work well for you. If you're looking for a higher performance engine you might want to look into any number of heads from the very popular Vortecs (still a factory head) to something from World Products, Trick Flow, AFR or any number of other aftermarket head providers. Remember that while cylinder heads are extremely important you still need to take into consideration the rest of the combination. Camshaft choice and compression ratio play a big factor into the way the engine performs, among other things...

So I need to purchase a 383 Crank? Is this the correct one

(Thinking outloud here)
I'm thinking about getting Keith Black Pistons. Which one should I get, Flat Top, .100 Dome, 18cc D-dish, or 12cc D-dish? I want to run regular gas. Will these be better then stock pistons?

Now that I look at it, what compression does a stock 350 have? How high can I go before I need to change fuel to Super?

Now the last thing for now(almost):

When it comes to picking out heads, should I go with 2.02" or 1.94"? I see a set on Summitracing.com that have 58cc or 67cc chamber. Too much info, These are made by World and retail at about $750 for a pair.

Here is the 67cc

Here is the 58cc

This is fun! LOL Last one (for now)

With all this in mind, does anyone have any issues with these choices, and if not what CAM should I look at. I would like Rough Idle and a good "lope" (Is that the right term?) (I think that is what they call it, where the engine goes up and down, I don't know how to explain it) LOL

Thanks for your help!! Did I miss anything?

I just noticed this kit on summitracing.com:

Is this a good deal 383 Stroker Kit, $1079.95?

Click here!