Chevy 383 Small Block - Powerhouse 383 - Torque Tales

Just to show you what this is worth in the car, we plugged this exact power curve into the Racing Systems Analysis Quarter Pro dragstrip simulation program using a 3,700-pound car with a 3.55 gear, 2,600-rpm stall speed converter, TH350 trans, 26x9-inch sticky M/T tires and shifting at 6,000 rpm. We simulated the car at sea level on a 77-degree day, which is very good air. Amazingly, even with this heavy car and only 3.55 gears, the simulation spit out a respectable 12.54@108.9-mph pass with a 1.87-second 60-foot time.

ConclusionEven with the new parts we used, you could duplicate a similar long-block with Powerhouse parts (including the Vortec heads) for well under $2,000. Crank in a bigger cam and the horsepower will climb, but it will also sacrifice torque. As it is, this is a great package with an idle vacuum of almost 13 inches at 750 rpm, making this engine very driveable in almost any kind of street application. There's never been a better time than right now to build a stout 375hp first-generation small-block Chevy engine.

Parts ListThe following part numbers are the major components we used to assemble this small-block. The Powerhouse component prices are from Powerhouse while the GM Performance Parts block and Vortec head costs are from Scoggin-Dickey Performance Center. The remaining component prices come from various other readily available sources.