383 Ideas
Novadude74, via CarCraft.com: I want to build a 383 small-block Chevy for my '74 Nova. I was wondering if you could suggest an inexpensive rotating assembly. I want to make as much power as possible. I have some Corvette cylinder heads for it and the 350 block that goes along with it. It is going to be a car that I drive pretty much every weekend and maybe during the week, so it needs to be durable. Can you also recommend a cam and lifter kit? I want the power to be in the low- to mid-rpm range since it will be driven on the street. I also want hydraulic lifters. I would also like to know if there is an affordable hydraulic roller camshaft out there somewhere. Thanks; you guys are awesome and you definitely have the best street machine magazine out there.
Jeff Smith: You have an opportunity to build a relatively inexpensive 383 short-block if the 350 block that you mentioned happens to be an '88 or newer block with a one-piece rear main seal and originally used with a factory hydraulic roller camshaft. We went into great detail concerning this subject in the Oct. '07 issue ("Secrets of the Cheap Hydraulic Roller Lifters"). This block allows you to reuse factory hydraulic roller lifters, which saves a considerable amount of money when it comes to choosing a hydraulic roller cam. The block is also equipped with a factory thrust plate that limits the movement of the camshaft, but also requires the use of a factory-style camshaft that has a locating step on the nose of the cam for the thrust plate. This hydraulic roller cam package could then also use the stock factory retainers and spider to complete the installation. All of this is very affordable/free with some intelligent searching. It does require the use of a one-piece rear main seal-style stroker crank, but luckily, companies like Eagle and Scat offer these in budget castings. In fact, the Scat version sells its cast Pro Comp 3.750-inch stroke one-piece rear main seal crank for a very affordable $229.95 (PN 935050L, summit racing.com). This is designed to be used with a 5.7-inch rod but will need some balancing work that will add to the cost. It might be less expensive to purchase an entire crank, rods, pistons, and ring kit that is already balanced. The ultimate price will depend upon your choice of pistons and rings. As for an affordable hydraulic roller cam, we'd consider the GM Performance Parts Hot cam through Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center. This cam (PN 24502586) specs out at 218/228 degrees at 0.050 with 0.492-inch lift for both intake and exhaust. It will idle very nicely and still make decent power. At $192.95, it's probably one of the less expensive hydraulic roller cams, and you can still run OE roller lifters. Other aftermarket hydraulic roller cams price out around $250.
The budget path to a hydraulic roller cam is to use the one-piece rear main seal blocks that appeared in 1988 for the small-block Chevy, because they are machined to use a hydraulic roller camshaft, as indicated by the two bolt holes on either side of the cam hole that mount this thrust plate. | 
Roller cams used in the factory one-piece rear main seal blocks also use this stepped nose that locates on the thrust plate. |
As for a cylinder-head, the late '80s Corvette aluminum heads are not a good choice for airflow. Plus, these heads employ a 58cc chamber size, which is bad for a 383 because it will jack up the compression, even if you use a dished piston. The Vortec iron head is a far better piece, although its 64cc chamber will also require a dished piston. The Patriot aluminum heads are about the least expensive and for your application would work fairly well. We tested these heads a few months ago ("Dirt-Cheap Aluminum Heads From Patriot," Aug. '07). These heads sell for $795 a pair, which makes them a steal for a pair of aluminum castings. On our 355ci small-block with these heads and Crane 288 PowerMax cam (226/234 degrees at 0.050 with 0.488/0/504-inch lift) and a dual-plane intake manifold and a 750-cfm carb made 392 hp and 401 lb-ft of torque. Not bad for a budget head. You would spend almost that much just to rebuild a set of iron OE castings.
More Info
Patriot Performance; Rainbow City, AL; 888/462-8276; patriot-performance.com
Scat Enterprises; Redondo Beach, CA; 310/370-5501; scatenterprises.com
Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center; Lubbock, TX; 800/456-0211; sdpc2000.com