383 stroker engine is way better than 350 strokers; you will get more torque power, high stroke ratio, and many more advantages. Building 383 stroker will also give you a larger bore dimension, so the stroke ratio increased 1.15:1 to 1.07:1, so the torque and horsepower will enhance.
It is not that difficult to increase the stroke; all you have to do is install some equipment types into the blocks, such as a 3.750-inch stroke that will be replaced by a 400 small-block.
The measurement should be proper; otherwise, installing a crankshaft wrong will damage the overall engine. The rotating assembly should be perfectly fit in the cylinder block.
Overall, you can say that you are lengthening the stroke so the piston can travel in the cylinder. In this article, we are going to discuss how you can build a 383 stroker perfectly.
How to Build a 383 Stroker on a Budget? Steps and Process
Building a 383 process is not as complicated as many of us things. There are many methods, such as upgrading it from the 350 engines to improve the compression ratio and power.
With proper guidance and experiences in a mechanical job, it can be done rather easily. Let us see the engine build process below.
Balance the Rotating Assembly
The first step on how to build a 383 stroker on a budget is doing the balance of the rotating assembly. So, it would help if you had a harmonic dampener balancer with weight. Chevy 383 stroker uses 400 small block crankshafts while running in stroker chevy.
Doesn’t matter you are using Cummins or Powerstroke, the 383 stroker has the same nature.
So, the engine will be balanced properly. To balance the crankshaft, you have to build an internal ballot. If you balance the crankshaft externally, you can do that at a cheap rate.
Get the flywheel or flexplate, pistons, and connecting rods. You will see a pin in the stroker piston, which is a 350 pin. The pin helps to sit down the piston inside the motor.
The motor is situated at the deck surface where the piston is mounted. Get a stroker piston with compression height, which is away from the pin center. So when you raise the pin, the piston will go down in the cylinder.
In Chevy 383 stroker, the crank size should be 3 and a half inches. The connecting rod must be properly fit in the piston. The rod size should be five inches 700000 rods with a 3.5-inch stroke. There are many aftermarket products which can come in really handy.
Remember that everything should be balanced perfectly because when the engine gets high RPM, all the components work in high pressure.
Make them Same Weight Inside the Engine.
After balancing the assembly, take all the pistons and put them on a scale. First, take the lightest piston and use it as a reference.
You can shave materials from all the pistons so their weight will be the same. Now make the same weight of all the pins shaving the materials from it. After making the piston and pins weigh the same, take the rods, and do the same process.
Please take all the pins, pistons, and rods then lay them on the scale. Put rod bearings on them too. All those components will add a minimal amount of weight to the oil.
Take the Stroker Crankshaft
This is another important step you need to understand perfectly in the engine building process.
Put the stroker crankshaft on the table. It has the main journal in the center, a rod journal to travel to the cylinder. Now you have to put the components in the journal.
First of all, take the two rods and put them in the holes of the crankshaft. Then take the pistons, rings, and piston pin, all the assemblies, and hang them off to the journal so all the weight can be equal.
Now put the harmonic balancer on the front of the crankshaft and put the flexplate on the back. This flexplate and balancer help spin the whole thing on the machine, so the balance of those components would be steady.
The engine has a flat piston, dish piston, which is located in the compression area. Those all you have to put in the crankshaft.
Piston Selection
Piston selection for building a Chevy 383 engine is essential. If you select the right piston, the engine will get more torque power. A cast piston is one of the best for this.
A hyper eutectic piston is another important component that helps to make a mild street engine. It also helps the other piston to slide past the cylinder.
Six-liter LS motor piston, forged piston (works in the throttle) all those pistons will be needed to increase the horsepower.
Relieve the Block
First of all, take a couple of bearings and put some oil on them. There are also some main bearings, put oil them too. After that, lay the crankshaft on the block and set it properly. You have to do some relieving here to mark the area cutting and go with a marker.
Now put the pistons in the cylinders with the rods. It would be best to oil the bearings and the connecting rods before setting it in the crankshaft.
Take the thirst bearing and set it on the top of the crankshaft. Put the cap on it and bolt with a hammer softly. So, the crankshaft it relived.
Set the Pistons
Take a towel and clean the blocks before putting pistons on it. Also, clean the cylinders. Now you have to install every piston on the block with the pre-assemble process. Open the journal at the bottom and set a journal protector in there.
Install the pistons very carefully so the rod bolts can attach with the journal protector.
Now rotate the engine and see how the rods work. The connecting rod should be close to the pan rail when you are rotating it. Check all the clearance and mark the area to remember where you start and finish.
Cutting the Materials in Budget
Take the vacuum and use a clamp to set the vacuum on the block. Cut and relieve the block areas which is previously marked with an electric die grinder.
Wash the crankshaft after grinding. After washing, lubricate every cylinder properly. After that, put the crankshaft back on the bench and recheck everything.
Make the wire properly fastened on the spark plugs. Use the correct spark plugs to process it perfectly.
Assemble the Block
After completely relieved the block, install oil gallery plugs, core plugs, and cam bearings. Measure the journal with a clamp and take the readings. It is needed to assemble the piston. Open the cap of the piston and set it to the journal size.
If you have a rod vice, you can easily clamp the piston. Take a torque wrench and tighten the bolts on the bearings.
Open the new bearings and install them into the block. The bearings should be lined up properly. After that, install the caps on them with bolts.
Also, install a cap on both corners of the block. Now take the crankshaft and put it on the block.
Assembling and melling several engine blocks with the oil pump is one of the major areas that will need to be given an interest in. Oil pump melling is different from the previous model to the new M-series model.
Bearing Attachment Processes
The bearings should be attached properly. Lubricate the bearings and all the parts again. Install the front cap and lower cap carefully and tighten the bolts with a torque wrench and hammer.
Set a dial indicator on the front side of the block and check the movements. Take a torque wrench and tighten all the bolts of the bearings and pistons. Remove the cap of the piston and set the top and bottom compression rings on the piston.
Once the ring is set, it can move smoothly on the piston. After the bearing and rings on, check the ring gaps to see if it is totally fit for the piston.
Oil all the gaps and take the piston. Set the pistons on the cylinder. Use a soft hammer to set the pistons properly. Snug the bolts with a torque wrench. Rotate the crankshaft to see if it works.
You need to apply a layer on the oil pan mating surface to improve the front and main seal of the gasket maker. The same goes for the turbo kit in the car and jeep.
Install the Camshaft
Take the hydraulic roller camshaft and clean all the area. Put a lube and dry graphite on the camshaft so it can work better in the engine.
Put the camshaft down on the block carefully. Please do not force it. Slide a little bit so that it reaches the point.
You can wiggle and twist it slowly until it reaches the cam bare. You can put lube on the journal then push it gently.
Install the Chain
Take a long bolt and put them at the end of the camshaft. After installing the camshaft, grab the timing chain and cam gear.
You will see three plugs on the camshaft area where you have to put the cam gear. Install the crankshaft rotation socket under the cam gear. After that, take the chain and hang it on the gear. The chain should be lined up properly on the gear.
Install Head Gasket
Install the head gasket on the block and take the head bolts to rebuild the cylinder heads. Converting 350 to 383 stroker horsepower is a method and building it from aftermarket engine parts from the machine shop is a bit different but more on the same site.
There are many heads like the Edelbrock 60979 E-Tec, Fel Pro 1003 premium, Flotek 102505 Aluminum Head, Edelbrock’s E-TEC 170cc, Flotek 101500 Aluminum Head, ARP 247-4205 Cylinder Head, and many other models.
We will install the Edelbrock company as it is more uses for this category engine. Now the engine is ready for the cylinder head.
Install the Cylinder Head (Edelbrock’s E-TEC 170cc)
Grab the Edelbrock cylinder head and install it on the block. The bolts should be fit properly in the place. The cylinder head has already installed lifter and lifter bores.
Oil them properly before do the further process. There is a push rod mounted on the Edelbrock cylinder head, and the lifters are down. There is an exhaust valve which you have to rotate. Set the pushrods and hydraulic lifters with a torque wrench.
Rotate the engine and open the intake valve to its maximum lift point, then put a pan rail straight down on the block’s bolts. Now install the pickup strong on the block.
Install the Pomp in the Engine Build
Set the retaining bolts into the pomp. Take a vernier caliper and measure the hole on the block where you will install the pomp.
Install the driveshaft into the pomp, then put it into the holes. After putting it in, tighten the bolts with a torque wrench. Before putting the pan on the engine, recheck all the bolts and clearance properly.
Install the Chain Cover
Set the gasket on the chain cover for a perfect engine build. Then put a ruler on it. Measure the depth of the chain cover with a dial caliper. Also, measure the thickness of it.
There are two bolts on both sides of the chain. Measure the bolts with calipers and rulers, then install the thrust button. Before installing the chain cover, lubricate the area, then install it.
Install the Pan Rail
Measure the pan rail’s bottom with a ruler and calipers, then set a thin gasket in the bottom. Lubricate the corner of the pan and set a gasket on both sides. Now take the pan and set it straight down on the block. After that, bolt it tightly.
Dyno Tuning Process
To protect the engine from any probability of damage while running the car for a long time. This happens if the carburetor becomes too lean or reach, and it can get damaged on the road and create accidents.
A lean carburetor can get highly temped if you run the engine for max speed as well. Validating the dyno tuning process will let you know that using the engine for maximum hp is safer.
So, you should consider the dyno tuning process before to operate safely and in proper condition.
Put the Balancer
Take a harmonic balancer, screw the crankshaft, take a long bolt, and put this on the crankshaft. After that, take small bearings and nuts, then put the balancer on the long bolts. Install the bearing and nuts also. Take a wrench and tighten the balancer.
After that, remove the long bolts from the balancer, and the balancer is finally installed.
Install the Motor
You have to attach the intake gasket on the lower side of the block. It happens if you are building a 600 hp 383 stroker build or other models such as 500 hp of 383, installing the motor is quite the same.
Before attaching, lubricate the area, then put the intake manifold motor straight down on it carefully. Bolt them perfectly.
Install a Distributor
After installing the intake manifold, remove the compression cover and rotate the balancer until the number one cylinder is open.
Open all of them and take the distributor and install it in the engine. Just drop the distributor on the engine hole, lined it up correctly, and attach it by little twisting. So your 383 strokers are finally built!
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