Question on power gain if I...

[megaladon6]

those will be some extremely thick bearings! you're talking about .200in to make up. considering that undersize bearings are usually about .010 or .020...
the good thing about a 377 is that you DON'T lose the bottom end, but you gain RPMs. it's the best of both worlds.

 

[megaladon6]

the d-dish puts the compressed air-fuel right by the spark plug, and since the burn starts there and has to propagate ACROSS the top of the piston it has much farther to go on the flattop to ignite the full charge.
flattops are great when you need high compression, but other than that...

 

[carpenter383]

They make the bearings. A destroked 400 will have less torque, not only from less displacment but Stroke = torque, think about it if the rod journal is further from the crank centerline it will have more leverage which = more torque.
I'm not familiar with "d dish pistons" How are they made?
like I said earlier quench is the distance between the piston and the FLAT part of the combustion chamber. Quench is not really about compression, although it can very well affect it. It's about pushing the gasses out of the flat area to create turbulence. A flat top piston will have an advantage over a dished piston everytime. But like I said I'm not familiar with "d dish"

Edit I'm guessing a d dish has a flat spot to match the flat spot on the head, so it could have good quench like a flat top. I could see where this d dish would be benificial if the heads had small combustion chambers and someone wanted to lower the compression ratio.

 

[megaladon6]

yeah, if you dropped the stroke to 2in like a ferrari, but a 377 would still have a 3.5in stroke, so how much torque do you think you'll lose? you're halfway between a 350 and a 400, you'll still have plenty of bottom end.
a d-dish is a combination of a flat top and a full dish. it looks like a D.
http://img117.imageshack.us/i/phonecamera015gb8.jpg/

 

[carpenter383]

yeah, if you dropped the stroke to 2in like a ferrari, but a 377 would still have a 3.5in stroke, so how much torque do you think you'll lose? you're halfway between a 350 and a 400, you'll still have plenty of bottom end.
a d-dish is a combination of a flat top and a full dish. it looks like a D.
http://img117.imageshack.us/i/phonecamera015gb8.jpg/

1/4" is significant in my book, sure you might have enough, but given the circumstances why not take all you can get?
Why build a 383 when a 355 will get you by? A 383 uses a 3-3/4 stroke, which = more torque.
If someone is interested in high rpms then a 377 might be the way to go, but overall a 400 will be the best "bang for the buck" IMO

 

[megaladon6]

you're missing the point, you will still have the torque! realistically you're talking about maybe 20lbs-ft
and the reduced stroke will add longevity--less side loading on the cylinder walls, less load on the bearings...
look up destroking a 350 to a 327, it makes for an insane engine.

 

[carpenter383]

The point is simple more stroke = more torque and more displacment. Why didn't you build a 327 instead of a 383 then?
Why not take it a step further and build a 302? 3" stroke and a 4" bore makes for a super high reving engine and even less side load on the cylinders!
Why do all the dirt track guys build 406's when they could destroke the same engine and turn more rpms? Because there is no replacment for displacment.
A 400 bottom end is the same as a 383 bottom end, Do you expect a 383 to hold togeather?of course! Yes I realize all the different combos and the benifits of long rods, etc.
So why do so many people build 383's? Because 400 blocks are alot harder to come by it's as simple as that. If 400 blocks were as plentyfull as 350's very few people would build a 383.
I looked for a 400 before I built my 383, but couldn't find one that was resonably priced at the time. I now have a std bore 400 long block waiting to take place of my 383 someday though

 

[megaladon6]

the reason i built a 383 is that its simple basic and good. and i didn't know about the advantages of destroking, at the time.

Why do all the dirt track guys build 406's when they could destroke the same engine and turn more rpms?

id guess that they are restricted by the rules. but a counter question. in high end racing what do they do? high RPM, low stroke low displacement engines that still produce massive power. hell, pretty much everything BUT circle track does this.
look up the 302 and look at how good an engine that is!
and a 400 has a different bottom end than a 383. bigger journals (stability) and shorter rods, thus different pistons. they are similar.
granted, if we were talking about trucks and hauling, i'd say that torque rules all. but in high performance cars you need the horsepower.
and keep in mind, im not saying the stroked engines suck just that a 377 would be a beast of an engine. large enough for great bottom end, adn still able to to produce high end horsepower without being peaky.

 

[carpenter383]

There is no rule in dirt track racing about not running a short stroke engine, they don't do it cause there is less power to be made with smaller engines. I can't see any type of racing where they purposley destroke an engine making it have less displacment for the sole purpose of higher rpm capabillity. Not saying there aren't any, but why would they unless it was because of a cubic inch limit Where they use a big bore engine with a short stroke to keep the cubes down, but gain the breathing of a bigger bore.
So ur saying if you had it to do over again you would have made your 350 into a 327 instead of a 383? Come on now :|
Yes almost any engine can make alot of hp, but it takes more rpms and alot more effort/money for a smaller engine to do it. On the street torque is king it's not just for hauling. Sure it's neat to turn 8 grand even on the street, but how practical is that for a daily driver like the op is talking about? He specifically said he didn't wan't a race car motor.
I said before I realize the benifits of long rod 383's, but you can use long rods in a 400 just the same. Yes a 400 has bigger main bearings, but that's definately not a significant concern unless ur making BIG power plus most are 2 bolt mains so where is the real benifit?. (Except 70-72 models which were 4 bolt which some argue aren't any better because of the webbibg loss)
We could argue about this all day, and never come to an agreement, I normally try to avoid any and all arguments on the net, because I think it's a waste of time. You were civil about it though, so I carried on longer than normal. We are free to have our own oppinion and we'll have to just agree to dissagree.
For the op all I can say is do your research before you spend the money! I have done alot of research on the subject and have personally built quite a few small blocks. I know what works for me, but it's different strokes for different folks! (pun intended) Talk to any local speed shops, machine shops, and people at the race track. It's much easier to get accurate answers in person than by internet messaging. IMO

 

[gk666]

It's much easier to get accurate answers in person than by internet messaging. IMO

this may be true in places where people exist... everyone here is either an idiot... an idiot that drives a silverado or an idiot that likes 2jz's and electronic engine management(anyone who doesnt know what the 2j is, its basically the chevy small block of japan... it came in a a bunch of toyotas and it was a turbo charged 400 horse motor from the factory essentially and theyr good for 1500 to the wheels which is for some reason cherrished in that community of idiots) oh and the closest track is garbage and its an hour and a half away, thats why we use backroads and highschool parking lots... for starters budget was mentioned many times... my budget is pretty open to anything... i can save the money im not in a hurry or anything... i do wanna go to muscle week in oc this year but i dont really care... personally if i were to give a number i dont really wanna spend anymore than a 1000-1500 bucks... i know thats pretty much as low as it gets if you wanna use new parts so im gonna scavenge wisely but i like new when it comes to internals... the idea of used sh*t inside of an engine is painfully disheartening... the other day i was flippin through my edelbrock catalog and i was thinking i might just save for one of those speciallized top end kits... depending on how much it is ill pick and choose on sh*t i can find seperately but last time i checked i think the most expensive one was like 1300 or something because all that performer stuff is all just budget sh*t for street cars but i think that might be the best idea