CV8Z

I'm considering swapping out my slightly modded 305 L69 with a 383 shortblock from Competition Products (http://www.competitionproducts.com/p...number=SB383-L). When I bought aftermarket parts for the 305, I tried to pick ones that were 350 / 383 friendly, but still needed to be CARB legal (CA Smog). Just wanted to see if I'd be able to reuse the parts I have and still make decent power.

This is what I have:

Edelbrock TES Headers
Edelbrock Performer EGR Intake Manifold
MSD Streetfire Distributor HEI
Comp Cams DualEnergy 265
Stock LG4 Quadrajet Carburator
3" Magnaflow Catalytic Converter
3" Custom Exhaust

Was also considering picking up a pair of World S/R Torquer Cast Iron heads to slap on the block since it's out.

Is there anything I'd need to change to get the most out of swap? Thoughts, comments, or suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Everything should fit.

CV8Z

Thanks for the response Five7Kid... Any thoughts about using the World S/R Torquer heads with this setup?

SeanW

For about 500 more you can get a short block kit from comp that is all forged. http://www.competitionproducts.com/p...umber=SBK383FT Just a thought.

I have those heads on a 350 with what i am going to say is a similar set up(comp extreme energy cam, Performer EPS, Edelbrock 1406). It pulled pretty hard in my half ton. I got a set of heads for free, just had to buy one bare head otherwise i personally wouldn't have wasted my money on them. There is lots more power to be had for the money. 170cc head seems kind of small for a 383, but maybe thats just me.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Do you already have them? If not, I wouldn't buy them for this application.

If you do have them, I wouldn't even consider installing them without cleaning up the ports. They leave them very rough, and since they're just factory replacement heads, that's a handicap you don't need when increasing displacement. As Sean says, 170cc is a pretty small head for a 383. You don't have a lot of cam, though, so with pocket porting ("bowl job", it's sometimes called), they would be okay.

CV8Z

Thanks for the link... I certainly have time on my hands, so I can wait a little longer to get the better setup.

Wow, that bad huh? What would be a more ideal for a 383? 200+cc?

I haven't bought any heads yet. I would love to swap heads at this point since everything will be out. Ideally a aluminum head would be nice. Even if it doesn't have a EO number, so long as it has the provisions for the EGR, I'm pretty positive I could get it to pass the sniffer and visual in my area.

I was also looking at the World Sportsman II version w/ 200cc intake runners. Would that be worthwhile?

Any recommendations for head options? Not looking to make a ton of power, but looking for decent gains for the money since I will have the engine apart at this time.

Thanks guys!

SeanW

Hard call. I am surely this is a debated topic but from doing a little reading on this board it seems the general concensus is around a 200cc head for a 383. For my 383 build(using the mentioned short block kit) i went with Canfield 215s. This is lot different set up though using a hi rise single plane,HP bodied AED carb and a solid roller cam.

The AFR 195s i am fairly sure are 50 state legal. Unfortunately they are kind of expensive being about 50% more then the heads you mentioned. The price on them has gone up a lot in the last 5 or so years, my guess is to pay for all the advertising they do now. Even at that price they are kind of a bargain for what you get as no other manufacturer offers a fully cnc'd set of heads for that money.

Personally i would be looking at an aluminum head as they are so much more octane tolerant. I would be looking into Canfield 200s, or maybe patriots, even edelbrock now has a less expensive line out in this size range. See if you can find one with the EGR provisions you need.

I have no experience with the sportsman II heads so i can't really comment. I am sure they are a good product but if you are using flat tops and your block is decked for zero deck at TDC you are going to end up with a compression of around 11:1 with a 64cc chamber head. I am not sure how pump friendly that is going to be even with perfect quench of around 40 thou given its a cast iron piece.

My philosophy may differ then others but IMO if you are spending the money you buy the best flowing head you can for the dollar. If you run a smaller cam with a hi flow head you will still see a lot of bottom end. Modern motors are built on this philosophy only they are using variable valve timing to allow the motor to produce both great bottom and top end power. For me i would rather have 50 or 75hp a simple cam swap away then have to reinvest a large sum of money to upgrade later.