I am putting together a Z clone and am debating on weather to build a 355 or a 383. I have all the parts to put together a stock looking 350 (302 clone), I want the engine to look like an original 302. I have a set of 186 heads, 69 GM z/28 intake along with a 4 bolt main block. I was wondering could I build a 383 motor and use the stock z/28 intake, and heads? If so what pistons would you recommend to use (flat, dished ,domed).

If you build a 383 ( graemlins/thumbsup.gif ) and use the 186 heads, I'd use a dished piston to keep the compression reasonable. A dish of 12 to 16 cc should be about right. Flat tops and your 64cc chambers will give you about 11:1. The Z/28 intake would work well also. If you balance it internally, it will look for all the world like a 302. Good luck!

I agree with BPOS, you can build a 383 for only a few bucks more(ok maybe a few hundred) than a 355, and the extra torque will be worth every penny.
I am currently building a 383 for a customers 69 Corvette, using an Eagle internal balance crank and rods. If he had elected to use his original heads and intake, (went with Darts instead), you would never know it was not the original 350hp 350.
For a piston, I would suggest using a SpeedPro H859cp. This is a hypereutectic piston with a 12cc dish. Compression with your 64cc heads should work out to about 9.8-10:1 depending on deck clearance and gasket thickness.
Use your intake and something like a CompCam 280 magnum(use a solid if you want it to sound like the 302 valvetrain)and you will have a great street engine that is an all around better engine than the 302 ever could be IMO.

Thanks for the info, I think I am going to go with the 383. How is the durability of the 383 as compared to a 350?

I hate ta tell you this but just about the time you fire her up, everybody AND their brother will know it's not a 302 b/c only an 11 to 1 CR, 30-30 solid cammed 302 sounds like it's supposed to, imho..

BUT that's OK with me...

pdq67

As a general rule Kurt, the 383 will be a bit rev limited compared to the 350 (same crank / rod materials). The longer throw will keep you below 6000 RPM anyway. But as with any motor, you can spend the dough on a tough rotaing assembly that will reach well into the 7000+ range. For a street rod, you won't need to be overly concerned about it. Just get the rotating assembly balanced since the 383 is an externally balanced motor.

Originally posted by pdq67:
I hate ta tell you this but just about the time you fire her up, everybody AND their brother will know it's not a 302 b/c only an 11 to 1 CR, 30-30 solid cammed 302 sounds like it's supposed to, imho..

BUT that's OK with me...

pdq67 ...and once you romp on it in frst gear they'll know too ;)

I don't really care what it sounds like as long as it goes. I will be using it for mostly street, but would like to take it to the track frome time to time. I also have a set of 3991492 heads that I might use, but I really can't find any info on them (Chamber size etc.) They are angle plug heads dated F124. Would these be better to use than the 186 heads or would there be little difference. I don't care that they are angled plugs and won't look right. I am looking for a stock but the angled plugs is not an issue since I'll be running headers also and probably an after market Dist. and ignition system. When did the heads start getting hardened valve seats? What motor do you guys think would run a faster track time?

Well, why not use the 30-30 cam? That would make it sound a bit like the original 302 and the specs are pretty good for a street 383 anyway IMO.

One other thing . . . if you want to keep it looking like a Z then make sure you get the 383 rotating assembly internally balanced so you can use the original flywheel and vib dampener.