383 or 406 which one?

jethro81z28 · Feb 3, 2003

I have a choice between a 383 short or a 406 short block my mechanic will build either one while I do some trade work on his house I`ll will use my set up off my 357 and add a little head work and a RPM intake I don`t know about the cam. or curb I use my car for sunny days and weekends but Iam no mechanic so I want it reliable, the? Is what's a good combo and will there be much horse and tq difference between the two.

------------------
orig. owner 350 4 bolt trw flattops board 40 comp 268xe 200cc iron eagles 64cc 202:160 dynomax headers, 2.5 with flomaster 50 eldebrock performer, holley 700 dp 700r trans stage 2 shift b&m silver shifter with hughes 2500stall and 3.73rear with locker!

68rs406 · Feb 3, 2003

well, you know what they say, theres no replacement for displacement. go with the 406, youll love it, and there is no reason it won't be as reliable. the only mandatory thing is to torque plate hone the block, which imo you would do to either block, but with the siamesed bores of a 400 block its real important. all else being equal, the 406 will make more torque and horsepower than the 383. myself and several of my buddies run 406's (street/strip oriented), and have all had great luck with them. so, in short, you'll like either one, but why not take advantage of the cubic inches? the power increase in cubic inches alone will be tougher to make up down the road, esp. when it won't cost you a thing right now. good luck on your decision!

Toby Keen · Feb 3, 2003

Just a guess. All else being equal, the 406 should make about 25 more HP and # torque.

camaroman7d · Feb 3, 2003

Definetly go with the most cubic inches. It will not cost you anthing more. This is coming from a guy with a 385 and a 383. I love my strokers, but cubic inches are hard to replace. Just make sure he preps the 400 block correctly.

Royce

[This message has been edited by camaroman7d (edited 02-03-2003).]

scottcleaver · Feb 3, 2003

406 is the way to go if you have the heads to match. You said you have a 357, a 406 likes bigger intake runners compared to the 357. Just a thought and just an opinion.

------------------
SCOTT
69 RS-SS 396 4-SPEED

69RS/SS350 · Feb 3, 2003

I would say what you put inside (and out) makes alot of difference. What do you want from your combo? What is your application? There are plenty of big blocks that don't want to play with my 383. How much do you want to spend? You have to pay to play, kinda makes the question irrelevant, doesn't it?

------------------
383, CAT 4340 forged crank, 11.3:1 SRP forged flattop pistons. 5.7" rods, CAT 1.6" Roller Rockers, AFR 195s 64cc heads CNC'd, w/spring/valve upgrades, CC 280AR solid roller, Edelbrock Air Gap, Demon 750DP, MSD Pro Billet Dist., MSD Digital 6+ Ignition, MSD Blaster3 coil, Hooker Super Comp 1.75" headers, 3" Custom Mandrell bent exhaust, Dynomax Ultra Flows w/ 2.5" tails, M20, Eaton Posi 12 bolt 3.73 rear

383 or 406 which one?

jethro81z28

68rs406

Toby Keen

camaroman7d

scottcleaver

69RS/SS350

Top Contributors this Month

Recommended Communities