Hello! You all provided a lot of valuable commentary and help when I was deciding what to do with the 383 in my '65 4spd Fury. As I'd mentioned, I ended up going with an already done 440. The 383 came out this past Friday, so I thought I'd provide some pics to anyone interested. I'll update as I do more work in the car. I should have the engine by next weekend, so it's prep, cleaning, engine compartment detailing, assembly, drop-in, etc. Chris
That old 383 is probably worth something to someone, they're getting harder to find. Make sure you get the flywheel balance figured out, too. Looks like the beginning of progress!
Squirrel - By balancing, do you mean internal vs. external balance? How can you tell? Any clues on the old flywheel? Thanks... Chris
Do some reasearch, I don't remember if the early ones with the steel crank are internally balanced? the later 440s with cast cranks had a different weight. I don't know the answer, I just know that you need to make sure you do it right.
All Mopar forged crank engines are externally balanced (except for the 44-6pak) and associated flywheels are all zero balance. Cast crank flywheels have very noticeable 'drillings' in the back side and must not be used on a forged crank. Forged crank dampener: Cast crank dampener: Notice the egg-shaped ring .
Gary made a typo here. I KNOW he knows this. It SHOULD read: All Mopar forged crank engines are internally balanced (except for the 440-6pak) and associated flywheels are all zero balance.