After 8 years of nothing on my 383

[Confederate1969]

I have spent nearly a decade looking for a machine shop that can handle my 383 rebuild. There are none in Memphis that I both trust and can afford. There are some guys I know with a resto shop but they charge too much. I am sure their work is worth it though.

I got rid of my 318 vehicle. Decided it was too much hassle to drop that engine into my RR.

I also can't find any engines in West TN worth buying. I have turned down two 440's from trustworthy people because they wanted small fortunes for them. Last one I said no to was $1200 for a filthy 70's motor home 440 that had sat in a field.

I now wonder about one final option... Tell me if this is advisable or not. How about I clean my 383 block myself, skip boring over, soak and clean my pistons, rering them and reassemble my 383?

The block has 84k but the pistons are not original. They are newer from the mid-late 70's (car no longer ran after 81'). So I think they may be ok to reuse.

New pumps, gaskets, clutch, timing set, etc. shouldn't cost me too terribly much. Is this all ok? Or must a rebuild include machining every time?

 

[Confederate1969]

I will also add that I am not looking to make a smoking hot pavement eater. I just want the engine to run as it did when my dad parked it for the last time in the early 80's.

 

[quikbird]

Putting an engine together is not that hard but does require attention to detail. Measurements are required to see if your engine can just be cleaned and rebuilt or will need machined. The questions are whether the cylinder bores are still round, how their dia. Compares to the pistons. How the crank bearing surfaces look or if they need cleaned up and turned, all these things need checked.
Perhaps the biggest question, is this something you have done before or will this be engine no 1 for you?
when I rebuilt my 440 i used Fowler machine here in columbus ohio. I think it was about 600 to do the block and turn the crank, and put in new cam bearings.

 

[ACME A12]

The long lost Confederate 1969 returns!!! Holy Crap...

Well, first, welcome back. :cheers:

Second, like quikbird stated, you cannot ascertain what to do with that engine until you get the bores, rods, and crankshaft checked. Period. How badly they are worn will dictate your path forward. Putting new rings into worn out bores or new bearings into excessively stretched rods and/or mating them with an excessively worn crank is like throwing your money into the street. And since you don't have much to work with, you cannot afford to be throwing any away. It has to be spent wisely. And the very first step is understanding what you have to work with. Throw all of those parts into one of your Durangos and take them to a machine shop. Have them mic everything and give you a quote for the machine work. Nothing says that you have to leave the parts with them if it is too much money for you right now. Take 'em back home and start putting a little bit away at every opportunity. Rome wasn't built in a day...

Keep us posted.

 

[quikbird]

A good book to read while thinking this over is big block mopar performance by chuck senators. Hp books. Lots of good info in it

 

[Confederate1969]

Thanks for the advice guys.

 

[RoadRunnerJD]

You won't be able to do it without experience or a mentor to show you step by step how to do it. Nothing wrong with using the old parts if they are still good. One of my best motors was a $200 rebuild but you should at least deglaze the cylinders with a hand hone and get all new rings and bearings and get the heads cleaned with a new valve job. Old cam and springs are probably OK. Most important is to clean everything squeaky clean. New oil pump, fuel pump and carb rebuild are also probably in order. Good luck!

 

[ykf7b0]

I have spent nearly a decade looking for a machine shop that can handle my 383 rebuild. There are none in Memphis that I both trust and can afford. There are some guys I know with a resto shop but they charge too much. I am sure their work is worth it though.

I got rid of my 318 vehicle. Decided it was too much hassle to drop that engine into my RR.

I also can't find any engines in West TN worth buying. I have turned down two 440's from trustworthy people because they wanted small fortunes for them. Last one I said no to was $1200 for a filthy 70's motor home 440 that had sat in a field.

I now wonder about one final option... Tell me if this is advisable or not. How about I clean my 383 block myself, skip boring over, soak and clean my pistons, rering them and reassemble my 383?

The block has 84k but the pistons are not original. They are newer from the mid-late 70's (car no longer ran after 81'). So I think they may be ok to reuse.

New pumps, gaskets, clutch, timing set, etc. shouldn't cost me too terribly much. Is this all ok? Or must a rebuild include machining every time?

A fellow named Ed Becker in South Haven, MS would be my first choice in the Memphis area. He is a retired (not elderly) Chrysler dealership mechanic that works out of his shop at home. A real pro!

 

[A31PKG]

You said it has newer pistons. Was it rebuilt/bored at some point? If so, then a good cylinder hone should be ok...The biggest issue with installing new rings in a worn cylinder, is cylinder taper. That's when the center of the cylinder bore is bigger in the middle (the opposite of an hour-glass). This would cause the rings to expand and contract as the piston travels. Obviously this is not good. Cylinder taper can be measured, and there is a spec...This can be done by the shop. So, take it apart and have it all tanked & measured. Magging may be a good idea too...If all is cool, then have the shop install new cam bearings (they can be tough to do), bring it all home and put it together!

 

[Russ69Runner]

Just wanted to jump in and say that after rebuilding a hatz diesel two cylinder motor. For my pump I had about 7000. dollar's in it. Cylinder wall checked out can get gauge off E bay to check them. put in new crank bearing's Push rod wrist pins new ring's. Piston's where good. Did my own valve job and seated my self. Cam bearing's. Now a lot of work. Back in the day we rebuilt our 440 and 340. We took them in to be bored and crank work done. We honed the cylinder wall's our self's Put in crank bearing's and cam's. Some time's New push rod's and new piston's it depend and how bad they where. But found out chrome ring's weren't the way to go steel ring's worked the best. Well rattled on enough but you can do most of the work your self and then you know what has been done. Good luck Russ69Runner.