383 vs 440 Down the Road...

[AR67GTX]

I'll take a 383 over a 440. The 440 is too big for the top end as in not enough head.
head to head a 383 Roadrunner will walk all over a standard 440.

a 383 Roadrunner or Super Bee, not loaded up with accessories for less weight and sporting a bit lower gear, is a strong performer and with that short stroke they are strong reving performers. But a GTX or Charger R/T, you could load them up, stay with a 3.23 rear and it didn’t even seem to faze that 440 - they just moved out effortlessly and fast. In my misspent youth of racing around the streets, harassing cars usually stronger than mine, I was respectful and an admirer of 383 Roadrunners. But a GTX or R/T, they were pretty much the top tier of the usual stock-off-the-dealer lot muscle car entries and I gave them a wide berth.

 

[fishmens67]

a 383 Roadrunner or Super Bee, not loaded up with accessories for less weight and sporting a bit lower gear, is a strong performer and with that short stroke they are strong reving performers. But a GTX or Charger R/T, you could load them up, stay with a 3.23 rear and it didn’t even seem to faze that 440 - they just moved out effortlessly and fast. In my misspent youth of racing around the streets, harassing cars usually stronger than mine, I was respectful and an admirer of 383 Roadrunners. But a GTX or R/T, they were pretty much the top tier of the usual stock-off-the-dealer lot muscle car entries and I gave them a wide berth.

I agree, I was comparing the Roadrunner 383 to the standard 350 horse 440, not the 440 magnum.

 

[fishmens67]

This is a joke. hopefully.

not if we're talking 383 Roadrunner package against the standard 440.

 

[Cojohnso1]

a 383 Roadrunner or Super Bee, not loaded up with accessories for less weight and sporting a bit lower gear, is a strong performer and with that short stroke they are strong reving performers. But a GTX or Charger R/T, you could load them up, stay with a 3.23 rear and it didn’t even seem to faze that 440 - they just moved out effortlessly and fast. In my misspent youth of racing around the streets, harassing cars usually stronger than mine, I was respectful and an admirer of 383 Roadrunners. But a GTX or R/T, they were pretty much the top tier of the usual stock-off-the-dealer lot muscle car entries and I gave them a wide berth.

I believe in the old belief that the RB engines were a little under stroked for their deck height? So yes, the 440 should have been bigger. Perhaps something closer to a 4" stroke crankshaft? It's why the B-block stroker were/are still a popular build? Shorter deck height 383/400 block with the 440 RB crankshaft? One truely gets the best of both worlds. 383 mid range RPM curve with 440 RB torque numbers. My 451 short deck build acts very different than my 440. I call it "The big block that thinks it's a small block."

 

[fishmens67]

I believe in the old belief that the RB engines were a little under stroked for their deck height? So yes, the 440 should have been bigger. Perhaps something closer to a 4" stroke crankshaft? It's why the B-block stroker were/are still a popular build? Shorter deck height 383/400 block with the 440 RB crankshaft? One truely gets the best of both worlds. 383 mid range RPM curve with 440 RB torque numbers. My 451 short deck build acts very different than my 440. I call it "The big block that thinks it's a small block."

The 440 needed a better head and bigger cam, that's why it's horsepower #'s were so weak compared to the cubes.
The cylinder head was well suited for the 383, and the roadrunner cam was perfect.

 

[Jerry Hall]

I really didn't want to get into this argument, but my opinion is, for equally tuned STOCK cars with basically the same gearing, and a 1/4 mile race.
383 will pass a 340 in the last 60 feet.
440 will pass a 383 in the last 60 feet.
426 Hemi will pass a 440 in the last 60 feet.
I have seen it time and again that the bigger more powerful engine wins on the big end.

Still waiting to see if that proverbial 440 Hemi I get asked about at car shows will beat the 426 Hemi.

 

[Jeff Erwin]

I'm an old-school MOPAR mechanic. I've had 318s, 383's and 440's. I currently have a 440 6-pack in a Superbee. To me the 440 6-pack (along with the Hemi) represent the peak of the muscle car era and are the most fun to work on. The sheer engineering that went into the 440 6-pack, and for no other reason than 'because they could' represents the overall attitude of the Chrysler engineer both back in the day and even now. A Hellcat engine in a minivan? Only because they can.

They are all great engines, even the mighty-mouse 318 2bbl, but for sheer enjoyment of the mechanics involved, give me the 440 6-pack.

 

[AR67GTX]

I really didn't want to get into this argument, but my opinion is, for equally tuned STOCK cars with basically the same gearing, and a 1/4 mile race.
383 will pass a 340 in the last 60 feet.
440 will pass a 383 in the last 60 feet.
426 Hemi will pass a 440 in the last 60 feet.
I have seen it time and again that the bigger more powerful engine wins on the big end.

Still waiting to see if that proverbial 440 Hemi I get asked about at car shows will beat the 426 Hemi.

I’m repeating this so may sound familiar - I only took my 64 383 Sport Fury to the drag strip once and turned out I was the only one in my class. So they basically matched me up with whoever was available for a heads up race. About my second run I pulled up by a 66or 67 Charger with engine call outs on the side. I thought great - they found me another 383 to run. Wrong - as I pulled up even it said 426 Hemi. I figured this was going to be a slaughter - whose bright idea was this. The lights came down and either I had a good reaction time or the Charger had a slow one - probably the latter - as we took off even and heck if I didn’t hang even wit him through first (both 727s). Hit second and my car always had a fast and hard jump hitting second so all was still good momentarily. But then, I noticed his bumper starting to creep ahead and it just slowly kept on pulling ahead more and more followed by his door and then his rear bumper into 3rd and then the traps. I wish I could say that 50 years later I knew exactly how many lengths he got me by - my memory is it didn’t seem like very many but it was a long time ago and I seem to remember the Charger driver was older and I doubt he was really flogging the car - while I certainly was doing my best to on mine. But he started pulling on my little 383 long before the last 120’ but then it wasn’t a Magnum.

 

[joemish]

Hi,
My apologies if I posted this to the wrong forum. New to site.
I see more cars with 383's in better condition than some 440 cars.

My question is this:
I see some cars where the 440 was an option, but they are in rougher shape. I see the same car, but with a 383 in much better shape.
Down the road, say both maintained to be same condition 20years down the road, is the 440 of driver quality a better car to buy than a better condition 383?

Sorry for the newbie question. Trying to educate myself. Thanks for the info in advance.
Sam

the key is proper maintenance, which sorry to say a lot of people do not do.

 

[Chrycoman]

59 and 60 were the two years they were available.

The RB383 was used in US-built 1959 and 1960 Chrysler Windsors and Saratogas. The Canadian 1959-64 Windsor used the RB361 and the B383 was used in 1959-1964 Canadian Saratoga / 300 models.

The "R" stood for Raised block. The RB383 block had a stroke of 3.75" while the B383 was 3.38". The B block 361 engine also had a 3.38" stroke. The RB383, B413, B426, and B440 all used a stroke of 3.75".

 

[Steven Bowers]

Quite simply there is no comparison as far as performance…440 is boss…I do have a 383 HP in my 4 speed Charger which after getting it into second gear really starts to get up and go….but really the 440 equipped Charger would be down the road way ahead of mine….just got my new appraisal in for my 69 Charger….$67,200.00….a conservative figure….

 

[Cojohnso1]

I'm an old-school MOPAR mechanic. I've had 318s, 383's and 440's. I currently have a 440 6-pack in a Superbee. To me the 440 6-pack (along with the Hemi) represent the peak of the muscle car era and are the most fun to work on. The sheer engineering that went into the 440 6-pack, and for no other reason than 'because they could' represents the overall attitude of the Chrysler engineer both back in the day and even now. A Hellcat engine in a minivan? Only because they can.

They are all great engines, even the mighty-mouse 318 2bbl, but for sheer enjoyment of the mechanics involved, give me the 440 6-pack.

View attachment 1147560

The Wedge motor design held its own. Even against a superior hemi design. When the Gen II hemi came out in '64. It's first competition was its predecessor. The 426 max Wedge. Which I believe the most esthetically pleasing engine design of all time. With them cross-ram 4s? How badass was the Max Wedge? Ask the Chevy guys of the early 60s. 413 MW vs 409. It was no secret they could get the 409 near 413 power. But not for very long. 409 had some reliability problems. (Beach Boys don't mention that in their songs.)