What's involved in supercharging a Mopar 383?

[SteveSS]

Ever since I was a kid I liked the big chrome blower sticking out of the hood. What mods am I looking at (just the basics) and how much would it cost, ballpark. I'm sure some of you have done it. Supercharging would certainly help where I live at 7,500 ft above msl. I should probably start with a 440 I'm thinking.

 

[RemCharger]

Just buy a done mill from big Al's toy box

 

[SteveSS]

Looks like most of Big Als stuff is on Facebook which I refuse to join.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Buy a Hellcat and be done with it.

 

[Hemirunner]

If you just want the looks and sound of the big noisy blower, go for it, but they’re really not efficient and make a ton of heat. If you really want additional power, put a centrifugal supercharger on it or turbocharge it.

 

[RemCharger]

Looks like most of Big Als stuff is on Facebook which I refuse to join.

They have a phone # but maybe you don't want to go that deep into this idea

 

[SteveSS]

I'm just after to look. The power is a nice side benefit. No, I don't want a fake one like Mad Max or F&F.

 

[RemCharger]

Your question makes it appear that you feel it's a fairly easy thing to build. It is not.
At bare minimum, buy a book. Read it 3 times. Then come back with more specific questions. Like " how can I machine a double keyway in my crank"

 

[dadsbee]

Are you cousins with Dan the Man on Abodies??

 

[Krooser]

Geez guys....there isn't anything complex about a Roots type blower.

I did an early 354 for my '56 F100.

You need an 8-1 or 8 1/2 to one motor to start with. If you keep the boost under 8 psi you can use stock pistons.

Intakes for a big block are rare but available if you are patient. I found a NOS Cragar intake at an old speed shop in MA.

My 6-71 came off a 70's Dodge truck with a Detroit engine. I bought three of them from the guy who owned the trucks...$15 each!

Rick Dean @ Dean's Blowers did the gas conversion. Bought a used bearing plate and a used snout. $275 about ten years ago.

I bought a BBC blower drive kit on eBay for $250. Perfect fit...only had to enlarge one hole on the crank pulley.

You'll need a good balancer...

I made my own carb top plate out of 1/2" aluminum...had a 3x2 setup and a single 4 barrel.

Bought a Cerillo magneto but stuck with a point style early dizzy.

Clay Smith ground my cam...a mild grind for ez cruising and good fuel economy.

Had an 833 od trans behind it with a TR Waters adaptor kit.

I know I'm a scrounger and junkyard picker, I had under $1200 in the whole setup. Total cost on the whole engine build, using high dollar parts when needed, was $5500.

Guys using plastic spend that much on the blower setup.

Be patient, shop around and you can do it without mortgaging your house.

 

[Detective D]

Looks like it will cost you about $14k and a trip to MN

NOT MINE

Mopar 440 With Twin Turbos

Mopar 440 twin borgwarner 60mm turbos. All forged internals Aluminum heads Rolller rockers 1000hp 727 capable trans with a cheetah scs shifter Fi tech fuel injection Many more parts and info if...

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[RemCharger]

Looks like it will cost you about $14k and a trip to MN

NOT MINE

http://[URL]https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1463387827900302/?

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No screaming kid eater sticking out of the hood though.

Nice turbo setup, fwiw

 

[guy gadbois]

Hard to give specific answers with such a general question - especially when the thread title states 383 and you say yer gonna start with a 440 - but in general... [and the RB intake will be easier to find anyway]
The answer is... depends on what you want to do with the car. Krooser is correct; thats a good , mild way to start. If you only care about the look and whine and dont want to do a whole engine, as long as what you start with is 9.5:1 or less, just underdrive the heck out of it and go on down the road. Many years ago I built a nice, fairly mild SBC for a friend; it was 9.2, L46 cam, Pink rods, forged crank etc. He decided he wanted a blower but didnt want a complete rebuild down to 7 or 7.5, O ring the heads etc etc etc, so we just called Blower Drive Services, told em what we wanted and they sent the blower, intake, carb plates and a really underdriven set of pulleys [memory says 25% maybe?] and then bolted it all on. It did make some more power, lots of whine and a hole in the hood. It was reliable - he drove it all over including on Power tour once and used the best petrol he could find at the pump.
If you REALLY want a 'blower motor' that makes great power and will live at a lot of RPM, start with a bare block and go up. Read, read and read some more...

 

[kiwigtx]

Your question makes it appear that you feel it's a fairly easy thing to build. It is not.
At bare minimum, buy a book. Read it 3 times. Then come back with more specific questions. Like " how can I machine a double keyway in my crank"

Totally agree. 'Big Al' aka @HEMI-ITIS has been tweaking and fine tuning his blown engine for years and is still learning.

You don't just go out and bolt a huffer on an old mill and be done with it. There's a little more to it than that.

I remember back in the '80's when guys bolted a tunnel ram on their standard engines and wondered why they ran like a sack full of busted ar**holes.

 

[Sam69sat]

Stock 78 440 with a blower.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

That 440 can live with the 500 hp it makes.The more power you want the more mods need to be done.