There’s no hiding the appeal of a torquey 383 cubic-inch Chevy small-block V-8. All that torque down low in the RPM range makes the Chevy 383 small-block a great engine for a performance-minded daily driver. And, a built 383 sounds great too!
In this video, we get to savor the sounds of this 464-horsepower Chevy 383 small-block as it dukes it out with Prestige Motorsports’ engine dyno. Like every engine assembled by Prestige, the powerplant spends time on the company dyno to verify the build and give the engine a little bit of break-in time.
The staff at Prestige also use this opportunity to tune the engine for optimum performance, no matter whether it uses a carburetor or modern fuel injection. For this engine, a Holley Terminator X EFI system does the fueling. Prestige uses the dyno time to optimize the tune and then forwards that tune to the owner. You get the file if you already have the ECU, or if you purchase an ECU, Prestige can ship it to you along with the engine, tune uploaded, and ready to run.
An Eagle Specialty Products 3.750-inch stroker crankshaft and I-beam connecting rods are mated to the D.S.S. Racing pistons for 10.5:1 compression.
To complete the build, this engine uses a pair of Prestige’s “As-Cast” 180cc aluminum cylinder heads, capped off with an Aces Fuel Injection single-plane aluminum intake. The engine uses a COMP Cams camshaft that produces an excellent torque curve paired with the stroker crank. It also has the sweetest-sounding idle that lets everyone know there’s more to this package than your typical, over-the-counter crate engine.
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The camshaft used is COMP Cams hydraulic roller, 224/230 @ .050, .535″/.545″ valve lift with 1.6 ratio rockers mounted to those 180cc Prestige “as-cast” aluminum heads.
Prestige supplies “ready-to-run” crate engines, complete with the ECU or carb, and the necessary front accessories it’ll need when installed in the vehicle. This engine also features a Billet Specialties Tru-Trac front drive system, complete with a water pump, alternator, power steering pump, and A/C compressor. To that, Prestige supplies a complete power steering plumbing kit to complete the connection to the steering gear.
When all is said and done, the engine pumps out 464 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. That’s enough to make a really fun daily out of just about any Chevy product. This engine is destined for a 1969 Corvette, so this little Chevy 383 small-block is kicking out more fun-newtons than that year’s Corvette, with its vaulted L71 engine. If you go with “official” records, it actually pumps out more than the ultra-rare ZL1 engine, but that’s obviously up for debate. We’d be happy just to exceed actual tri-power, big-block ratings with this small-block, and have power-steering and air-conditioning, all in a pump-gas-friendly engine.
Check out the video, and be sure to crank up the speakers. A bonus if you work in a cubicle-farm, is watching all the fellow car guys prairie-dog once the engine gets going. If they stay seated until the end of the video, that blappy idle at the end is sure to bring them running. Check it out and see for yourself!