383

[hotrod24]

well my luck was not so good the block inside of the number two pistion was crack so no more 383 i dont know what to do all i got is a 305 and i am not rebuilding that no way so the only thing is maybe getting a 350 or a 400 small block but it must have froze and busted over the 7 years it was sitting or it was already like that who knows.

[Donut]

That'll buff out I hope it looks worse in the pics than it really is.

Maybe a used 350 from somewhere (craigslist, newspaper, friend).  How's the rest?  Anything salvageable?

At least now your possibilities for a powerplant have opened up. 

[VileZambonie]

That looks very skirt shaped... This was obviously a budget build!

Is the crank still good?

[hotrod24]

no, I am sorry to say that it looks worse than on picture. it is bad, I could not believe it, I mean wow. I hope I can find a good 350 block to start with or a good engine, I just cant believe this has happened. I want a 400 small block along with a th400, that should be a good set up, but the crank seems to be good. The cam and pistons are, but the rest of it is not any good, also besides the cracked block it looked like it was going to spin a bearing and the water that was coming out of it there was no oil just water

[VileZambonie]

Say that again.... 

[Jim Rockford]

yea the rust inside the intake ports on the head was the first clue that water had gotten inside the engine, ANYTHING stored outside for more than a couple of weeks  should really be torn down and inspected. I could tell from the first pic things where gonna be bad, plus i don't see any clearanceing on the bottom of the cyl area of the block, so I'm pretty sure its just a reg 350.

[hotrod24]

yea and you are right i was told it was a 383 but wrong its a 350 2 bolt

yea the rust inside the intake ports on the head was the first clue that water had gotten inside the engine, ANYTHING stored outside for more than a couple of weeks  should really be torn down and inspected. I could tell from the first pic things where gonna be bad, plus i don't see any clearanceing on the bottom of the cyl area of the block, so I'm pretty sure its just a reg 350.

[Jim Rockford]

you know you can't go by the casting numbers to figure out if its a 383 right?

[hotrod24]

yea i do, i checked the crank and it said it was for a 305 or 350, not 400.  well i was confused on 1 of the cranks numbers, but anyways it is ethier 3832442 or 3932442, i found the 393 but i dont know on the other.

[hotrod24]

how can i find out what the block was bore, and what would it say on the pistions if it was bore 40 or 60

[TexasRed]

Some calipers would tell you. It'd be like 4.030 for .030 or 4.040 for .040 and so forth. The pistons may not say anything, sometimes they don't. My 350 block I thought was fresh, was already at .040 over! The pistons looked factory and had no markings to indicate otherwise.

Don't feel too bad, I used to mess with Honda CB750 motorcycles in a previous life. Everybody who's trying to sell it has it with the "bigbore 836 kit" in it. Complete horsehockey. Just like every 350 for sale has got to be the 383. 

[hotrod24]

yea all i think i could find was a part number

[Donut]

Google the part #, you may get a hit.
On mine it was the opposite of TexasRed, I was told it was .030 over but it didn't seem to be when I measured it.

... Just like every 350 for sale has got to be the 383. 

Or a 'vette motor.

[hotrod24]

hey i am cleaning up around the carport and i was wondering if i should keep the pistons and all because i dont know if i am getting another small block or big block.

[80stepsideguy]

Dusty,
throw it all out and start fresh, no need of using USED parts in a good motor. Just get rid of the misery and get rid of it all and start anew.. If you keep anything keep the top end(heads, intake ,distributor, and just junk the rest..

thanks
pat