can anyone tell me what machining has to be done to a 350 block? i hear that on some blocks you have to have them notched. is there any other machine work necessary to do the 383?

 

I believe it depends on the crank. All the block have to be notched for the rods.
If you use an old 400 crank there is some other mods, but you can get a new stroker crank made for a 350 block and it has the proper sized mains?? Haven't thought about it in many many years, so I'm sure someone will post up exact specs soon.

 

EVERY block is different and will require different amounts of clearancing to stroke a 350 into a 383. Depending on the core shift of the block, some may need more than others. The rod choice has a lot to do with the amount of clearancing needed as well, and they (rods) will need clearanced too. Basically the only way to tell is to mock up the actual parts you're going to use and see where you're hitting. Most machine shops will charge 50-75 bucks for the block & rod clearancing.

 

the block needs to be notched for the rods (around the oil pain surface, for lack of better words) and on the bottom of the CYL wals too and sometimes they take some off the rod too, to make up the difference so its not all taken out of the block, if you plan on running the ARP L-19 rodbolts...good luck lol, i had a problem with hitting the cam as well at first but got that taken care of. other things to look for: if you are running a windage tray, make sure the crank clears that. the 5.7" rod will be easier to clearance but if you're building a 383, take advantage with the longer stroke and use a longer rod

 

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Do not grind on the rods for any reason. The rods do not need to be touched, there is no reason to. The block can be notched very easily to clear the stroke. Besides why weaken them and have to rebalance everything??

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What he said....

I've had to grind on rodbolts but that was it and even then I still didn't like it. Everything should be mocked up before balancing anyway.

The base circle of the cam can also play a roll as well as everything else thats already been said so it's always good to have all the components together before clearancing begins...

 

If you are using all stock components will almost certainly have to grind on a couple of the rod bolts, clearance around the oil pan mounting surface and a couple of the cylinder bases. You need to have your crank turned down to 350 mains first, preassemble every thing including the cam and turn it over really slow. You can do all the clearancing at home. Then have your stuff balanced. Several of my friends have made that mistake.