There is more than one way to build a 383, so to know for sure, we need to know which method of build you are referring to.
The last one I built used a stock 400 crank and rods on special pistons in the 350 block with minor modifications to the bottom of the block to clear the extra throw of the crank.
However, you can flip it around using a 400 block as well, and there is even a crazy combo using a 327 crank to get the cubes and still swing the revs.
Chris, did you see last month's Hot Rod (?) where they dove into all of the various combinations of building a small block Chevy. There were something like over a hundred different combos.
I happen to know a fellow that is the original bubba. I will leave it at that.
He was over this weekend telling me how he is going to build a 383 out of a 305. I lost interest in the conversation very fast when he felt this was more important than taking care of his new born daughter. Anyway, that is another story. Oh ya, he wants to put it in his Toyota pick up truck. Did I mention he works for minimum wage and his wife just had a kid and she is unemployed?
Oh well. Yes, I saw that article.
The ones I like best are the 427 small block combos.
By far, the most popular 383 combo uses a 30-over (4.030" bore) sbc 350 block and a 3.75" stroke sbc 400 or 400-based crank. Most 383's have 5.7" long rods as found in a 350; also popular are 6" long (or longer) aftermarket rods; a small minority have the short 5.565" sbc 400 rods. Pistons' compression height must be appropriate for the chosen combo of stroke, rod-length, deck-height, gasket-thickness. The typical 383 with 5.7" rods often uses pistons with compression height about 1.425"-1.430". Also, clearance between area of rod near top of rod bolt and cam must be checked in such strokers ... grinding (cam clearancing) of rods and/or use of aftermarket "stroker" rods are almost always the norm ... that clearance should be 0.030" MINIMUM!
And just as Chris advises, there's another (and far less common) 383 combo possibility that offers ability to rev higher but with some loss of torque: A "destroked" 60-over 400 block (4.185" bore) with a 350 crank (3.48" stock 350 stroke) and 5.7" rods.
At present, I'm assembling a 388 using an aftermarket 3.8" stroke Scat crank in a 30-over 350 block. The extra 50-thousandth's of stroke makes about 5 more cubic inches (hopefully about 5 more ponies too) than the typical 3.75" stroke 383.
BTW Chris ... re Bubba who ain't taking good care of family business whilst foolin' w/hotrods (a 305 383's is bs)... I hear you brother. Maybe he could get a 2'nd job instead of standin' around dreaming of V8 Toyopets. I pray his family and he have a nice holiday season.
JACK:gap
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