361 to 383 Upgrade

[sfkennedy]

My Coronet currently has a 361 block in it. I'd like to squeeze a few extra HP out by boring the cylinders out and installing larger pistons to make a 383. Would I need to install a 383 crank dampner or can I re-use the original 361 damper?
Thanks,
Steve

[rumblefish360]

I do not think the 361 can be bored out that much. If it can be, thats all you need to do. The 361, shares the same stroke as the rest of the "B" engine family.
350, 383 and 400. 400's have cast cranks. All 383 IIRC have fordged along with the 1 year only 350. (Or was that 2 year only?)
You should have it rebalanced reguardless.

[custom880]

The 350 I think was a ywo year engine. 57 and 58 I think. The first year they came out with Bendix fuel injection which was a disaster. They then came out in a carb form. I just saw one this past Sunday at the West Coast Mopar show on a beautiful 1958 Fury. The 350 had dual quads standard from the factory.
The 361 cannot be bored out to 383 size. Not enough meat in the cylinder walls. You can get a lot out of the little 361. The bore I believe is 4.125. Not to shabby. In the 2 bbl form the engine gets something like 265 HP. If you slip in a cam, put a decent aftermarket manifold on with a 600 CFM carb and dual exhaust you will easily be in the 300HP range. They are 9:1 engines so the copmpression is good right off the bat. You don't need to do a lot to them to get good results.

[sfkennedy]

I'm not sure what I was thinking with the 361 to 383 question...even with a 0.060" overbore, you don't pick up very many cu. in. Since the 361 and 383 share the same block, does the 383 just have a longer stroke? If so, could I put a 383 crank and rods in my 361? I'm trying for the max torque while keeping the exterior of the engine as stock looking as possible.
Thanks,
Steve

[BDS 871 Cuda]

The 361 and the 383 have the same stroke.
The 361 has a smaller bore. Two things you can do.
Have the 361 block sonic checked to see how far you can bore.
The second; get a 400 block and build a stroker.
The 361, 383, and the 400 are all the same block, just different
bore size.

[bigiron]

They all have the same block, as far as interchangabillity but not the same casting... those dementions are different... that is why you can't bore a 361 to 383 or 400... the cranks, heads, mainifolds, brackets... pretty much everything except pistons are interchangable between 361 and the 383.... the 400 on the other hand, has a cast crank and would need to keep the balancer and such or be balanced to use your balancer and converter.

440s and 400s are getting a little harder to find these days but 383 are kind of dime a dozen.. instead of thinking of boreing your 361 why not find a decent 383 and fit that in there... MOST later year 383s have better head castings than what came on MOST 361s... but then 361s can be respectable, if done properly...

[custom880]

Anything you can do to a 383, 400, 413, 426 wedge, or 440 you can do to a 361. The external dimensions are the same. The 413-440 are Raised block demensions and do not share the same crank, or rods, or intake. They do however use the same heads, cams, water pump, oil pump, exhaust manifold. So if you want to hop up your 361 slip in a cam, get new rings, new bearings, better heads (906, 452, 346) better intake and carb. If you don't mind spending money find a 440 and do the work up on that and you will be very happy. 440's fly when they are done right. Around here the easy to find engines are the 400's, and believe it or not 440's (cast crank engines). The 383's are scarce (not sure why) and 361's are non existant.

[rumblefish360]

Originally Posted by sfkennedy

I'm not sure what I was thinking with the 361 to 383 question...even with a 0.060" overbore, you don't pick up very many cu. in. Since the 361 and 383 share the same block, does the 383 just have a longer stroke? If so, could I put a 383 crank and rods in my 361? I'm trying for the max torque while keeping the exterior of the engine as stock looking as possible.
Thanks,
Steve

I'd like to thank Steve for reading my answer and remembering it until he hit the reply button.

[pcrmike]

Somebody read yer answer!?!? LOL! Just razzin' ya. :-) PCRMike

[TK]

22 cubic inch?
Not worth ruining a good 361 block over.
361 can run just as good as a 383, minus the 22 cubes...................
ever wonder why there are four motors 22 inches apart?
318+22=340
361+22=383
OK, off subject now.

[Dick]

Originally Posted by dodgetruckboy

22 cubic inch?
ever wonder why there are four motors 22 inches apart?
318+22=340
361+22=383

They did it to keep you up all night polishing your math skills.