Best 383 Stroker Build Kit Guide!

The 383 is perhaps the most popular displacement kit on the market today. It’s a muscle car dream, and today there are many good kits available at affordable prices.

The 383 was not a Chevy production line model; it was the development of a private car block engine builder that was looking for a more powerful solution to the standard 350 boxes. This individual realized that he could machine a 400ci small-block crank to fit in a 350 block. This would give him added ci and reached the famous 383 ci.

You might think it would be easier to buy a 400ci block and use that instead of a 383. However the 400ci block is now very rare to find, and the 350ci block base is actually much more efficient in heat dissipation. So today you will find many 383 variations.

This guide was created to make sense of these 383 blocks, and give you a list of the best 383 Stroker build kits that can be found online.

The 5 Best 383 Stroker Build Kits:

1. Eagle Specialty Products B13404E-030 Balanced Rotating Assembly for Small Block Chevy – the best 383 stroker build kit
2. Eagle B13405E060 Engine Rotating Assembly
3. Eagle Specialty Products B13405E-030 Balanced Rotating Assembly for Small Block Chevy
4. Chevy 350 1969-1980 Master Engine Overhaul Kit
5. Northern Auto: 5.7″ rod 383 Stroker Engine Kit w/ Wiseco Flattop Forged Race Pistons (.030 Bore)

383 Stroker Build Kit Reviews:

REVIEWS YOU CAN TRUST 

All the information and opinions you find on Mechanicguides.com come from a team of automotive journalists and an independent mechanic, Steve “Whip” Whipple with 11 years of auto industry experience. We look at the latest market research, talk to experts, and draw from our own practical experience to bring you reviews and guides that reflect what you’ll encounter in your garage. For more information about the team, see here.

Here is a list of the best 383 Stroker build kits:

1. Eagle Specialty Products B13404E-030 Balanced Rotating Assembly for Small Block Chevy – the best 383 stroker kit

The Eagle Chevy Street Performance Rotating Assemblies are always a great value for money, and this kit is no exception to that rule. It comes with all the necessary parts to rebuild a 383 stroker kit for engines that are under 500HP.

This kit comes with an original Eagle cast steel crankshaft, Eagle SIR I-Beam rods, Speed Pro hypereutectic pistons, Hastings rings, and King bearings.

Specifications

• Manufacturer’s Part Number: B13404E030
• Engine Balance: External
• Rear Main Seal Style: 2-piece
• Actual Engine CID: 383
• Bore: 03” (102.362mm)
• Connecting Rod Beam Style: I-beam
• Connecting Rod Material: Forged 5140 steel
• Crankshaft Material: Cast steel
• Engine Stroke (in.): 75
• Main Bearing Undersize: Stock
• Piston and Ring Oversize (in.): 03
• Piston Head Volume (cc): 12
• Piston Material: Hypereutectic aluminum
• Piston Ring Facing Material: Plasma-moly
• Piston Style: Dish, with a D-shaped cup
• Rod Bearing Undersize: Stock
• Wrist Pin Style: Press-fit

2. Eagle B13405E060 Engine Rotating Assembly

Eagle Street and Strip Rotating Assemblies are the ideal means for improving the base horsepower and responsiveness of your 350 block motor. As far as replacing the original parts are concerned, the brand is known to make affordable parts for street setups without sacrificing quality and durability. This stroker build kit is recommended for naturally aspirated motors running on pump gas which makes it ideal for most buyers.

Specifications

• Assembly Balanced: yes
• Balance type: external
• Connecting rod bolt diameter: 3/8″
• Connecting rod bolt material: ARP 8740
• Connecting rod design: I-Beam
• Crankshaft material: cast steel
• Crankshaft rod journal diameter: 2.100″
• Crankshaft stroke: 3.750″
• Cylinder bore diameter: 4.060″
• Damper included: yes
• Flexplate  included: 168 tooth flexplate

Piston information:

• Brand: Speed Pro
• Dome volume: -5cc
• Face type: flat top
• Material: hypereutectic aluminum
• Pin diameter: .927″
• Pin type: full floating
• Ring gap: standard
• Ring thickness: 1/16″, 1/16″, 3/16″

3. Eagle Specialty Products B13405E-030 Balanced Rotating Assembly for Small Block Chevy

The small-block Chevy, even in stock form, is a durable motor and it can take on plenty of power mods without much trouble. Eagle Speciality’s balanced rotating assembly kit is reasonably priced and is guaranteed to deliver a night and day difference in real-world performance, especially in-gear response and acceleration.

Specifications

• Assembly Balanced: yes
• Balance type: external
• Connecting rod bolt diameter: 3/8″
• Connecting rod bolt material: ARP 8740
• Connecting rod design: I-Beam
• Connecting rod length: 5.700″
• Crankshaft material: cast steel
• Cylinder bore diameter: 4.030″
• Damper included: yes
• Flexplate included: 168 tooth

 Piston information:

• Brand: Speed Pro
• Dome volume: -5cc
• Face type: flat top
• Material: hypereutectic aluminum
• Pin diameter: .927″
• Pin type: full floating
• Ring gap: standard
• Ring thickness: 1/16″, 1/16″, 3/16″

4. Chevy 350 1969-1980 Master Engine Overhaul Kit

This engine overhaul kit for the small block Chevy by Northern Auto Engine Kit includes a stock-like camshaft and lifters. Additionally, it also has a stock design for the timing set which is all metal and cast iron for piston rings and rod bearings. As for the performance, this kit is among the more popular ones you can buy online and if we go by the opinions of those who have installed it, it’s a pretty effective way of improving your small block’s performance. Users have claimed that the entire kit is solidly made and the gaskets fit perfectly, too. In terms of improvement, you can expect more torque for better bottom-end performance and pull whereas the engine itself will spin faster improving the in-gear acceleration.

Specifications

• Melling camshaft
• Sealed power lifters
• Melling timing set
• King rod bearings
• King  main bearings
• Dura bond cam bearings
• Melling oil pump
• Stock style steel frost plugs
• Mr. Gasket gasket Set

 

Piston information:

• Silvolite pistons
• Stock size piston rings
• Perfect circle cast piston rings

5. Northern Auto: 5.7″ rod 383 Stroker Engine Kit w/ Wiseco Flattop Forged Race Pistons (.030 Bore)

This kit includes the Mahle/Clevite Tri-Metal P series bearings are the industry standard since these patents came out. The Clevite 77 is considered the best bearing on the market with thousands of racing miles behind them.

Specifications

• Wiseco Forged Flattop Pistons w/ 2 valve reliefs
• Hastings Moly Rings
• Mahle/Clevite Rod and Main Bearings
• 6″ Scat 4340 Forged Bushed Rods w/ ARP Cap Screw
• Scat 9000 Series Neutral Balance Pro Comp Stroker Crankshaft (Aerowinged Design)
• Forged Wiseco pistons w/ spirolox
• Flattop 2 valve reliefs

Piston Information:

• 140″ compression height (.015″ taller than most pistons)
• Compression ratio 11.15 to 1 with block decked .010 for near Zero Deck (64cc)
• 2618 Forged Aluminum Alloy
• Spirolox Included

6. Northern Auto parts: 383 Chevy Stroker Kit With 6″ Rods

This Northern Auto 383 rotating kit is one of their newest Stroker Kits, and its price gives you great value for money. This is the 6” rod version.

Specifications

• Wiseco Forged Flattop Pistons w/ 2 valve reliefs
• Hastings Moly Rings
• Mahle/Clevite Rod and Main Bearings
• 6″ Scat 4340 Forged Bushed Rods w/ ARP Cap Screw
• Scat 9000 Series Neutral Balance Pro Comp Stroker Crankshaft (Aerowinged Design)

Piston Information:

• Forged Wiseco pistons
• Flattop 2 valve reliefs
• 440″ compression height (.015″ taller than most pistons)
• Compression ratio 11.15 to 1 with block decked .010 for near Zero Deck
• 2618 Forged Aluminum Alloy
• Spirolox Included

7. Guardian Engine Parts: Chevrolet 383 Stroker 4.030″ Bore Piston Engine Rebuild Kit

This 383 Stroker kit comes with a 2pc rear main seal and has a 5.7” connection rod. The comprehensive parts kit delivers great value for money.

Specifications

• Piston kit in 4.030″ Bore Size and .010″ Rod and Main bearing sets
• Clevite77 Bearings (+.010″ undersize)
• Fel-Pro Gaskets
• Moly Rings
• HV Oil Pump
• Row Timing Set
• BRASS Freeze Plugs
• Cloyes double row 3pc timing set
• 2pc rear main seal with a 5.70″ long Connecting Rod
• Melling High Volume Oil Pump with steel shaft drive rod

8. Northern Auto Parts: 383 Stroker Kit for 1-piece rear main seal

This is a Northern Auto Parts kit with full components for a 1 piece rear seal crankshaft. What is great about this kit is that NAP allows you to request  bore size as std, .020, .030, .040 or .060, specify Flattop Compression Ratio for 64.0cc: 10.40 to 1, and specify Dished Pistons Compression Ratio for 64.0cc: 9.67 to 1.

Specifications

383 Stroker w/ 1-piece rear seal crankshaft

• Moly Piston Rings
• Speed Pro Pistons (full floating)
• Clevite77 Rod Bearings
• Clevite77 Main Bearings
• Scat 9000 Series Stroker Crankshaft for 1 pc rear main seal
• Scat Forged Rods w/ ARP Cap Screws
• 8″ Harmonic Balancer
• 168 Tooth Flexplate
• Balanced rotating assembly

What exactly is a “Stroker engine” or a “stroker kit?

A Stroker engine is an engine that increased its original factory stroke size. A stroker kit is a package containing all the components to build a stroker engine.

The benefits of a stroker engine come from the combined changes made to the way the engine burns fuel. Burning fuel is not just about how much fuel you inject into the engine, it’s also about how much air you compress together with the fuel.

This why increasing the stroke will increase the breathing capacity of the engine; you still need to match a camshaft, head flow, and many other elements. So, when buying a 383 model, you have to make sure it is matched with all the right assemblies to pull out of it maximum effectivity.

Two-Piece Vs. One-Piece Seals

The two-piece seal is an older version; these were used between 1955 to 1985 in all small block Chevys. In 1986, GM changed the design and fabricated a one-piece rear main seal. Take note that the older 2-piece rear seal model can be converted to a one-piece model, the one-piece model cannot be adapted or changed into a two-piece model. The one-piece crank uses a smaller flywheel bolt pattern when compared to the two-piece design; this means that flywheels and flexplates do not interchange between these models.

Fabricators/Distributors

You will have noticed that we picked a few items to show off the variations in 383 models. However, we confined ourselves to two suppliers that have a proven history of supplying quality products. These fabricators and suppliers are:

Northern Auto Parts

Northern Auto Parts has been around for 25 years and has a large online presence too. This Iowa based company is located in Sioux City and has a 60,000 square foot fabrication, upgrading and showroom site.

Eagle Specialty Products

Eagle Specialty Products is an auto parts fabricator and distributor located in Southaven, Mississippi. This company produces high-strength connecting rods and crankshafts for racing engines. They also offer a full line of kits including crank, rods, pistons, rings, and bearings for popular engine combinations.