"I think the point Jerry was making is why would you go to all that trouble and extra expense when the 400 small block makes again 40 to 50 more HP and torque than the 383 for less money. All the myths about the 400 being thinner in the cylinders and running hot are just that. The 383 was purely born out of a marketing ploy and hyped up to make it something it wasn't."
12 Port,
I'm as far from an expert in this as a person can be but I thought the 400 small block engines were pretty rare items. Over the decades it's seemed unusual to pick up an enthusiast magazine without seeing some version of "How to build a 500 HP 383 small block". It's not an exercise I would go through because in a light street rod roadster like mine even a mild 350 is overkill and that 500 HP doesn't show up until the 383 is spinning 5000+ RPM which is useless for street driving. What I recall about the 383 conversion articles is that it's so common that the parts cost about the same as 350 parts, although a small base circle camshaft and some grinding of the pan rails are required to accommodate the lengthened stroke.
