78 SUPER CHEVY OCTOBER^2019
TECH
The SP383 already came with
some great Fast Burn aluminum
heads so we decided to mess around
with intake manifolds and a cam
swap since that seemed like the best
bang for our collective bucks. And for
giggles, we tried out a small nitrous
shot since that’s a quick way to get
a power boost at the local test-and-
tune drag night. So follow along as
we goose a bit more power out of
an already stout small-block.C
rate engines are the poster children for automotive
instant gratification. Have a tired engine in your Chevy
project car? Simple fix. A few mouse clicks or a phone call
and in a few days a crate full of automotive goodness arrives at your
doorstep. And while the world is busy fawning over LS and LT
engines, there’s nothing wrong with good old small-block power.
Besides, it’s less cash to get in your car and fired up.
One such crate engine is Chevrolet Performance’s SP383 Deluxe
small-block (PN 193555672). This stroker gives you what you need for
the street, and that’s torque. Rated at 435 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque,
it gives a lot of performance right out of the box. But, there’s nothing
wrong with aspiring for “just a little bit more.”A GREATER CRATE
PUNCHING UP THE POWER IN A WALLET-FRIENDLY SMALL-BLOCK STROKER
Story Steven Rupp + Photos the Author
The Chevrolet Performance SP Deluxe crate engine (PN
) features a .-inch bore combined with a .-
inch stroke, iron block with four-bolt mains, and a forged crank
along with forged rods and hypereutectic aluminum pistons.
The cylinder heads (PN ) are GM Fast Burn pieces with
cc chambers yielding a pump gas friendly .: compression
ratio. The deluxe version we got came with a single-plane intake,
bowtie valve covers, water pump, oil pan, and a balancer.1