1.11.21 BACK STORY. THE 383 STROKER ENGINE THAT WASN'T ONE.

 

The original plan was to run a 400HP 383 Stroker engine in Ratiki. Only now am I comfortable sharing the following details.

I researched Texas-based vendors and found allchevyengines.com out of Waco, TX. I read several reviews on the site and liked the idea of spending my money with a local (or semi-local company).

After paying for a stroker engine with cast crank, Joe Kettler shipped the crated engine to my mechanic. 

Shortly after my engine arrived at my mechanic's shop, the website, and Joe Kettler, turned to vapor. 

The engine went in and a lot of other mechanical work was performed including a complete rewiring. 

Long story short, the engine's performance was underwhelming very. 

My mechanic did everything he could and the truck just didn't run as strongly as I'd hoped. It sounded good. It certainly looked good. It sounded good at idle. But it just lacked the kind of grunt I had expected. 

have the sack I hoped it would. 

All the other components, the 700R4 overdrive transmission, the rear end gears (3.73) , a 625 road Demon carb, and the Hooker headers were chosen specifically for a 400 HP application. 

Finally, I took Ratiki to a dyno-tune facility in Austin. After working with the truck for a couple hours, its owner called me and informed me that they'd figured out the problem. 

The engine wasn't a stroker. It had the right DART Cast iron heads and roller valve-train. But the dyno numbers didn't lie. The short block wasn't a stroker. 

And the builder had vanished. 

Fast forward to 2020 and Smeding Performance Engines in Boerne, TX. 

In 2014, I began to re-research stoker engine vendors and found that Smeding, which was once based in California, had moved to Boerne, TX. Their work appeared top-notch and their reputation was strong.

I took a day trip to Boerne to visit the facility and was treated to a tour. It was impressive. I was determined to one day replace my engine with a 383 Smeding short-block.

After discussing the option of rebuilding my existing stroker engine with my wife, she suggested that I purchase a complete engine from Smeding rather than take chances on a motor that had already caused me a lot of grief. 

After speaking to Jacob at Smeding about my goals for the truck and going over the specs of components I already had, we determined that a Smeding Hot Rod Series engine would be a setup for a daily driver. It would have a nice lope to it but at the end of the day would be a completely dependable driver without any of the low-manifold vacuum characteristics that can plague engines with higher-profile cams. 

To make matters even sweeter, I pulled the trigger on a Sniper EFI system to make the truck truly turnkey and display the starting manners of a modern engine. When I told Jacob I wanted to use my MSD distributor and my powder-coated sixties valve covers, he offered to install them in the new engine and dyno test the setup so it would be a plug and play situation on my end.

Nice. 

It'll be more work on my end to set up a pressurized high-volume fuel delivery system, but I figure this is my chance to really dial the truck in for daily use. 

This time around, I've opted for a Chevy orange engine and am going for contrast in the engine compartment. To that end, I'm strongly considering painting the inner fenders satin black to resemble a more stock look. 

Time will tell. 

An example of the engine compartment I'd like to emulate. Mine won't be quite this tidy but you 

get the drift. Fellas allowed to dream, right?

 

,