What Would You Put This Fresh 483-CI Stroker Mopar Into?

The first start of an engine is a wild moment full of nerves, excitement, and worry. The process is the same as any start-up though; turn the key and hope the engine cranks over and runs. If it does, you now have a ticket to just about anywhere you want to go—provided that engine is connected to a capable chassis. This stroker Mopar just roared to life and proved ready to rumble, but is lacking the capable chassis part. What should it go in?

To be clear, this isn’t our engine, or even one for which we have any say in what happens to it. But daydreaming is fun, and what is bench racing if not daydreaming for gearheads? The engine itself has been a project for Jim’s Automotive Machine Shop YouTube channel and only recently reached the final stage of their journey—first start-up.

The journey was not exactly a clean and quick one for this Mopar. The engine is a 413 Wedge and was in a 1978 Dodge Power Wagon as of last summer. Unfortunately, the flat tappet camshaft ate itself and forced a rebuild. The owner thought the Wedge had been rebuilt previously but as Jim’s Machine Shop tore down the V-8, questions arose over what that previous owner considered a “rebuild.” As more parts came off it was clear this was more accurately described as a “rattle can rebuild” as spray paint was found inside the bottom end of the engine, along with the original bearings and pistons.

After consulting the owner and doing some careful sonic checks to determine just how much meat could be taken out of the cylinder walls, the machining began. This block got it all, from line honing to re-bushing the lifter bores, a step that corrected some geometry while also setting up for the switch to a hydraulic roller camshaft in the hopes of never worrying about wiping a lifter or lobe ever again.

That roller camshaft alleviates the main fear of the first start-up: wiping the cam. (With inadequate lubrication, a flat tappet camshaft can be damaged by the lifters on startup.) That’s not the only worry during break-in, though. Oil getting to the rockers and rest of the valve train is critical, and checking that can be a messy and difficult proposition on a running engine. That’s why the father-and-son pair decided to add a few windows to the valve covers that would allow easy visual checks without losing any oil. Peace of mind without oil on the headers: a dream. It’s also very interesting to see how much moisture condenses on those valve cover windows and for how long. It takes quite a while to get the oil up to temp and boil all the water out.

After some minor sorting of the timing and FITech fuel injection system, the big-inch Mopar pops right to life and settles into an idle for final tuning. With cubic inches and camshaft working in perfect unison to deliver a lope-y idle and snappy throttle response, we think this engine would be perfect for just about any street cruiser. It’s confirmed to be going back into the Power Wagon it came out of, but if you intercepted the crate while it’s on its way from Colorado to its home on the east coast, what would you shove this thing into?