Doug,
Unless you measure the bore on a low deck or check the casting numbers, you cannot tell the difference between a 400 and any 383 out there. Period.
The heads, bearings, crankshaft, timing chain, intakes, exhaust, bell housings, starters, ignition all interchange.
The 400 is the same exact motor as a 383 with a larger bore.
I am not positive when the 383 B engine was introduced, but it was a long standing staple of the Mopar fleet. For the smog motor updates, they cast it with large bores killed the compression and called it a 400.
I know you could get 383's in A-Body Darts and Barracudas from the factory starting with the larger body style in 67. They were available in B and C Bodies long before that. Someone more familiar with the B (low deck) engine in early B-Bodies would have to answer exactly how early they started putting the 383 in the B's.
-Dave
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