383/388 Chevy stroker

It is common engine building practice to cut the block decks to zero piston deck height and to use a head gasket that compresses to around 0.040". This allows a [[quench]] or squish, or "squench" measurement of 0.040". Squish is the high speed jetting of fuel air mixture from the dead zone opposite the combustion chamber. When the piston approaches top dead center, the clearance between the crown of the piston and the underside of the cylinder head diminishes to just short of a collision. This squeezes or "squishes" the mixture that is there, across the cylinder toward the spark plug. This high-speed jetting of the mixture not only eliminates any dead spots in the chamber, but also creates turbulence to achieve a more homogeneous mixing of the fuel/air mixture so that there are no lean or rich areas in the chamber. When using steel rods on a street/strip performance engine, having a tight squish of 0.035" minimum to 0.045"-0.050" will allow a high performance street/strip motor that will run on pump gas without detonation, providing that all the other important areas are also covered- like the static and dynamic compression ratios.