Does anyone knoe anythang about these tiny motors? My buddy has one and Im thinkin about gittin it since its already torn apart and just needs a rebuild kit. Btw, it was what I first was gonna put in my car then I changed my mind. What kinda hp/tq did they come with in '61-'64? I think it came out either an Impala or Caprice, I could be wrong. If I do git this motor it'll be temporary until I find the exact motor I want, which is any BBC. I heard they are real durable stock, but who likes stock lol. What kinda gas mileage would my '79 Z28 git with and 4-bbl, better intake, headers, and a true dual exhaust system without tha cats? Any help will be appreciated guys.

Rated about 220 hp with the four barrel carb. All depends on how it's built. Have to watch heads and compression ratios. The usual 283 head had very small chambers, the common 64cc heads will kill performance on it. Can be made to run in a lighweight car but you have to cam it up and figure on high rpms to get the power. For economy, if built for it, you'd see 25 mpg I'd think.

I think, im not sure now, that tha heads have 58cc combustion chambers. Would I gain any power from swappin on a pair of factory 305/350 heads?

If it has a forged crank (I think they all did back then) you can find a 350 block, and with the right rods and pistons, build yourself a screaming 302. Not much torque and you would have to rev it pretty high to get good power, but in the ’69 Z28 they would rev past 8000 rpm. If you are really looking for mileage, put it together stock with a mild hyd. Cam, a 2 bbl. Carb and it will idle nicely and get you around just like thousands of 283’s did in the late 50’s and early 60’s. Good luck.

If it has a forged crank (I think they all did back then) you can find a 350 block, and with the right rods and pistons, build yourself a screaming 302. Not much torque and you would have to rev it pretty high to get good power, but in the ’69 Z28 they would rev past 8000 rpm. If you are really looking for mileage, put it together stock with a mild hyd. Cam, a 2 bbl. Carb and it will idle nicely and get you around just like thousands of 283’s did in the late 50’s and early 60’s. Good luck.

I heard that id git better gas mileage with a 4-bbl if i kept my foot out of it?

MOST 283's had forged cranks till the end of their life cycle which was 1965 to 1967 when GM put cast cranks in some of the engines. If the crank is out, you can tell the difference by tapping the crank with a hammer. If it rings, it's forged. If it goes "clunk" it's cast.

Heads: the original heads were designated by three configurations: square back, diamond back and hump back (not to be confused with camel hump heads). Square back heads were early heads with small everything: valves, combustion chambers, and passages so these heads are not worth fooling with. Diamomd back heads: the end of the heads have the square on the ends of the heads with a triangle (diamond) on them. These had bigger valves than the square back heads, usually had 55 to 58 cc combustion chambers, and decent (for a 283 in that era) passages. Hump back heads were actually the same heads as diamond back heads but these heads came on VERY early Corvette and other HP SBC powered vehilces. They had almost the same specs as the diamond back heads. The main drawback to these heads is that they don't have accessory holes in the ends of them.

Here's what I'd build I I were you:

Heads: find a set of 305 HP heads like the ones you'd find in a Z28 Gen III Camaro or Firebird (1982 to 1992). Port match them to the intake and exhaust. Put screw in studs in them.

Block: if it doesn't need a boring or any other major machine work, buy a rebuild kit from Northern Auto Parts. Just make sure to get the propper size main and rod bearings. If it needs an over bore, go as big as you dare. Our present engine in our drag truck is a .060" over bored 283. It is possible to bore a 283 to 4" (stock bore is 3 7/8") but the block should be sonic tested before attempting it. BTW, a 4" bore 283 was called a 301 by the street racsers and 302 (which came in the 67 to 69 Camaro) by GM.

Cam: because a 283 is a short stroke (3" stroke whereas a 327 is 3 1/4", a 350 is 3 1/2" and a 400 is 3 3/4"), it likes to live in higher rpms and does so easily. By higher RPMs I have personally twisted our 292 to 9000 rpms with a Isky Z75 cam with ease. BUT don't talk youself into having an animal cam on the street. You'll hate the engine and yourself for doing it. I'd advise a cam with nothing over 280 degrees of duration with a four speed manual transmission and nothing over a 270 degree druation cam for an automatic. And unless you enjoy adusting lifters, don't get a solid lifter cam but instead get a hydraulic lifter cam. I have used both the Comp Cams 268H and the Edelbrock Performer cams (which are almost identical) with great results.

Intake and carb: I'm a big fan of Q-jet carbs and intakes. Even Hot Rod (who must be owned by Holley) did a test on Q-jet vs Carter AFB (Edelbrock Performer Carbs now), and Holley. The Q-Jet gave the most overall economy and performance with the least amount of tinkering. Beauty of the Q-Jets carbs and intakes is that they can be had for very little and give you a lot: economy (if you don't crack open the "silver dollar secondaries) and power (when you do crack them open!). A real plus it that the Gen III Camaors and Firebirds with a SBC had aluminum intakes on them that would be a great matchup for your 283. I have one of those intakes that I'd sell you if you're interested.

Main thing with ANY engine (or any project for that matter) is not to get the BIBS: bigger is better syndrome. Example: if a 600 cfm carburator is good, then a 1050 Holley dominator HAS to be better. NOT! If a 280 degree .500" cam is good then a 320 degree .585" cam is better. WAY NOT!! Keep it simple and plan on having fun. Make it complicated and you'll hate yourself for it. Been there, done that, hated it.

Here is a picture of our "animal" 292 in our 87 S10 drag truck. It has a Comp Cams solid lifter roller cam that lives from 5000 to 8000 rpms, 305 heads that have been port matched, screw in studs, guide plates, stud girdle, Offenhauser Dial-A-Flow intake (port matched to the heads), Holley 650 DP DF carb, forged TRW pistons, Summers Brothers spalyed four bolt main caps, Hooker Super Comp hedders, a Redneck Racing 5K rpm converter, hooked to a TH400 trans. STUPID parts that we had laying around or that were given to us (people emptying their garage and filling ours! LOL!).

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/Cardinal_03/87%20S10%20Drag%20Truck/SparkplugwiresPS.jpg

Hunt up a set of 305HO, -601 heads and CC them so you will know what you have!!

Try to shoot for right at 52 cc chamber's and using Mr. gasket's .020" thick steel shim headgaskets and -5 cc 4-notch true flat-top pistons so that you come up right at 10 to 1 CR.!!

Then use a good old CC 270S solid lifter cam like said earlier w/ at least Z-28, (i.e., -142) valve springs, a good dual plane intake like an old Performer 2101 or Weiand 8004 and an old 600 cfm Holley 1850 vacuum secondary card and a set of cheap 1.625" dia., 4-tube long headers and preferrably 1.5" jobbers BUT I don't even think they are sold nowadays!!

And gear and tire right and go have more fun than the LAW will allow!!

You should be looking at 370hp EASY w/ open headers and no more than a good bowl-blend and dingle-berry casting flash port cleanup!!

And it will go above 7,000/7,500 rpm EASY!!!!!!!!!!!

pdq67

I was talkin to a friend bout S/C tha 283, he said he never seen a 400hp 283 and dont knoe if it'll hold up. Hell tha cobra's got S/C 281 so why cant I? And If I did go this route, of course Id have a forged bottom end. But I prolly wont S/C and thanx for tha build up idea, but since this is gonna be temporary I prolly wouldnt build it that much. I really want a BB but right now ill be happy with my car just runnin, plus 220 hp isa good bit more than tha factory 350's 175 hp.

220 hp isa good bit more than tha factory 350's 175 hp.

That is true, but these heavy chevies need a lot of torque to get movin. 350 has an advantage there.

That is true, but these heavy chevies need a lot of torque to get movin. 350 has an advantage there.

Torque?

plus 220 hp isa good bit more than tha factory 350's 175 hp.

You have to remember that Chevy changed the way they rated engines over time. Back in the day when the 283 you are mentioning was out, they used gross horsepower #'s (no accessories, etc.) and then changed to net horsepower #'s, which includes accessories, etc. So in reality, the 350 probably put as much if not more horsepower that the 283....not even mentioning the reduction in compression that took place.

There is no way around it, the more cubes you have, the more power and torque you can make.

Way back there, they were getting 450 to 500hp outta 287's in Tri-5's so go figure!!

Sure, they sure weren't street friendly at all, BUT they sure whipped up on a lot bigger engines back then!!

And they didn't call the 350hp/327, L-79 combination, the giant-killer, for nothing!!

Personally, I like the 365hp/327 better b/c of it having a solid lifter cam is all.........

Drop a hopped up, high-strung, little-bitty 283/287/292/301 into a VEGA or heaven forbid, a MIATA that is geared and tired right AND I guarantee that you will have more fun than the LAW will allow b/c they will hear you coming as you shift ABOVE 8,000 rpm!!

pdq67

283s are reliable and run for a long time if you change the oil. From time to time we purposely tried to kill one cause it was gonna get pulled. Hard to kill they are. I always liked those engines in a Chevy II with a powerglide.

The engine you see pictured in my post above is rated at 467 flywheel hp and 381 foot pounds of torque at the flywheel all out of a 292 (283 bored .060" over). I we could afford better heads and the Hilborn fuel injection setup, 500+ hp woulnd't be out of the realm of possibilty. It won't idle under 1200 rpms and wouldn't pull a sick prostitute off a crapper under 3500 rpms, but hang on from 4500 rpms on.

Ditto allot above, them also came in trucks.
Know a guy with a 64-65 truck with one.


And you hear them same stories, then suckers can be wound up to the moon and won't let lose. They just ask for more.

hank your sir can I have another 1000s rpms
Thank your sir can I have another.........

Them smaller ones like the 302 n 327 were like that. They wound up fast and loved it up high. Knew a guy with a 4x4 toyota with a 327 that walked on water. Thing spun up so fast he didn't need a bunch of grunt to get through. He walked over it like a mud drag.

Ditto allot above, them also came in trucks.
Know a guy with a 64-65 truck with one.


And you hear them same stories, then suckers can be wound up to the moon and won't let lose. They just ask for more.

hank your sir can I have another 1000s rpms
Thank your sir can I have another.........

Them smaller ones like the 302 n 327 were like that. They wound up fast and loved it up high. Knew a guy with a 4x4 toyota with a 327 that walked on water. Thing spun up so fast he didn't need a bunch of grunt to get through. He walked over it like a mud drag.

Lol. I tried talkin my friend into puttin one of his 283s ina suzuki samurai or w/e it is.

It's a pretty standard swap to drop a SB into a Jeep..

pdq67