Hot Rods 283 help!

so i have a 283 sbc it has power pack heads i need a new cam and im not sure what to use from what i have found people say i should try a 268h from comp or the 151h from comp i just want something a little more beefy than stock but not so big that i have to do springs rockers ect

now the heads i have need machine work they have unhardened seats i was wondering if anybody new how much that is going to cost me and if i have to do that if i should just get better springs so i can run a slightly chunky cam

this is my first engine so im new and dont know what to do

 

also i do not have funds to buy new heads im stuck with these for now

 

Find a cheap set of 305 heads off of Craigslist or eBay and run them. That will help a bunch.

You can wait on the cam.

 

Yes get the Seats hardened to use corn oil gas. Go for the warmer cam and springs too.
Headers are a must. Be sure your rotating assembly is in good shape. Run a compression if you can to check ring and valve health first. Good luck son.


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What is your car/truck, and how is it set up (automatic trans/converter stall, manual trans, rear end gears, tire diameter, carburetion, etc)??? To have your stock heads redone, with new guides and hardened seats, will cost $$$$$$$. Now, here's an example of a DEAL: 305 heads on that auction site we all know and love; 2500 miles on 305 REBUILT takeoffs. It gets you smaller chambers, slightly larger runners/ports, hardened seats, and bolt right on for................. $395.00 INCLUDING shipping. That's just an example, but there are many deals if you look. Someone/everyone is going to say 327/350HP cam or Duntov 30/30, and that's just way too general; call a cam manufacturer up, and tell them what you're wanting to do, and with what. Generally speaking, with a little street 283, duration @50 should NOT exceed 214. Personally, I do not have hardened seats installed on an engine that's not in a daily driver, and I have't had any related problems. NO machinist will turn that job down however. Also, DO NOT buy the 4.10 bore diameter universal head gaskets, composition or steel shim; HUNT DOWN a pair of small bore steel shim head gaskets (marine outlets and /or factory 262-267-305 steel shim head gaskets are still out there). Now, I have to go unwrap the pair of rebuilt, casting number 601, 305 heads I bought 10 days ago off that same auction site, and UPS JUST NOW delivered (pretty unbelieveable, but it's true, especially in light of this thread, and I paid $311.60, TO MY DOOR!-I beat the above deal!). They are going on a 283 I'm putting together for a friend; what I call a "welfare motor" (that's done by hunting down every part for a deal/cheap, using parts I have on hand, and doing some horse trading). I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

Even better deal than I thought; they have 1.84 intake valves!!! These came from a machine shop in Riverside, Ca., Wayne's Engines. This is the God's truth this story.

 

no way to know what the heads will need, without taking them apart and inspecting and checking the valve to guide clearance, stem wear, margin, inspect the seats, deck surface, etc. And what you need, depends on what you plan to do with the engine, as he said.

If anyone will see the engine, ever, keep the early heads. Those 305 heads look so out of place on a neat old 283...I don't care if they save you a few bucks or make an extra 20 hp.

 

i like the look of the early heads too.. i know the 305 heads are probably the smart way to go, but i will never do them.

the last couple pairs of power-pack heads i had redone cost me about an extra $100 to have hardened seats installed on the exhaust.....that is on top of the other work

the 520 casting power-packs on 283 in my `30 coupe received a lot of work.... hardened exhaust seats , all new valves , new valve springs , new valve guides, new retainers , new locks, new rocker arms/balls, magnafluxed and resurfaced. i have about $700 in them. maybe yours are in better shape and you could get by cheaper , you don't know until you inspect them as Jim said.

 

I would not rush to put hard seats in them, unless I knew the engine was going to get a lot of hard miles on it. That's not the case for most of the cars we build. There are a few exceptions.

 

No use putting in a better cam (I am a fan of the Comp 268H series cams for street engines) without using the matching springs and timing set. Getting a well worn set of 283 heads COMPLETELY rebuilt will cost more than replacing them with new heads. Not saying to replace them, just don't be shocked when you get a quote.

SPark

 

okay so the truck is a 73 k10 short bed it has 3.07 or 3.08 gears with possi the engine i pulled from a 65 one ton with a pto trans it was a spool truck for a power line company i do plan to drive this everyday its my baby ever since i was 8 years old and my dad drove it i wanted it the lifters are all starting to wear and i was told if thats the case then i should replace the cam as well

the trans im using is a muncie 4 speed nothing special i know i should buy new heads but i just want mine redone for now until i can afford a set of nice heads they are the 520 power packs the intake is just an edelbrock performer the rotating assembly looks real good i was told the engine only had 80ish thousand miles on it i only paid 25 bucks for it

i didnt have any isssues with this thing until i tuned the carb and then i got lifter tick oh and i do have a set of headers on this 1 1/2 in tubes

 

oh and the t
ires are 31/10w bfg all terrains

 

Check the classifieds here. Some ads say "local pickup only", but you never know if they're having trouble selling them. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

the carb is also an edelbrock 1406 650cfm

 

Stop avoiding the obvious and fix it right, what ever you skimp on now with cost you later on.

 

I'd be looking for a good used 350 to put in it...

 

I have a 1961 283 under the workbench with a solid set of power pac heads on it and like you, I fully intend to use it, heads and all. You can buy a lot of lead additive for what it costs to put hardened seats in it. But in the long run, a burnt valve will cause a top end redo. I think for myself, the PP heads are a better choice, traditional wise. I did a Google search on "whats the best cam grind for a 283 chevy" and several old threads off the HAMB came up. If I were you , I would read them all and then put one in it that I wanted to. I will add this, A 283 has always ended up costing me more to build than any other Chevy motor that I have built thru the years, at least that has been my experience.

 

283 or 350? Hmm, not a hard choice to make what with all the LS craze out there and many thinking 350s are worthless. More power, reliability, availability, it's going in a (cough-cough) C-10 pickup (notice I didn't say the year?). Save the 283 for that old hot rod you want some day. This is just my opinion of course, you do what you gotta do, but I'd be in that long line of TQ and HP. Then again I'd likely dump a used running 402 BBC in it as well and still be bucks ahead. I'm just weird like that so...

 

80,000 miles......I would look at those pistons real close.

 

What squirrel and 36-3window said IMO. My "fuelie" heads cost $1200 at a machine shop that builds engines for the Outlaw sprint car guys here in the midwest. I had all the above work done plus machining the rocker studs for screw in studs and guide plates. Any old engine in a hoodless hot rod needs to look good and looks cost money, don't believe me, just ask any good look n 40+ year old woman $!

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I spoke w/ a guy last weekend running Crane's L-79 copy 327/350 (p/n 967601) in his 283. Stock PP heads, stock powerglide, stock gears, Edelbrock performer intake. He's had this for a good 10 years & is very happy with it. 1967 Chevelle.

 

For that application I agree, pick up a good used 350 and be done with it.
Hell a crate 350 would cost about the same a redoing heads correctly

 

The XE268H cam likes a good compression ratio and of course better springs. There are lesser cams, like in the 256 range. Or toss in an RV cam. Some of those had good performance results. You start playing with upgraded heads and things get expensive fast. The domino effect. There is a 327/300 HP cam that might be good for you. Look into the nostalgic grinds. Most cam makers have them.

 

the z28 style springs are super cheap through my machine shop they were 24.00 for a set . I would go very mild with that truck and that small of a motor. A 327-300 cam is less than 50 bucks.

 

Depending on the accessories a truck of that vintage has, the old style heads may not accommodate them easily. You can fab up bracketry, as I did once upon a time (early 327 into 82 truck-temporarily), but it's a lot easier to use something more modern for that year truck. If you use the truck as a truck, and not as a daily driver, a 283 may be a bit small, especially with a load and 3.08 rear end gearing. The truck you pulled the 283 from had a granny low trans, and probably really low gears in the rear end, and limited MPH. If you're set on the 283, then later heads that will easily accommodate accessories, should probably be used. This does't sound like a traditional build, at least for this forum/site, so step up to a 305 or 350 engine, and be done with it. JMO.
I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

3.08 gears, 31" tall tires and a cammed up 283 is gonna suuuuuuuck. You need a 350 with some low end torque.

 

okay so there are some pictures yes the front clip is from an 83 as far as the heads not having holes ive already worked around that its super simple i simply cant afford another motor this is what imusing believe me when i have driven it it rips and it is quite the little buzz saw this may sound wierd but i like the small ci small blacks you can wing them to the moon with the right parts and they sound better than a 350

ok so i found a 300hp 327 cam from comp the 929h is that what everyone thinks i should use

 

believe me this truck isnt going mudding or really off road im not doing push contests either shes 46 years old i just need to start driving her to get myself through this winter next summer ill find another 4wd k10 and she will become project hot rod i wanna do a four link and a whole bunch of crazy shit so things will be different a year or so down the line

 

You need to find a older truck to put it in then the moderators won't shut you down.