Thats very true and I usually do this, but this car has alot of history (won in the '68 NHRA Nationals) and we just think it deserves to be as authentic as possible. I do know it ran a high-winding 283ci with a Duntov cam, other than that it's just historical judgement. It's like any purist, it's fun seeing how well you can do with the restrictions of the era. -Dean this being the case i would do whatever ya gotta do to get it and run the injection as well ... expensive or not , if it ran it then ,you should do it now. start looking you may be suprised what ya might find. good luck with everything sounds interesting .keep us posted. jp
Here's my 283 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZgs_-RJrZc cast pistons, cast crank, and 76 CC heads, summit 1102 camshaft 1/4" Steel Hydroformed Bellhousing....CHECK
While on the subject of 283's I am collecting parts for one now. 62-66 block with powerpack heads, 3785896 I also have an edelbrock C3B manifold. Would the above cams work for a powerglide with a 3000 stall? If bored, i could still use the rods, and crank as long as they are Ok? just need new pistons? Where can I get new valves for the heads?
LET THE GAMES BEGIN! Ok, I was there. Built race cars (drags) in the fifties. I can tell you that using the old (as some call it, 'outdated', 3030 Duntov and mostly GM parts, we were turning in THE ELEVENS!!! I hear all this hype on commercials about the new sporty models which will turn the 1/4 mile in 14 seconds!! Wow. Unless you are going for a full blown 1000 hp engine, the old stuff worked pretty damn good for us guys back in the old days. I also built (using all GM parts) 327 Corvette engines for road racing tracks and they would turn 165 mph (on the back straight at Road Atlanta, for example). Maybe I dont get it but I still enjoy old school... latest proj is another one of those old school sbc engines which will rock your clock. Cheers, Sam
The Duntov 30-30 is a hot street cam. I like them but a drag mill done period really needs an Isky or an Erson. And yes you can still get the old grinds from them just not off the shelf. They say 6 weeks but the last one that Erson sent me was there in 3 days. I personally prefer the power pac head to the camel hump head but its all a matter of personal preference either can be made to breath. If its purely a drag car than a forged 12.5:1 is the only way to go unless you really want to be extreme. Perfect Circle rings keeps you period. I would probably lean toward a 2x4. Easy to tune and a good power builder. Carter AFBs or Holleys. After that its up to you. And if you can't source a steel 283 crank Eagle and Scat both make them.
Dema Elgin has the patterns and can build a "restoration" cam to any period correct profile. Call or email him at Elgin Cams: http://www.elgincams.com/ They will answer. Although Dema no longer owns the cam shop (he sold it to the employees as part of semi-retirement), he's still consulting on cams. They can also rebuild and regrind on old stick if you have a beat one that you want to keep. Duplicating a Duntav is not that hard But, by 1968 (I was there, racing at the time), Iskies were the likely race cams. In any case Isky retainers and such were what we were all running. The deal with screaming 283's is they can float a valve and have it contact the piston way easily. When they do, the grenade instantly. The WHOLE deal is to keep those valves in time. Springs, dampners and keepers are more important than which profile you pick. The profile has to make the precise intake closing or you end up in reversion and pollute the incomming charge. You need a cam guy to help time this for max retained charge. You will also need an adjusable cam drive. I know you can't hang a Jessel on a period correct engine, but think about offset buttoned cams and sprockets so you can tweak the cam timing as you learn how the engine runs? There was a real battle going on about big chamber heads (for the time) and small ones. IIRC - Power Pak heads were 60cc's and less milled. They allowed the pistons to run less pop-up so that flame tavel was better. There were a lot of guys grinding and welding on those old heads to get them race ready. Race prep'ed heads were labor intensive and expensive. They ran them with highly modified cooling systems and some guys poured them full of wheel weight because they had ground through the runner walls (alcohol only). These are fun projects, but you need more info on the original motor. Anyone around who was part of that team? If you can't find anyone, you might try getting a hold of some of Jungle Jim Lieberman's notes as he built some REALLY stout 283's around that time period
It seems you are set in doing this tribute motor. (283) I would contact a builder, specializing in stocker or super stock motors. Gary Hettler is a top guy, you have L&L up by you in Conn. I'm not sure if Truppi Kling are still up and running, these guys had the combos for class racing engines. These guys will take the guess work out of your build. Just a suggestion... good luck........enjoy
I really wouldn't believe that HP number on that factory stock Z/28 302 motor. I think with todays ring and cam technology, an NHRA stock eliminator will make about 425 HP, so I find it unrealistic that a factory stock 302 made the same HP.
Can't beat the sound of a 301 when you side step the clutch at 7000. I've had several of these and the really run with the right rear end gear (4:56-4:88) My combinations usually use the 461 heads, a C4B intake and a 780 Holley.
In SCCA Trans-AM trim both the Ford (Boss) 302 and the Z-28 302's were in the 400hp range.....again, thats in Trans-Am race trim, not showroom stock.
_______________________________________________________________ My reply about the HP of a 302 was in responce to another post saying he read an article about a stock factory Z/28 302 with 400 HP I think was the claim, I stated that that was highly unlikely...........
Great info on the 283! I'm also planning a 283 build based on a '65 truck motor. This engine is painted black from the factory and has "High Torque" stickers on the valve covers. I've been told that these engines have some differences from the ones put in the cars. Do any of you know what those differences might be? Any help is appreciated.
I've been hoarding and saving pieces to build a nasty little 283 for years now. I have 2 blocks, 1 about a 61 and the other a 65, both standard bore, a set of lightweight 11:1 pistons for 64 cc heads, and a set of power apck and another set of fuelie heads, with a 327/375hp solid cam I ran many years ago. I also have an ancient Offy dual quad intake, but it came with lousy carbs, so I'll need to find some carters to make it right. I don't know what it will make for power, but it will be fun! Devin
I know this thread is old, but it's one of the best 283 threads I've seen on any forum. Most of the time they are full of guys saying 283s are only good for 15 second passes in a tri five. That's pretty funny. Mine turns high 11s in a 3475 lbs 55 4 door with the 30/30 cam and AFR 195cc heads (2.05/1.60) and 10.6:1 compression. It's daily driveable too.
Hi. Any chance of reviving this thread. How about an update? I've got two engines I'm thinking about building, a '57 265 (could punch to 283 std?) and a '63 283 std bore 220 hp with Powerpack heads and a 4-jet. I also have a couple of mid-60 327s but let's ignore those for now. I ran a 56 Chevy 210 sedan View attachment 3321484 View attachment 3321484 View attachment 3321484 in high school. My high point was a 327/350hp engine, but I wiped out the crank and swapped the heads (492 casting 2.02s) and the 350 hp cam onto a 283 truck short block. With a 5.13 posi and a T-10 it ran 9.40s in the 1/8 mile (14.40 1/4 mile?) at about 70mph. The top end was an Edelbrock Tarantula and an old 600 vac secondary Holley. Ignition was a Corvette dual point with a Mallory Super coil. Well, enough rambling, anyone out there? Richard
Hi. Any chance of reviving this thread. How about an update? I've got two engines I'm thinking about building, a '57 265 (could punch to 283 std?) and a '63 283 std bore 220 hp with Powerpack heads and a 4-jet. I also have a couple of mid-60 327s but let's ignore those for now. I ran a 56 Chevy 210 sedan in high school. My high point was a 327/350hp engine, but I wiped out the crank and swapped the top end (492 casting 2.02s and the 350 hp cam) onto a 283 truck short block. With a 5.13 posi and a T-10 it ran 9.40s in the 1/8 mile (14.40 1/4 mile?) at about 70mph. The top end was an Edelbrock Tarantula and an old 600 vac secondary Holley and one of those cool looking domed fish-eye air cleaners. Ignition was a Corvette dual point with a Mallory Super coil. Well, enough rambling, anyone out there? Richard
Build the 283 if you're serious about doing it, but know that it will be more work and expensive than a larger based engine. The vast majority of the engines I have built over the last 25+ years have been 3.00 stoke small journal versions. I recently finished a 288 incher that made just shy of 390 hp but it cost more and was more work than a comparable 350 based engine that would have more than likely made 20-40 more hp.
Oh, and I will continue to build small motors as long as I still have parts. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
The Jalopy Journal
