Hot Rods Give me some learnin on 283s fellas

Bowie !! What air cleaner is on your engine...love it.

 

So I did like topfuel55 and went with dual 2gc's, but I used an Offy dual quad intake with 4 - 2 adapters to do it. This is a really nice setup, runs very good.

 

OP, you're on the right track as are the others posting about their 283s.

Sorry, but IMHO a 350 is just too cliche and I agree that centerbolt valve covers with grommets and pipes and no oil fill tube makes for an unappealing engine.

I am building a 1968 307, which is a 327 crank in a 283 block. It is the engine that replaced the 283 and in 68 they still had the block fitting for the PCV.

I will have to replace the cam since all the 307 cams went flat on the drive home from the dealer. I will probably be keeping the stock pistons and heads due to budget (as in I have none).

I picked up a period GM cast-iron 4 bbl manifold and a Rochester 4-jet carb for $20 at a swap meet so that is what I will be running. Cam selection is still up in the air but must be inexpensive and probably the equivalent of an RV grind as I am building this motor for idle to 3500 rpm use.

So will be watching this thread to see where things go.

 

I've got this in the classifieds if anyone's interested. '57 283 w/powerpack heads....

 

Anybody can run a 350. I've had a 283 in my '34 for 35 years.

 

Again... thats the state not the city...its also kinda a southern thing, i wouldnt expect either of yall to understand in any way. bless yalls lil hearts.

 

I ran 'Vette "151" cams in my 283's. Sure, some aftermarket cams make a bit more power, but nothing sounds like a 151! Plus they outlast most aftermarket stuff.

 

I'll be honest. any time anyone recommends a "vette" or "300hp" cam I tend to want to use that over a newer tech grind. I know theres been improvements to cam technology, but if it worked then why cant it work just fine now? If it aint broke dont fix it right?

 

What 2 barrel to 4 barrel adapters did you use? Those look really nice and I'm planing on doing something similar for my 283 just using an old Vette 2X4 intake. @Blues4U

 

To be honest, Dickster set it up for me. After seeing your question I just went online expecting it to be easy to find a similar adapter, but was surprised that none of them looked like these. I"ll hit up Dickster and see where he got these.

 

(Quietly)
Don't tell anybody but the "151" cam was available in Novas and Chevelles too, so you might find them a little cheaper.

 

yeah i have been looking on line for about a month and have not found much that looks good. Everything looks like pot metal or billet. I make just make my own, or i may have to Hit up Dickster for a pair.

 

Back in the day, we used the dual point distributor, not sure what all they came in but a new one from a Z28 was like $30 at the Chevy store. Cam technology has came a long ways but a mildly strong street 283 seemed pretty happy with the 350 horse 327 hydraulic cam. Now somewhere mid 61 I believe, Chevy changed the 283 block and we couldn't bore those later ones to 301s and the early ones won't swing a 327 crank if you want a stroker. We had a 320 c.i. limit in our dirt cars back in the 80s and ran a .060 283 with a 327 crank and I think it was around 316 c.i. Heads are all over the place, fuelie heads would be right for a period rod. Some of the 305 efi heads flow great but have really small chambers.

 

Actually the 350 will have as much character as you give it. No one can tell displacement just by looking.

Keep the 283 simple, about 9;1compression. I prefer powerpac heads but its a personal preference. I have a tendency to use n L-79 cam in most of my street small blocks but the Duntov 30/30 is a pretty neat cam and works well in a 283. I avoid edelbroke parts in my builds, but an older eddy and a smallish 4 bbl will get you down the road.

That should get you started or you could just use the search function and find the long version.

 

Jimmy six : Thanks , near as I can figure it's an early Hellings and Stellings lid . I'm using an old Cal Custom base under it so it fits the larger afb carb. I found it at the Hershy flea about 1976 and it looked ancient then .

 

Well fellas, went to check out the 283 over the weekend, it wasnt quite as good of shape as hoped. It was indeed a power pack engine, but its not quite ready to fire and ride like he claimed. Guess he wasnt expecting me to check it out thoroughly so i still made an offer which he said hed let me know after he thought about it so thats most likely a no. So onto another.

 

Back in the day, I had a 61 Vette and ran 56 power pak heads with the dual quads on the 283. Had done extensive port work even going so far as to weld more material around the port to match the intake ports. Ran the "pink stripe" 350 horse cam with a 4:11 rear. Probably the most important thing about a 283 is lots of compression. Went to Green Valley and ran 13.08 at 114 mph. This car was completely street driven as I was a student at NTSU in Denton Tx and would go to Green Valley on weekends.