Oddly, we know that we have a SBC block and we know that the manifold is appropriate for a SBC yet when we sit the manifold atop the bare block, the manifold holes the distributor, oil fill and thermostat don't appear to line up to their counterparts on the block?
The dizzy goes in on an angle not straight up & down, the oil fill & thermostat has nothing to do with the block The oil go's in the valley and the water go's into the heads at the front of each head from the manifold DND
LOL! Told you we were Newbs! Yes, it's that bad! We very much appreciate the expertise of those on this board. This is gonna be fun!
Any thoughts on why "FE" would be stamped all over the top of the manifold? Your thoughts and suggestions regarding clean up of the manifold?
Picked up a crank today. Casting number is 3735236. No overtly visible flaws. Could use a good polishing. Only other markings I can make out are "GM" over "19".
You have a complete engine or a bare block? if the engine is complete and you have not begun to tear it down yet go here: http://jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/tear-down-and-inspection-is-this-still-tech-week.679583/ this is not comprehensive but it is a starting place.
From the photos, it looks like the crank has a wide parting line. If so, it is a forged steel one, instead of a cast crank. A cast one would have a narrow parting line.
Good to know. Much appreciated. Would you happen to know the significance of the GM over 19 markings?
AFTER READING THE RESPONSES I THINK YOU ARE REALLY HEADED IN A BAD DIRECTION!!! I am sure you want to learn with your son but a bare block and adding parts would be for the experienced engine guy. These so many things that can go wrong! My suggestion would be find a complete engine ( running would be nice ) put it on a stand and then carefully tear it down and clean and inspect every part. This way you will know how it comes apart and have all the bolts & nuts needed from the tear down. Once cleaned , block and heads dipped etc then add the parts ya want carefully.....
For your first project, this is good advice, another thing, be cautious of these two statements: Just rebuilt and "it ran when pulled from car". Unless you know the seller and/or the history of the engine, treat it as a rebuildable core.
I TOTALLY agree. Just look at other active threads on here such as "No Compression". You would be so very further ahead for a project.......and especially a father and son project, to take it apart piece by piece. It would also be good to look at old/worn parts and discuss why they need replacing and what may have made them wear/fail. Nothing like pulling a cylinder head and seeing just what all that stuff inside looks like. Good luck and have fun.
All these folks are right.It will be a whole lot cheaper in the long run to buy a complete 283 as a parts engine.try craigslist.If you decide not to do that I have a good set of SJ rods out of a 63 283 you are welcome to for the shipping charge.Either way I hope you have a great time with your project.
Sounds like you already have the basics.....Block, crank, heads, and intake. For rods, you could either look for a matched set of originals, (1962 - 1967 small journal rods are good ones), or go with a set of new ones, for example Scat.
Thanks for the input. Cranking the project back up as we got sidetracked with my son finishing his school year and then left for his summer internship (he interned at a restoration shop in Scottsdale, AZ and had a great experience). He's back in school now and about to begin work on his 520 heads as a project in his powertrain class. He's also beginning to think about other internal components as well. He wants to go with a Duntov 97 cam. With that in mind, he could use some guidance with choosing and procuring rockers, pushrods , valves and valve springs, etc. Best to source theses individually or in a combo set? Recommended vendors? Thanks for your guidance !
As far as rockers.....That will depend on what type of valve covers you want to use. Full roller rockers will not clear Corvette valve cover, finned Cal Customs, stock Chevrolet script, or most any other type of vintage valve cover. However, the roller tip style rockers will clear these valve covers. It would be a good idea to get the cam, valve springs, retainers and pushrods as a matched set. This is especially true of the cam, springs and retainers. The springs need to be strong enough to handle the cam lift, duration, etc. but not so strong as to wear down the cam lobes. A performance oriented machine shop, or a good local speed shop, (if there's one in your area), should be able to help with this part.
If your going to use a 097 cam stock valve train will work just fine. the 097 and 30-30 cams are designed to use stock valve train componets. And the distributer does not go in at a angle. Its offset to one side but a small block distributer is installed straight up vertical.
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