Hot Rods Record Holder 283...Did I Just Get Lucky And Find A Treasure

I was surfing the Craigslist ads, auto parts and ran across a SBC with tranny. It had a Weiand 4x2 intake and Corvette staggered bolt valve covers. Contacted the seller and asked if he would just part with the intake and vc's. He said no that it was an old race motor that ran in Southern California in the late 50's. The owner, who was his neighbor, had passed away and the stepson was clearing the estate. The stepson and stepdad didn't get along and the stepson was pissed he had to clean and clear the estate. The stepson brought in two 40 yrd. dumpsters and was throwing everything away. He was going to throw the motor away but the neighbor ended up buying it.
Anyway after the seller told me the racers name, Jerry Dilbeck, I looked it up and he ran a C/Altered 34 coupe in the late 50's, 283 with an Engle cam and carburetion along with a Sure Shift Hydro. This motor that was being sold fits the description. It's a 57 283. Cast into the bell housing is; "This Housing Must Remain With This Engine" Never heard of a bell housing with that cast into it. There are no numbers on the motor where they would usually go only the casting numbers on the back of the block. Here are some pictures of the car that I feel went with this motor. Everything in the description from the magazine fits this motor and tranny. If anybody can add to the info cast into the bell housing I would appreciate it.

 

Quite a find ! On the coupe, some nice fitting, matching a 33 grille to the 34 hood sides.

 

Can't Add anything, but I have never seen the steering run through a door before!

 

The head on the left side looks unusual in that it has the staggered valve covers plus the drilled hole at the front for mounting accessories.

 

I would be dumpster diving!

 

My thoughts exactly! Go volunteer to help the stepson for a day loading up shit, and see if you can find any more parts or documentation or whatever, unless the estate is already totally emptied.

Great score though, seems like it might be the engine from that car. A real neat piece of history.

 

Cool looking intake, nice find

 

I noticed that too and the head on the opposite side is the same except the mounting holes are on the back. The heads interchange side to side.

 

Unfortunately the estate was cleared off a couple months ago. The dumpsters are long gone. No telling how much nostalgic and traditional parts were thrown away.
Picking up the motor today I was talking with the seller and he said that the stepson said there was some articles and trophy's that were collected over the years. The seller said he is contacting the stepson to see if he still had them or did he throw them away. If they're still available he would try to get them for me.

 

Very cool. I guess you can make up your own story to fill in the gaps. So, there I was at the 59 Nationals, on the line, tach pegged out....

 

Hydromatic transmission bells were marked that way as they were aligned with the engine block somewhere in the manufacturing process.

 

What Rich B said, that bell housing alone is worth what you paid (and I don't know what you paid) for the motor. Having the complete hydro is a definite find.

Congratulations, Pat

 

As far as I know only Chevy trucks came with that bellhousing and hydro trans. The GMC V8 used Pontiac motors...so those Chevy hydro bellhousings are pretty scarce. Not too many Chevy trucks were automatics back then..

I might be wrong...but something in the back of my brain tells me that those early heads with accessory holes might have been originally used on trucks. Maybe from the same truck the hydro stuff came from.

Super cool drivetrain!!

 

Rich B has it.. beat me to it.

 

Very cool

 

GM Experimental or R & D?...nice Hotrod Engine...I'm interested in how she runs and what makes it tick...

The Door steering arm...

@Mikel50 just took ownership of a chopped 34 recently and when I saw that Coupe you posted the other day on George Klass's site and thought for a moment mike should have a peak at his drivers door inside to see if there was a patch...what happened to the coupe I wonder...you have the engine Mike's Coupe became a different Hotrod in 59-60ish imagine if there was a patch...

 

Thanks for that info you guys. I was really curious about that.

 

This is a picture of the crank end and pulley. You'll notice that there isn't a bolt but there but there are teeth at the end. Is there any info as to why that is? There was no starter with the motor, could these be for an external starter or was that common to the early sbc's?

 

Never seen that before on the front of an engine. Looks like it unbolts? Almost looks like a Greek coupler, normally on the trans output side...used when they connect the trans right to the rearend with a splined shaft.

 

I love angry 283's. And this a 12.49 record holder.. What a cool score, those truck parts n' all. That'd be something to see (and hear) at Eagle Field, MoKan or sumpin'.

 

Those heads are 1958, passenger car, heads; 1958 was the only year Chevrolet optioned the air ride suspension, and the pump mounted to the heads. Those heads should also have a "X" on the spark plug side, if they are 1958 heads. The dampener has a home made, broached, drive of some sort (note the two bolts that hold the drive to the dampener). Could it have been for an aftermarket fuel pump? Is the a stock type fuel pump on the engine? As far as the Hydro goes, the Chevrolet truck bell-housings for the Hydro's had that warning on them; I don't know about other makes however. IF the engine did't come with a starter motor, good luck finding one; they are extremely rare and bring $$$$$. I've wondered if you could use a block mounted starter motor, and removed the lower/innermost starter motor bolt hole boss for clearance (like was done with the manual transmission bell-housing when a block mounted starter was used). 1957 265's and 283's had the blocks drilled/tapped, and there was a larger pad than the 55-56 265's has, for a block mounted starter when the Turboglide transmission was used/optioned (being thin aluminum, it used a block mounted starter motor). Also, be aware the Hydro's used a pilot bearing/bushing, just like manual transmissions used. What do you plan on putting this engine/trans in? just to be different, I'd use a 62-64 Chevy II/Nova FOUR DOOR SEDAN or WAGON (I personally don't care for the 65 grilles or tail-lights); or maybe a truck? I probably should't say this, but I mentioned several times over the years, that I GAVE AWAY all my Hydro transmissions and spare parts. Well, that's not completely true; I still have one of the factory, Chevrolet bell-housings for a Hydro. It's buried in my backyard, and I could find it if I really needed too. Good luck with the 283/Hydro!!! I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Wow! I´d love to know what inside and hear that little gem running! Great find!

 

Nice find, cool story, and I’m pleased that no one jumped on the cowl steering coming through the door.........
What are your plans for it ?

 

Great save. Congrats on a piece of history.

 

I have a tractor that has a similar bracket mounted on the crank to run a hydraulic pump. strange that they left it on if it was used in the truck tho.

 

Butch
I'm confused, are you saying the bellhousing mounted starter is becoming rare?

 

I never had occasion to really look at a front mounted blower. Would that have used a coupler like that?

 

TB maybe they had no reason to take it off so it was just left on. I had the same hydro set up and I think that the starter bolted to the bell housing. I know that the Torus/Converter has about 28 bolts that bolt it to the flywheel which is also special. I sold the stuff to a guy in CA for a Jr./Stk. car minus the hydro main body, it was just too heavy to ship.

Pat

 

If I remember right; the starter is Hydromatic specific and looks "upside down" with the solenoid on the bottom.