283/302 question, will a 283 take 4" bore?

You can buy a block new that is small journal 4" bore. You have to call on the phone and not order from an online catalog and it will need to be ordered as in not an off the shelf item.

Actually you can also get a large journal 3" crank from the same company and just use a 350 block. They are easy to come by. The crank will run you about 800-1000 bucks.

 

Would a 283 crank fit that new small journal block????

 

New as in LS?

A small journal crank can be welded and turned to fit a large journal block. You can't really find think bearings any more but you can still use bearing spacers to put a small journal crank on a large journal block. There are several crank companies out there that will sell you a crank reasonable, I know that a couple years ago I called SCAT and a 3" crank to throw in my 350 block was only going to run me 800 and change with pistons and rings. I get wanting to do it the old way, but there are lots of ways to go with it.

 

No Ls please... Them things make me want to puke..

 

If it is an LT block then the early crank should be a shoe in. I was not aware that GM went back to a small journal motor. Makes good sense from a racer's standpoint. Smaller journals have less bearing speed. Extended higher RPM running can benefit from the smaller journals.

 

350 block and: https://www.summitracing.com/search/part-type/crankshafts/make/chevrolet/engine-stroke-in/3-000-in

 

Cool!....

 

LMAO

 

I don't get it. I can see running a 283 in a light weight rod like a T bucket, they rev freely and are zippier than a 350 if not as much HP. But if you really want a larger displacement motor why not start with a 305 or 350? They aren't that hard to find.

 

Same reason guys still run Ford flatheads. 4K$ for 125hp, why didn’t they just get a 1500 dollar GM crate motor with 210hp?

 

I have 58-283 and a small journal 327 crank, along with new set of std bore 4" Speed Pro pistons, hopefully it will sonic good.

 

Pre 1963 blocks usally require some block grinding for rod clearence for a 327 crank

 

Hello,

My brother was a mechanical person. I was growing up taking everything apart and if we wanted to use the parts again, he had to put them back together. What a combo. In model cars, I separated all of the parts from the plastic frames with the parts attached. I put them in nice piles and he sorted it out to glue together. That was fine, but if you wanted to modify the model, you needed another model for parts. One was all we got at a time.

After many adventures of taking things apart and putting them back together as brothers, it came time to do work on our first hot rod motor. He already had his 51 Oldsmobile sedan and was ready to put on some accessory speed parts. But, decided to save his money for the real stuff in a real street coupe that could race at Lion’s Dragstrip and take him to school.

So, as novices we read all that we could. It was now a toss up as to how large the 283 SBC motor should be to run successfully in the B/Gas and C/gas classes. (same motor, added weight differences, no other changes.) We decided to ask Joe Reath due to the fact that the Clay Smith Cam people wanted us to go to 301 using their cam and lifter kit.

Joe Mailliard wanted to use Isky Cams and all aluminum pistons, rods and have Reath balance the crank. But, keep it at 283 for long lasting power and ability to withstand those instant surges from the starting line. Our first carburetor power SBC was a 283.

We had a friend with a 56 Chevy that started out as a 265, then bored over to a 283. That was good enough for a lot of wins at Lions and on the street. But, he was told that anything over 283 with that motor was asking for trouble. So, he bought a new 283 and had it bored to have a 301 SBC motor with dual quads, aluminum pistons, a race cam/lifters and ported the heads.

It was a fast 56 Chevy that looked absolutely stock, but it was very fast.

Jnaki

We had plenty of power for a SBC 283 motor with 6 Strombergs. But, there were others that just kept winning the races at Lions. So, my brother decided to take out the 283 and go a little larger. He actually wanted a 301 c.i. with a 1/2inch Stroker kit. That would give us 352 c.i. in the Willys with 6 Strombergs. Now, that would have made a big difference, but we were told that 352 is pushing the limits of the original 283 ci motor. So, reliability was not going to be the best in the long run.

Spending the cash we had saved made us make some choices. If we were going to spend money building up an SBC motor as much as we could, why not do the most we could with what we could afford. Luckily, our friend from Los Angeles told us a new supercharger kit was coming out called an Isky-Gilmer belt drive. It was matched to an Edlebrock Manifold for SBC motors. Since he was friends with Vic Edlebrock, he could get one of the first models if we wanted one.

Now, my brother was thinking big time motor modifications, if we got the Isky Gilmer Belt Drive. We would have to get a 671, have Reath modify it. They suggested going to a 292 ci size with all new aluminum blower grade pistons, aluminum rods, and they would balance the crank. We chose a Howard Cam and Complete Kit. And, sent the heads out to get ported and polished. Now, when the motor was getting finished with the mods, we were gathering all of the parts ready to assemble it when the 292 block was ready.
similar build
The idea of a 292 671 supercharger was better than punching the small 283 out to 352 with the ½ inch crank. The 292 was getting popular and would keep us in the B/Gas and with car mods, C/Gas class.

We followed the advice of Joe Reath and had them bore to 292 and then the puzzle was just starting for us. The giant puzzle was fun and made us more organized to get things right.
1960
Our build was one of the builds that had potential and with the progress we were making, it was close to the national record in C/Gas. So, not bad for a couple of teenagers who just happened to get busy finishing an unusual puzzle for the drags. So many parts and so many turns of the torque wrench…but, it was some kind of fun.

So, our experience with SBC motors of all sizes and intakes, led us to believe, anyone making anything larger than a 301 for a 283 is asking for problems of longevity and reliability. We were told from the experts, had them prove it and then we made some noise in our respective class at Lion’s Dragstrip.

The articles of a 283 to a 400 are there, but how many, if any, had them running to do the daily driver scene and going to the drags to race. It looked good on paper and photos, but it was not the case for the many drivers that had modified 283 motors for their hot rods. Going to 352 seemed to be the largest, but not the most reliable for everyday use. Anything else is just not looking for reliability. The many choices are for the taking, this is our story… YRMV

 

Supposedly a 289 in one of the "Munsters" cars was stroked and bored to 427, doesn't seem feasable.

 

Nope! It's a 289.....

 

I have a new game plan for the 36. I am entertaining the idea of a modern 301. Starting with a Dart SHP block utilizing the hyd roller capabilities of the later styled block. More to come….

 

YES