Hot Rods Going price for a rebuildable 283 these days?

At least he's honest. When was it that the price of scrap went through the roof? Ten or fifteen years ago? A lot of the older engines ended up in the smelter then.

 

I have been told the 64 and back 283 will bore to 4", to make a 301 or 327 depending on the crankshaft.

 

Sonic checking tells the tale but I know you can on a 62 back. 65 on not a chance. Plus a 61 motor still has a forged crank. 65 on they were cast or forged. Forged mostly ended up in truck motors cars with cast.

 

recently in my area was a complete 283 on facebook for $200.
Was on a stand with the heads removed, looked like a good builder.
Was listed for several months ... probably never did sell ... I dunno.

 

The 283 in my '32 mordor was a powerful little engine. HRP

 

I have a 57 vette sbc, paid 200 for it with aluminum correct valve covers and correct intake

 

As I understand it, the 1958-62 blocks are the best candidates for a four inch bore. All small block Chevrolets from 1955-63 had forged cranks; '64-'67 passenger car 283s got cast cranks.

 

This one was stuck but cheap $100.

 

I have 2 that need a new owner located in ILL

 

I’m going with a ‘58 283 for my ‘30 coupe build. It cost me $50 about 10 years ago and sat in a corner until being rebuilt……

 

Somebody listed one on FB just a couple days ago for $250.
1964 283 from a Chevelle.
70,000 miles. Runs good.
Two barrel carb and flywheel.

I was threatening to go get it.
Wonder if it's still listed.
Let's see...
Lada da lada dee............
Ooops. Nope. Sold

 

Here in Wisconsin there's always guys looking for aluminum Powerglides for stock cars but seems like all of those people want them for less than $100 each, pulled. Also around here, any small block V8 that needs to be rebuilt is a $200 core except for 327's which bring a premium and 305's which you can't seem to give away.

Although Wisconsin seems to have lots of good running engines and no good bodies to put them in, so maybe you can get more elsewhere.

Keep in mind, even a 350 is a 50 year old nostalgia engine today, there's a pretty limited market, and even less for the small displacement ones.

 

This is my understanding as well. I never paid attention when I had a bunch of them, but the wall casting in my November 1961 cast 327 is much thicker than the 64 and later versions I had/have

 

Marty
That has been the common discussion about the 301, especially the Chevy II 283 blocks. I have owned a 1967 block but have no experience as to its overbore limits.
The Chevy II blocks have been debated for years as the safest block to go 4 inches, but the very rare late 65/mid 66 "721" block was actually used for both the 283 and 327 Chevy II's.

 

Well, 283’s can scoot a Model A, etc around pretty well. Even without “hopping it up”. Good choice for a 2500lb vehicle. Step into the early 60’s when cars are in the 3500lb range, to keep up with the Model A, you really would have to work the 283 over when you could just drop in a rebuilt 350 instead.
But as seen by posts, cost is dependent on who has it for sale.
Does the seller want you to make an offer, or did you get a price and wonder if it was a great deal, or?
What I mean is if the seller want 500 for the package, but you think 350 is the right price, sure the % difference is a lot. But by the time it’s gone through that 150 is a drop in the bucket.

 

Prices all over the place. The more expensive ones have been posted a while

 

How much $ and have they been bored yet?

 

The sad thing is you can buy a crate engine nowadays and install it for less than the cost to support your local machine shop and have an engine rebuilt. Just part of the throwaway society we live in.

 

True this^^^^^^^^ Some shops just say go buy a crate because we cant beat the price by a mile.
Sad times.....

 

How much is a crate 350. Never bought one personally. Installed em.
I like my local machine shop guy.
I like fixing old engines.
It’s a win win.

 

I paid $200 for this one, a ‘61 out of a Jeep pickup, complete with flywheel, clutch, bell housing, starter, alternator, fan, exhaust and a Hurst front mount. Got to hear and see it run.
Put it on a test stand and got good oil pressure and cool running. Good and equal compression. No smoke.
Going in my 40, to replace the blown up flathead. No rebuild needed at this time.

https://1drv.ms/v/s!AmJTGXDnSfv5vSgqw_pNka609M5m

 

Abot $2,300 with the old style heads from JEGS. https://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/JEGS-Small-Block-Chevy-350ci-57L-Crate-Engine/5244244/10002/-1

 

A running but smoking 283 is probably worth around 2/300 depending on how complete it is and how much of it you can actually use when you redo it. Most of the time it is going to be a 2 barrel engine with small valve heads and a two barrel intake so heads, and intake and carb are added expenses just to get it up to the level of a 283 power pack.
Power wise, that is more of what you expect perormance wise. While the 61 283 I had on my 48 would cruise down the highway at 80 all day long it didn't have a lot of poop to pass a car running along at 50 on a 60 mph road unless you were damned sure that you had plenty of extra room. After swapped in the 350 that wasn't an issue and it still would cruise at 80 all day long.

Still that $$$ for what you get thing comes into play and unless you are restoring it to 100% showroom original spending half again as much rebuilding one engine as to replacing it with an all new engine with 67 more cubes isn't the most produtive unless you are hell bent to have that engine for what ever reason.
Then there is me who has spent more money on the 292 six that I have and or on the flathead I have than I have on any engine I have ever owned in the past 60 years. Some times being practical doesn't really spin all of your wheels.

 

Doug, the one I plan on using is a 1958, and I have a new set of SP std bore 327 pistons, 3 small journal cranks, and a machine shop buddy willing to do it for me. It will be the street engine for my RP.

 

2 bbl heads with a Q-Jet? Wonder how that worked. They did come on smaller engines than that though.

 

I’ll take the 283
Or whatever old mill I round up.

 

A few years ago when I lived in Lancaster, Ca, I guy a few blocks over had tried to sell a good running 63 283 out of a Bel Air 4 door rust bucket. It had 93,000 on it, ran well, nevery been touched, but used oil because of worn valve guides. He tried several times and different venues to sell without a single bite. He told me that if I came and got it, it was mine. I collected mounts and adapters to put it in a 46-48 Ford or Merc coupe someday. I still have a couple of projects ahead so it sits very nicely in a corner of my garage. The sad thing is that the Bel Air he had been his dad's car from Wisconsin all its life and the deep brown rust took up 3 times as much body as the green paint did. Practical thought would be to keep the 283, scrap the car and look for a SoCal candidate for a heart transplant. But, now it's mine and will eventually find a good home.

 

When I was cleaning out my core shed after closing my machine shop I found out the only stuff guys wanted (Chevy) were the 350's and 400's, gave away a few 327s and couldnt even give away the 283's. Ended up scrapping them

 

I even have a 1955 265 with the correct oil pan. I’ll never use it, but I have it.

 

Me too. I just couldn't resist.