I have a 64 220 horse 283 factory four barrel bored 60 over with flat top pistons. It has 327/307 heads from a 68 Camaro. Stock it should have the 9.5:1 ratio. I have a manuel 3 speed and a 40' banjo rear end. My questions are. 1) what is the biggest cam I could run with out modifying the heads. I will be putting new springs. 2) What cams are you guys running with a 283/stick/banjo combo? I do not plan on beating the crap out of the rearend or drag racing. thanks, Matt
Matt let me guess.. you're pretty young ain't ya ? The heads you have have shitty ports & small valves and they're bolted to a very small displacement engine and you want to know how big you can go with the cam ? Reminds me of the guys who used to come into the speed shop I worked at complaining that they put a Holley 850 double pumper on their stock 305 and it ran worse than before. Seriously every performance mod you do to an engine has to work in concert with the other parts you have. Big lumpy cams need good flowing heads, a good set of headers, a carb that's up to the task of feeding it, etc. I guess if I was in your shoes I'd call one of the cam manufacturers and get their advice based on the parts you have and how you plan to use the car.
Valve timing and cylinder pressure are the two most important factors in determining how well a motor performs. Cam duration should always be chosen with regards to compression ratio. With a 9.5:1 motor and 1.94 stock type heads there's no reason to go bigger than a powerband from 2500-5500, or 3000-6000 RPM at the highest. Most cam specs are created for typical 350, so move the powerband up about 500 RPMs for the smaller 283.
Part no. 2102 with stock springs Basically a rv cam ,Nice for driving, Also the 224 cam is good a hair bigger
You want the best cam and lifters for your appliction the first time,call Mike Jones at (704)489-2449.
you're running a banjo and an early ford 3 speed, your stock 220hp 283 is more than enough to grenade that drivetrain.
NHbandit, I'm not that young, I was born back in the twentieth century. not trying to over kill by any means, just want a good lumpy idle. Plan on running headers too. The 3 speed is a cast iron chevy from a 64 malibu. The only iffy part is the rear end. I've seen pictures of Tommy Ivo running a nail head dragging with a banjo, I figure I could run one on the street with a 283 as long as I don't beat the crap out of it. By the way, this is going in a chopped 38 ford truck Any one running a overhead v8 with a banjo?
Hey dude....can't go wrong with this....its pretty wild sounding.....will work with your setup and stock lifters.....and is fairly cheap, too.....well....used to be anyway.......
....or, if your cam provider is listing it as "blueprint of factory cam number", it's 3863151. Before all of the "cam technology's come a long way since then" comments start, yes, it has, but if he wanted cutting edge technology, he wouldn't be running a 283 and a 3 speed. Replace the springs while you're at it, even if you replace them with new stock units. The wilder the grind, the lower the rpm that the old springs will let the valves float.
I've had good results with two different camshafts in 283 Chevrolet engines. Hydraulic flat tappet is a Engle EP-20H with 108 degree lobe centers. Engle sold recently and the new owner doesn't list that number. It's a basic RV cam with tightened lobes, gives a nice idle but smooths out as rpms increase. Second one is a GM solid lifter #3736098. As others have stated buy new springs and lifters for your application. All major camshaft suppliers can run your specs and recommend a setup. Good luck.
what is the biggest cam I could run with out modifying the heads Why would you want the car to be slower?
the L79 cam is hydraulic. One side note. I don't understand the whole fascination with the L79 cam. There's absolutely nothing special about it unless you are restoring a musclecar- it's actually a little short on lift. And cam technology has gotten better in the past 45 years-lOl.
Dealer's choice on that one. Modern hydraulic lifters will rev as hight as the rest of your equipment will let you, but if you like the old time "clicking rocker" sound that an engine with solids makes, put the 097 Duntov in it--NOT the '64-'69 "30-30" cam, despite the cries of many on this board, unless you're o.k. with stock VW bugs beating you from 0-60, or running 4.56:1 gears to try to offset the fact that your 283 now has no low end whatsoever.
283's are a bit more sensitive to cam timing events than 327 and bigger SBCs. I like the 929 300HP 327 cam, but it's too mild for the OP. He wants a lumpy idle. The way to get that without axcess lift is to close the lobe centers. Something around 108* should do it. That usually indicates poor vacuum signal so carb tuning will be critical and tougher. The 151 cam is good in a 283. Most 350 RV cams will actually be a bit big for a 283, but work with a stick. More cam will need a lot more compression ratio. I'd stay below .500 lift as the heads won't flow any more. Why break springs and beat parts with high spring pressures if not needed? I'd be doing a bowl port and the exhaust short side port job on those heads and they will feed a 283 just fine. Work on the flat tappet cam oiling issues by getting a Comp Cams lifter bore grooving tool and cut the groove dead center on the top side of the lifter bores so they drip excess oil onto the lobes. Use RPM Delo 400 or Delvac oil so you have enough Zinc to protect that cam. As spring pressure goes up, so does cam wear. Z28 springs are probably best.
Just to be on the safe side. Are you sure about your compression ratio? If Im remembering correctly most 307 heads were 70 ccs or more and I dont think you will get 9.5/1 compression out of that combo even if the block is Zero decked. Over camming a low compression engine will not have good results.
I am not sure of the compression ratio. the motor stock had 9.5:1. I do not know the difference in chamber size from the stock 64 Malibu 283 heads to the 68 327/307 Camaro heads. Anybody out there know?
whats the number on the heads. we'll be able to figure out what they are better from there. you said you had flat top pistons in it?? are they level with the deck? quickie check on mortec came up with this: 3911032....68......307/327......70cc chamber not gonna be 9.5:1 with a 70cc chamber
That's exactly what a street type compression ratio (9.0:1) in a small displacement/ short stroke motor (283 SBC) and a long duration/ short lift cam (L79) will produce. the original L79 was an 11:1 motor. _
looked at mortec some more and found that 70cc was the smallest chamber size. they went up to 75cc on some 327/307 heads in that era. rough guess with your 60 over 283 would put you between 8.5-9:1 compression ratio.
Most stock 283's came with PowerPak 60cc heads. If you want to cam that thing, you'll need the 416 casting 305 heads at a minimum. They are 58cc and come with 1.84 intakes which are 1/10 bigger then the OEM 283 valves (1.72). A little bowl work and some radius work on the short side of teh exhaust and they flow great for a 283. Cheapest bolt on HP and torque you can build for a 283. They will give you 9.2 CR. If you want more, you can get the 601 heads with 53cc chambers off a 267/305 HO - same valves, same porting will get you 9.7 CR. Now you can add a cam
I am always impressed by the advise this forum solicits. All of the above is great advice from smart and experienced people. The 283 is almost indestructible, suprisingly powerful engine with a very rich history. Enjoy
Those are 305 heads from the early 80's like IROC camaros had. If you dont mind me butting in here I'll offer this advice for the combo you have mentioned above a cam like an comp XE 262 would be a good choice the fact of the matter is those lumpy cams sound great and all but they have to be matched up with other components to work right, the XE 262( or something similar) cam wont sound as mean but it will work with your combo you'll have a peppy motor that pulls good and has good low end responce it will be much more enjoyable to drive and in a light hot rod will scoot right along... just my .02
The #416 heads are found on many typical 150 hp 80's 305 engines.They are a lightweight casting and should be checked for cracks unless you know the history.I think they have hardened valve seats.They supposedly flow better than a single hump Power-Pac head,but flow doesn't always equal more power in a street engine.The 416 has a casting obstruction right at the port enthery into the head.Some say a little work with a file on the lump improves things a bit.Later heads have the assesory bolt holes and machined end surface that "traditionalists" don't like on early engines.
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