What would be the best intake/ carb.combo for a early sixties 283. The engine is very mild and I want it to look like something that a guy would have in 1959-1963.
Back in the late sixties, I bought an Edelbrock C4B and installed it on the 283 I had installed in my 50 Plymouth. I used a Rochester 4-jet carb. This is the carb that predated the Quadrajet. It was used on many GM cars, for example mid- to late-50s Oldsmobiles. This carb has equal sized primaries and secondaries. That setup worked out great on the 283. I had an original T-10, and later, one of the first Super T-10s (close ratio - 2.43 first gear) off the production line. I sold that manifold and carb on eBay a couple of years ago and I am sorry I did. I still have the Super T-10. So, to answer your question, an Edelbrock C4B is a good choice for that motor.
i had one on a 283 in a `29 Ford i built in the late 70's , loved it. i have another one ready to install on a 283 for a clone of that car i'm building
Like already said ... the Edelbrock C4b works well on a small Chevy. I do believe that the old Weiand intake is more period correct for a early 283. The older Weiand intakes have " Say Why-AND " cast into them. I like where the water temperature port is on the older SBC intakes also.
Hate to bump a thread from like 4 years ago, but I recently got a stock 1968 327 to replace the 230 in my 64 c10. Would the Edelbrock c4b also be a good intake for this 327? Going into my daily driver and planning to run a Quadrajet on it... but I'm also open to recommendations. Want some "GO" but also want to have somewhat decent fuel mileage and an all round solid cruiser. Would the factory cam be my best bet? Was considering the 300hp factory cam as well? Thanks.
The 300 hp cam is ok... I guess.. Why not go with a hydraulic lifter #151 cam?? 327/350hp and that intake manifold?? It work great for ya!
You will love the C4B, but that is not the right carb. Get yourself a Rochester 4 Jet - equal size primaries and secondaries - as used on many mid- to late-fifties GM cars (and probably into the 60s).
Thanks for the advice Deuces/TR, I'm gonna do some research on the 151 cam you guys mention and maybe go that route. Good to know. I should've mentioned, i don't know jack about this engine and what to will fit with what, so I appreciate the info. Mainly into old british bikes but the 230 in my truck has gotta go. Plym49, i'll also look into the Rochester 4 Jet with equal barrels. The Quadrajet's smaller primaries wouldn't be big enough to cruise around town with?
Great intake. The later Quadrajet w/ small primarys is a foolproof carb for daily driver. Keep doing your homework to keep cost and the gremlins at bay!
The primaries on the Q-Jet are perfect to cruise around on but it would require an adapter for the C4B. Nothing wrong with the iron manifold for cruising, especially in a heavy vehicle with a stock or mild RV type cam. Doesn't have the visual appeal of the C4B though. I'd run a 390 or 450cfm 4150 Holley if it were me, they came out in '57 so are period correct and parts are readily available. The C4B came out right around '64 so it's a great choice for your truck. The Chevy Rochester 4GC (aka 4 Jet) Plym49 mentioned was about 390cfm and a decent carb but parts like jets and metering rods can be tough to find locally. The BOP versions were somewhat larger at around 420cfm IIRC. Not sure what size the 340HP 409's got. The throttle bores were spaced much closer together than the Holley and AFB carbs the C4B was designed for and the C4B had 4 individual throttle bores so you still might need an adpater or a 1/2" open spacer for throttle blade clearance. An old AFB would also be a good choice, I loved the old AFB's but not feeling much love for the Edelbrock versions for some reason.. MUCH better cams than the old 350HP available today that will give you a mild lope with much better low end than the 151 with the same or possibly better mid-range and top end. It's a hot rodding icon though like the Duntov 30-30. If I was building an old Chevy II with a period correct SBC it would be real tempting to put a '151 in it just for old times sake.
For a street 327, the 4GCs should work fine, and yes the BOP and Caddy units were 'bigger'. Any would work fine; I once ran a stock 283 with a C4B and a Caddy 4GC and it had good power and over 20 mpg at cruise. I also agree that an old AFB would be tits on that manifold. I am not a fan of running adapters - they look cheesy IMHO and with manifolds as cheap as they are, just get the right combo in the first place.
The '62-'65 327/250HP came stock with either a Rochester 4GC or Carter WCFB. The 4GC on the stock iron manifold can support a '64 250HP 327 with a Summit 1103 cam and dual exhaust in a '64 Impala SS with a 200-4R and 3.73 gears VERY well with a little tuning.
I used one on my Henry J I guess it was edelbrocks first high rise for a small block chev in the 60's
Wow, thanks for the info Rude' and Plym49. Looks like I have some serious options to consider here. I definitely like the idea of keeping it somewhat period correct for my truck, avoiding adaptor plates, and also maintaining better than 11mpg since this is my only 4 wheeled vehicle. The more I am learning, the more I am wondering if I wouldn't be better off just running the stock manifold with the 4GC. But damn that engine looks good earlj02, thanks alot for the pic. This would require an adaptor plate? Sounds like a hell of a combo. Truck currently has 3.73 rear end, but I rebuilt a 3.08 rear end that I was planning on installing after the V8 swap.
I''d keep the 3.73 and swap in an OD if you can swing it. You drop your cruise RPM but keep your off line performance. My truck has 2.73's and a 700R4, I was pretty happy with that setup at first. After living with a little longer I'm wanting a little more "zip". After recently having the 700R4 rebuilt I repeated an earlier experiment where I had used Drive instead of OD. Previously mileage had dropped 1-2 MPG but with a fresh trans and converter this time MPG stayed exactly the same and the truck was much more pleasant to drive on the highway. Next week it goes in for a 3.73 posi to replace the 2.73's, cruise RPM in OD will still be slightly less than the 2.73's in drive. I honestly believe I'll gain a little more MPG because right now my truck really works to get rolling from a dead stop up to about 20 MPH. With the lower gears it won't have to work so hard to get rolling. If that's not an option and you have the 3.08 ready to go then by all means give it a shot, you can always go back if it doesn't work for you. If mileage is much of a concern then the factory iron intakes are actually pretty efficient, especially in a heavy vehicle with tall gears. I''d try the C4B but don't let that Q-Jet and iron intake get away. A Q-Jet is hard to beat when it comes to fuel economy. Plus there's nothing like that wailing moan when they're at WFO. Back in the day a buddy had a '70 Buick GS with a 455 Stage 1, 4 speed and 4.56 posi. The engine was all "stock" and when he kicked it in the ass on a clear summer night you could hear that Q-Jet 2 miles away!
Yeah this does sound like the way to go. I have the saginaw 4 sp on the floor with granny gear right now, and she revs on the highway! I like the stick shift but have a 700r4 I can drop in at the same time (lost reverse, needs rebuild). Wonder if a T5 would support the 327 alright. I will definitely keep the stock 1968 intake around. Do you know if the corvette 327's came with different manifolds? I keep hearing about 250hp and 300hp. These have different cams? heads? Thanks again for all the info.
Ran a C4B on an old 327 with 151 cam. Bought the 151 a the chevy dealer about 1973 for $18.00. Those were the days. Yes it ran like stink.
The cast iron quadrajet intake that came on 327 powered full size cars, Chevelles, Novas, and Camaros was also used on the 300hp Corvettes. I always laugh when I'm at a swap meet and spy one with "CORVETTE" written on it, along with a high price; yeah, it fits a Corvette.....and every other Chevrolet that year! The 327 horsepower ratings varied thoughout the years. From '62-'65, the non-Corvette cars had a choice of 250hp or 300hp, with the 350hp version becoming available in the A bodies sometime in '65. In those years, the 250hp 327 was basically a 327 cubic inch version of a 283 power pack engine, with either a Rochester 4GC or Carter WCFB carb and the single pyramid "power pack" cylinder heads. The 300hp engine got a different intake with a Carter AFB, a pair of 1.94/1.50 valve "fuelie" heads, and center dump ram's horn exhaust manifolds with larger 2 1/2 inch outlets, as opposed to 2 inch outlets on the smaller 327s. I believe that both engines used the same camshaft. Also, all 1962 327s came through with clutch fans. Starting in '66, in all of the non-Corvette cars, both the 250hp and 300hp 327s were replaced by a 275hp 327. It had the 300hp cylinder heads, and could have come with a Rochester quadrajet, a Carter AVS (similar in design to the AFB, but with an odd rear fuel inlet), or a vacuum secondary Holley 4bbl. The 2 1/2 inch outlet exhaust manifolds were gone; all engines got the standard issue 2 inchers. The cast iron Holley pattern intake manifold was a one year piece. In '67, as far as I can tell, this engine was only available with a quadrajet. Also in '67, the base V8 in the new Camaro was a 210hp 327 with a small base Rochester 2 bbl. carb and 1.72/1.50 valve low compression heads. 1968 was the last year for performance versions of the 327, which was now a large journal 350 style cylinder block with a 3.25 stroke crank. The higher hp Corvettes, as well as heavy duty trucks, came with the now rare large journal 327 forged crankshaft. In '69, the last year of the 327, they were demoted to being the entry level V8 in full size cars in the form of a small valve head, large base 2bbl. carb engine rated at 235hp. Since you've already got a Saginaw four speed, keep your eyes open for one of the Saginaw three speed overdrive transmissions that were availabe from 1966-71. You can transfer the O/D setup from the rear of it to your four speed for the best of both worlds.
Looks like the vacuum advance is hooked to the full manifold vacuum port in the carb base and not the timed vacuum source in the metering block. The timed port has a plug on it, am I missing something?
I've got a C3Bx on my '61 Suburban's 350. (Same as the C4B, as far as this conversation goes). It's a 290hp stock crate engine, with an Edelbrock 600cfm vacuum secondary carb (with that ugly EDELBROCK tag removed), open-element air cleaner, restrictive small-diameter exhaust manifolds, and HEI ignition: the rear runner on the intake has to be clearanced a little for the HEI... I marked where it hit, and with my die grinder and dremel tool, I laid an abrasive cartridge roll on its side and ground a sideways trough into the edge of the runner's corner, taking off no more than was absolutely necessary. I've got 3.42 gears out back, with a .72:1 overdrive 3spd manual trans. I averaged 15.5mpg on my 2400 mile round-trip to Austin for the Roundup, at 75mph the entire way. At one point I got a little over 16mpg, keeping the speed around 65mph. I've got 45,000 miles on this combination, and haven't done more than change the oil. I should probably fiddle with the carb a little bit, and after replacing the rotor, coil and cap on the distributor I see that I need to replace the advance springs too... and possibly the vacuum can. I'm sure there's more mpg in the distributor, and switching to 2.5-inch rams horns. I may also swap to a 500cfm 2bbl, just because I get into the Secondaries a lot, and at this point, that just costs too much money! Hope this helps. -Brad
Damn Heathen you know your shit 100%! I'll just add that in '65 the 250HP 327's also got Double Hump heads with 1.94 intakes which I'm sure you know.
Ya no kidding! man you know that off the top of your head!?! Thanks for the info/history lesson on these engines. I have heard of the OD setups for the Saginaw 3 speeds, but sure haven't seen one or even heard of one around here. Arent' they hard as hell to find? I'll keep an eye out though, ya never know what might turn up at the local truck boneyard. Thanks for that info Brad. I was actually looking for a 3.42 rear end before giving up the search and settling for the 3.08. Sounds like a real killer setup you've got in that burb. I had heard that the HEI wouldn't fit with the C4B intake, but good to know it just takes a little shave with the Dremel. Does the C3Bx have the oil fill tube? or a place to drill a hole for one? One of those OD 3 speeds would be sweet.
Friend of mine has an HEI in his SBC with a C4B with no grinding, it's VERY close but it fit. I'm sure that varies depending on how much may have been taken off a block or heads, had gasket thickness, etc., etc. etc. C3B's and C3BX's usually have the oil fill hole but all had the boss that can be drilled out.
I don't know if it was mentioned but the 300hp/327 had an AFB flanged cast-iron intake on it and I have one in my garage. And right about $18 for a new -151 cam because my Buddy Nuts up around Runnells, IA put one in my 295hp/350 engine 1967SS/RS Camaro 1200 miles from new back in the early summer of 1967. I know this is an old thread but what the hey.. pdq67
He stated that his four speed had the granny low. If its a truck trans its likely not a saginaw more likely a Muncie 420. the Saginaw over drive from a three speed will not work on a truck granny low 4 speed.
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