283 chevy high rev questions and advice

I remember the hot high winding factory cam for the 283 was an 097 cam. The 097 was the last three digets of the part number. I have never heard of an 098 I asked a local cam grinder once about an 097 cam and he knew exactly what I was talking about and had the grind. I'm sure they make better grinds today but in 1963 the 097 was THE cam and as close as any Chevy parts dept.

The highest winding Chevy that I ever heard was in George Reese's Prefect in the 60s. A de-stroked 265 Running D gas I think. It would really scream. I bet it hit 10Gs Very very impressive. Probably not an 097 though.

 

Man , what a lot of BS here. 8000 every day. BS. Your tack is set on the 4 or 6 cyl mode. If you want to hear high RPMs, 6,000 is about all you can really live with daily. The duntov 097 is a great and fun sounding cam. Better start looking for a few rebuild-able 283 cores. Even a 6,000 it will brake frequently. Pistons, blocks crack around the main cap bolts, rocker arms and studs, and a rod or two. Dont forget to have a spare oil pan. Aftermarket parts will help but there is always a weak link. Just my opinion. CJS

 

The trans is'nt going to last, so you'll need a 4-speed, then you'll start breaking rear ends. The rearend gearing is probably fairly low to begin with, being it's an overdrive trans car. A positraction, like the NEW Eaton unit for 55-64 cars, some aftermarket axles, and cap supports will help a lot. Go with an automatic, and the rear end will last, at least on the street. Build a mild 350 to "look" like a 283. It takes too much compression (coupled with the crappy gas we have now, that won't work well), too much cam to make power, decent heads and valve train to handle the airflow needed, to make a 283 "work". I'm not hating on your 283, I'm building one myself; but it's not an unreasonalble build, and I don't have unrealistic expectations for it. Have you priced out what a 283 costs to build, relative to a 350? I have over $1800.00 in just the all forged rotating assembly and heads, and that involves a lot of horse trading for parts. The block has'nt been to the machine shop yet either (only needs to be decked and tanked). Generally speaking, the smaller the motor, the more it costs to make power, and, here's NO substitute for cubic inches. Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Butch, I have a standard, dismantled, '65? 283 short block I would trade for a set of ready to go Camel Humps!

 

i had a link to a site that showed which 283 blocks could be bored out to 4", they were 301ci, they has casting marks on the outside and the bottoms of the cylinders were different, do you know for sure what year your block is?

 

I put a summit part number 1102 hyd lifter cam in my 283 and it went nicely to 6k no sweat.

 

Probably the least of your worries with a 283,they handled the torque and 425 HP of the 409 "back in the day" These would be something to consider:http://www.flatlanderracing.com/eagle-chevysb.html I had a 283 puke a rod out the block cruising at 60 MPH without any warning.

 

I f you want to go over 7500 rpm, stud the bottom end. Good pistons to get the compression up, and a set of 1.94 camel hump heads with the 64 cc chamber and good springs. Run the factory 69 z-28 solid lifter cam(comp makes it) and a 4 speed, with 4.11 gears and you'll have a screamer. This should run 62-6500 rpm. go much higher in the rpms, and basic daily driveability starts to suffer. as for the driveshaft and rear end, make sure you have a good carrier bearing in it, and it will handle a lot of abuse. I have a 59 ElCamino with a 427 and a speed. The driveshaft has held up so far, but I am on my second rear end.

 

Back in the day (1963) on our 61 Impala we used a 340hp 327 cam and a afb carburetor adapted to the stock manifold and it would spin 6k+ with a 3.25 gear and stock exhaust.

 

Yes it's numbers matching to the car.

 

Thank you everyone for all of your input, I appreciate all of it! As far as someone asking what kind of rpms I would like to put out, Id have to say I would put a safe bet at 6000 but probablt shIftIng lower than that. I dont really know what thIs thIng can do stock Ill admIt that haha. But the fact of the matter is I was just wondering what I can do in the long run seeing that I'm in highschool right now and have very little money. But I really appreciate what ya'll are tellin me so that I can get my head around what I'm gonna be up against with this thing. So thanks guys haha.

 

I raced 283's in the old gas class . The rods are the weakest link . If you want to rev it the valve springs must be changed . I have recently been using the larger 289 ford springs in the chevy heads by machining the seat with a spring cutter. You will need the correct retainers (Ford 289) and check your spring height. I also like to install screw in studs and guide plates which require hardened pushrods. Again a reminder the stock chevy rods are a small journal (bearing size ) with a 11/32 dia rod bolt with a sharp radius under the head . These bolts are known to break . I believe that scat now makes a real good small journal rod for these motors . Depending on you budget the least expensive way is the valve spring change and a good quality cam to get the revs. Best of luck !!
PS my last 283 (288 -a +.030) would do 8500 + but it lost a spring seat and hydrauliced at 8500 .

 

i guess i'd like to know why the OP thinks he needs to rev it sky high...what purpose will that serve? yes, in a all out race car......but in a street car with some limited racing? and 3.08 gears? a hydraulic cam is only good for about 6000 rpms

in the late 70s i had an OT `73 Camaro with a 4" bore 283 for a 301 cubic inch. cast pistons , a steel crank , very wild solid lifter cam with reworked 461 casting heads. 4-speed with 4.56 gears in the 12 bolt rear end. there wasn't hardly a day i drove the car that it didn't see at least 7000 rpms , but it was more for lets say racing activities....not a daily driver. in fact the same engine a couple years later powered me to 173 MPH in a 1964 corvette at the end of the straightaway at BIR

yes, it was healthy...but it apparently wasn't made to last. after a tear-down it was not a pretty sight

 

I never said I needed it to rev sky high. I'm sorry for the confusion but I just am looking for a beefy street motor. The three speed will end up being taken out and the rear end will end up getting a higher gear ratio. All in due time.

 

I never would have thought of 289 valve springs, very interesting!

 

283 in that heavy car will never be beefy unless it's supercharged or replaced by an engine with more displacement.

 

stock original 283,s where limited in rpm by point bounce. double spring the pionts and valve float was the limiting factor. change to solid lifters and after the pistons kissed the valves it didnt run any rpm ever again. Ive rum 283,s bored .060 with a 30 30 cam. Z28 intake, angle plug heads, 800 cfm carb, improved ignition. forged pistons, aluminum flywheel ect. everything was balanced and clearnced . they would turn 8 grand but they didnt last a million miles. with high RPM you need to address windage issues in the crankcase. Its also very easy to pump all the engine oil to the top end and run the oil pan dry. Restrict oil to lifter supply. We used to stuff the pushrods full of pipe cleaners and it did work. The factory stock 56 two four 265 used two 380 cfm carbs. for a total of 760 cfm,s . For some reason you can use a bigger carb on a small block chevy than on other engines the same Cu in. For example try putting 800 cfm on a Y block ford. OldWolf

 

I may have left out the part about it being bored and balanced with an aluminum flywheel and Forgedtru piston/dykes ringed engine in my 57 Corvette, but it ran just as well when in my I/S 57 150 business coupe. The afternoon that I went by the Dunlap Drive-In theater at 8 grand in 4th gear is still etched into my memory. Being that I had 26 inch diameter street tires at the time only put me at 135. Probably not the smartest thing that I had ever done, but I was young and pretty much dumb at the time. Short stroke engines like 283's and such live for high rpm's like that, and I'm not getting faster as I get older, actually I'm a lot slower in my old age.

 

I bet you would!!! We all would!!! My 265, based on a Canadian 4 bolt main 305 block deal, fell all apart; long story, but it just was'nt in the cards I guess. Could'nt find a "real" 265, so went with the 283 block. Basically a legal Super Stock 283 short block, with the early 56, dual quad 265 setup (heads, intake, and carbs/225 HP) on it. I gave the like new, stock, cast rotating assembly away to a fellow HAMBER. My 3 sets of camel humps are'nt going anywhere just yet (2 sets on engines in cars, and a new, fully prepped set on the shelf). How about a set of newly done 267/305 heads? I'll make you a super deal!!! HaHa. Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

I used to run a set of 202 heads on a 283. no one ever told me they wouldnt work on a 283. they worked very well of a 283 bored .060. im gonna do sumthin with them someday. OldWolf

 

My comment about "John Brown''s 283 going 8000 rpm may have been my jealouscy showing. It sounds like he had a built engine along with the light flywheel and 4.56 gears. Any time I went over 6500 something went wrong and the evening was cut short. The generator would come apart, fins on the pulley would flare out and knock off the belt. broken rocker stud, rocker arms would come loose. just to name a few. One night going 110 in 2nd gear I had one of those porta walls , fake white wall, fly off knocking the hell out of the inner fender well. It shook the hell out of the car, I thought I killed it that time. My girl friend was pissed.

 

It's probably not a good idea legally for me to be even communicating with you being that you are a minor.

But i'm not a smart man, so here goes:

i wouldn't do it.

If you MUST do it then:

i think an economical way to do it would be:

1) Get a 4.56 rear diff gear.

2) Get a whole string of 305's/350's from the junkyard that you can plop in the car at a moment's notice, because if you're going to do high rpm you'll need these spare engines in short order.

3) 61 impala not the best for hi-spirited driving, suspension and handling wise. This could have adverse effects on your health. You might consider a different car altogether.


i would vote not to do it.

 

Thanks for the imput. Knowing these things now, I might be taking a bit more tame of an approach.

 

No offence taken.

During the time I was running my little 283's and 292's (.060 over 283) I broke lots of parts and threw lots of belts and threw the solder out of several generators. Broke more than a few synchronizers, transmission cases, axle shafts, shot ring and pinion teeth out the back of the rear end housing several times, blew the facing off of a couple of clutch disks, plus I was on sort of first name basis with a few of South Bends judges. Anyone contemplating high rpm in an early Chevy, especially with a two piece driveshaft needs to weld braces on the sides of the center support to stiffen it, at a minimum. I had bought a 60 Sedan Delivery to race with a 170 horse 283 and a hydramatic but NHRA put the halts to that program before I got the car done. Sold the incomplete car to a friend that put a 12 to 1 288 and a glide in it with a 6000 rpm converter/glide and 6.17's. Stronger axles and machined bearing caps are necessary if anyone is planning on racing with those old 55 to 64 pig style rear ends. It's not that it can't be done, but the learning curve is pretty sharp, plus you will need a well paying job and a tough noggin, cause you will be beating your head against the wall a lot of the time.

 

There is an old guy with a 55 chevy htp who races at George rays in Paragould ark. He known a bill smith and the 10,000 rpm chevy. Some say he has a bored 327 with a 283 crank. Others claim its a 400 with a 327 crank. I dont know. But this guy dont have a tackometer. He stages flat on the floor at whatever RPM the engine can make. sidesteps the clutch and it either goes or blows. All he ever does is fix what breaks. still the original frame & front suspension stock brakes & master cyl. hes way past 60. the lexan windsheld is so yellow you can barley see through it. tarp straps help hold the fiberglass front cap in place. Amazenly Ive never seen him blow a engine. It has a direct port fuel injection. Old Wolf

 

64 CC heads do not make for a high compression 283

 

Don't cut corners on your bottom end. Get it balanced if you want it to see anything above 6000RPM. Someone already said it but screw in rocker studs are a must to keep the valve springs in it. When you have the crank at the machine shop have them drill it for a balancer retaining bolt, you won't like what happens when they come off at high revs.

 

Hi , I know this may be hard to belive . But my first car was a 66 GTO clone . ( Lemans with up grades ) . I put a small cam in a 283 chevy engine in , cause it was cheap . I can't remember the specs now . But that engine saw 8000 rpm burn outs all the time . Pushed it to 8000 rpm at the drsgs all the time. I had the car for a year . The engine never let me down . Unfortunately I totaled the doing smokey doughnuts and lots controll . Put it in a ditch . The engine still ran when it went off to the jack yard .

 

11 yr old thread……

 

What's a jack yard?