Technical 402 Cubic Inches From A 283?

As a Christmas present to myself this year I bought a stack of old HOT ROD magazines. One of the articles that caught my attention that I'm currently reading is in the May 1960 issue of Hot Rod magazine where a guy named Lawrence Jewel of the Jewel Tool Co. of Taylor Michigan Bored and stroked a 283 out to 402 cubic inches using a set of short skirt Grant pistons and Buick rods. Sorry I don't have a scanner or I'd scan the article for you guys. I've done a search and read about all the other 301" and 352" combos but I thought I'd throw this one out for discussion because I thought it was interesting.

 

Comes out to a 4" bore stroked to 4". I knew they were doing 4" stroke large journal cranks now, but I thought you needed a raised cam, aftermarket block.

Gary

 

Wow! Can you really get that many cubes from an older 283 block (1960)? Tim

 

I don't think they had large journal or aftermarket blocks back in '60.

 

I guess some guy was building them as big as 482". http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/what-about-a-352-chevy.955620/page-2

 

Here's a scan of the article from another thread thanks to @falcongeorge.

 

@porknbeaner check this out

 

Leave it to George, his old magazine cache must be uuuge.
That's a big sumbitch, with a 283 block.
I had to get creative getting 427 inches out of my aluminum Rodeck Small block.
I know a 454 is doable with a 400 based small block.

 

Check out the text in that first photo, $600 for a billet crank.
You'll never see those days again!

 

Bump for the morning crowd.

 

When someone asks "Whatchagot?", You could say "It's just a punched out 283." Use Corvette or script valve covers and paint all the aluminum parts orange. But I bet the money would be equivalent to building a 400 hp flat head. But so cool.

 

Just using the change in minimum wage from 1960 that would make the crank $4350 today.

 

Not if it was made in china

 

I saw that.

To answer a question about cam location and long strokes, they used to use a cam shaft with a smaller base circle. Some guys still do that to build displacement with a stock block.

Another thing that I have seen done although I have never done it myself is to align bore the cam journals off setting them and using a thicker cam bushing with an offset hole. it effectively moves cam shaft without going to an after market block.

 

434 is a common stroker, 4 inch crank, 400 block .030 over.

4 inch stroke crank with mains turned down for 283 block is possible, need a good radius journal. Won't be the strongest crank. Block should probably get a 1/2 fill with hardblock to keep from hitting water when the pan rails are clearanced.
Pistons ??? 6 inch rod and 5.85 rod pistons for 4 inch stroke 400 and 350 blocks are available off the shelf, getting them for a 283 will depend on how far you can bore it, or a custom set.
Aftermarket clearanced rods are available to use 4 inch cranks, that and/or small base circle cams are common with that crank. Circle track guys have been doing it for at least 20 years.

I've got a Molex 4 inch stroke crank with 350 mains sitting on the shelf, don't have a real plan for it, maybe this.
http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/engine/0805phr-408-cubic-inches-with-a-350-block/

 

Building a big inch motor with a late block is relatively easy.

Building one that far in '60 with what was available was a real feat. I can call skat for example and order a crank in the stroke that I desire, I can buy rods after market that are long enough to clear my crank throws and short skirt pistons are readily available as well. A stock block is already 4" and can go out to 4.060 easy enough, and that is not going with a 400 block which these days is basically unobtainium.

'60 it was all new tech and it took more than just liquid assets to do it. Hell it hasn't been that many years back that we were modifying Ford 300" six rods to work in our small blocks because they were 6" rods.

 

That's a pretty good chunk of change considering you could buy a whole car back then for just a couple thousand dollars.

 

I agree the guys figuring this out in the 60's by offset grinding cranks and modding other engine makes parts were amazing.

Speed Gems opened it up for discussion, it's very possible today with mostly off the shelf parts, but a lot of good machine work and probably a big slug of Mallory to balance it up.

I'd love to see a big incher in a front mount 283 block. The only 283's I have are later blocks.

Beaner, I've built a 6 inch oldsmobile 350 rod in a sbc with bushed pins, set of used j&e pistons was the only way I could afford it. Tell more about the ford 300 rods, never heard that one.

 

I remember that^^^^^

 

I used the Olds rods back in the seventies in 377's.

 

I built one used 300 6.2" off set bushed the pin ends to 6.25" and used off the shelf 400 6" rod pistons.What Hot Rod didn't tell you about was the $200 worth of heavy metal it took to balance the crank with those heavy rods.

 

findable for sale at egay

 

That's the one.

 

I agree Pork. It amazes me what them guys were doing way back then. True engineering, American "Can Do" at it's best. Today, we are wimpy!
r

 

In 1960 a 352 c.i. stroker was a huge Chevy small block. It took cash the average Joe didn't have for one. 402...... wow

 

I remember reading (I think ) a Car Craft article back in the mid to late 70's about how to build a 500 plus cubic inch big block Chevy. At that time they used a bunch of truck engine parts to make it happen. Getting that kind of cubic inch out of a small block in the early 60's was a feat.

 

The big end needs to me shaved a little bit because the ford rods are wider at the journal, the diameter is close enough to the same size that once they are sized it is just a matter of juggling rod bearings ( 2.12 ford v 2.1 GM) The small end is bushed and floaters added.

 

Yes you had to start with a standard crank and turn it for .030 ford bearings. Now after market rods are the way to go. If you find 300 rods from 65 to 69 they have .912 piston pins and can be reamed to .927 chevy size, later rods have to be bushed.

 

I think the later rods were a little bigger on the big end too as I recall.

Rods have really come down in price as of late, well come down compared to wages and cost. The only reason to use a modified ford rod now would be that you already had them and had access to a machine shop.