Hey folks I wish to put a new engine in my 53 Chevy 150, I want it to go reasonably fast but considering its a daily I wanna be able to drive past the odd gas station with confidence. Its come down to me tossing up between a 283 and a 327 engine. What do you guys think?
350 - nice retro roller cam - vacuum advance distributor - 10:1 - some good heads - reasonable rear end and a 700R4 - 3000 stall - you'll get 20 MPG and be able to rock mid 13's at the strip.
I've got a relatively stock 283 with a Muncie close ratio 4 speed and (I think) 4.11 gears, and still get 18 mpg while having a little fun to boot!
You won't notice enough difference in mileage between the 283 and the 327 (built the same) to make it worth the decision. Build the 327 and go.
The 350 would be the obvious choice but I'd like do something a little different, but with 20mpg and 13 second passes...
whats different about it 350 vs a 327 ? you could tell the people you want to impress with your differnce it was a 327 all day long go 383 for that matter. are people going to pull your heads and get their micrometers out??? now some of the 283s have the vent cast in the back by the bellhousing. If you're real hard core - you'll have one of those.
Even most car guys can't glance at an assembled sbc and tell the displacement. use a 350 with a vintage intake and some nice v/cs, ram horns, it will have the look. (I'm going to use a 305, don't tell anyone.)
283's are famous for their fuel mileage. They tend to run cooler than the larger displacement SBC's. They are traditional I would use a 57, 58 or early 59 283. They use the staggered pattern valve cover pattern. They have the cast in port on the rear of the block for the road draft tube ( which can be made into a PVC setup easily ). This little 283 ( bored .060 over ) is now a 292 ... and I got 17 to 18 MPG in a 40 Ford coupe with a stock 40 Ford rear end. With a little higher gear, and a little less lumpy camshaft ( I was using a Duntov 097 and had pop up pistons ) ... 20 MPG would be real easy ... to obtain.
Im running a 283 with a powerglide/3.92 rears in my 31 coupe and gettin about 20mpg. I couldn't be happier. If I changed anything it would be the tranny. A t5 would be perfect.
Very cool, why would you use a pre 59? And could you explain what you mean about the valve pattern being staggered?
Older valve covers have a slightly differnt bolt pattern. The older blocks don't have side motor mounts, so you have to use something like a hurst style mount and bellhousing mounts, where as newer blocks use side mounts and a tail mount on the trans.
My buddy has a Corvette 327 in his '46 Ford with a 350 trans, not sure of the rear end. He pulls 12.82 in the 1/4 mile and got 22 mpg on his last trip to Vegas.
1955 to early 1959 Staggered pattern Mid 59 up Straight pattern The first V8 Chevrolet Corvette valve covers were staggered. In the early part of 1959 ... ( mid run for the 59 Models ) ... GM changed them to a straigh across pattern. I have been told this was mainly a manufacturing process change. It was vastly easier to drill the holes straight across than to drill them in a staggered pattern. There are two different staggered pattern Corvette valve cover styles ... the 7 fin ( shown ) and the more rare and valuable 9 fin models. The 9 fin ones came of the High Horsepower engines
The 1958 up 283's had side motor mounts ... 1957 back do not. The ideal 283 in my opinion would a mid 60's Nova 283 block with 58 - 59 heads ... The Nova V8 blocks came from the factory with a spin on oil filter. The blocks had a recessed pad for the filter ... The Nova blocks also used a readily available improved seal at the rear main where the early blocks still use the rope seal Now I fully understand that you being in Kangaroo land ... this stuff might be a little more difficult to find than here stateside.
I like small journal 327's (62-66)--they have the vent hole in back of the block so a PVC can be run with the early valve covers as shown by 32 roadster,also have a steel crank. Run cool and have alot of snap.Have one in 55 Chevy that hss been there since 81--good mileage and lots of punch but as someone said, a 350 is cheaper to build,etc. due to their availability. We just built one with the factory dual quad intake, 500 CFM Edelbrocks and ported 461's that is in another 55 with a 4spd and 3:50 gears--runs very strong (on the dyno when it was built it was 414 HP @5000 rpm)--very snappy little motor. I have put 3 in 40 coupes and prefer them to 350's--just for the old school look.
i just went through the same thing - 283 or 327? i really didnt care which one i used. they are both "excellent" engines. i figured i would see which one i came across first. ----- came across both - bought both but decided on the 327. both engines will wind up tight. they are both dogs. - 327 is better they "come on" & start pulling at about 5000 rpm. i really like the torque of a big block chev. - once you drive a good running big block chev that'll snap your neck a small block is just ok.
The SBC in the Pusher will snap you neck. And its built pretty mild. Not that I have anything against B Blocks but the question was one of fuel milage and 283 v 327. Fuel milage really depends on how the engine is built and if its geared to go with the build. I get 18-20 with the Pusher and have been for quite some time.
the 327 has the best bore/ stroke combo of any of the chevy motors. that being said a lot more goes into performance and gas mileage. choice of rear axle ratio probably is the most important factor.
Roller 350. Cheaper, better, smarter. Cam choice, heads, compression, etc will all have much more effect on economy than the relatively small differences in displacement.
The only problem with a 283 or 327, are the heads, they do not have the bolt holes for mounting brakets, so you will also need to use the org type exaust manifolds to mount AC/pwr steeering and Alt, so you could use the 350 heads on the 283/327 or just get the 350. I put a 350 with the vortec heads and manifold in my 57 and I'm getting 18-20 MPG.
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