I'm another old schooler that had a 301 (.125 over) I never had a cooling problem. Had like 12:1, single WCFB,3X2, 2X4 & single AFB. 097 Duntov cam, dual point distributor & Headmans. So .060 wouldn't be a problem. My only question is why go to all that expense for what? Just because you can say it's a 292? It's fairly apparent in that 5W it's more show car than go car and the 283 will pull it around just fine. An 097 cam sounded hairy as hell and in my humble opinion was almost too much cam for a 283 although that's what they were made for & worked better with lower gears ie: 4:11 or so or bump the cubes up to 301. They worked great there. Of course it's up to you.
Did a little clean up on the block today. While dirty I found there to be no ridge at the top of the cylinder walls, the hone cross hatching looked almost untouched and the few lifters I pulled out are brand new. Seems like this motor has never been used since its last rebuild. Now the question will be do I want a standard flat top piston motor without alot of poke or do I punch it and put in those pretty little pop-up 60 over TRWs and make more power? One way or another I do have to pull it apart to clean it up as it has sat without heads and an intake for several years collecting dust and dirt. Too bad it wasn't bagged when removed.
it sounds like the engine has been rebuilt in the past , are you sure it's standard bore as you said in your first post? did you measure the bore accurately with a micrometer?
I didn't mic it yet but will do that tomorrow. Just cleaned off the top of one piston and didn't see an oversive stamp on it as the TRWs have. Of course that don't mean didly and I will for certain check the bore size.
OT kinda and i dont want to derail but i got some 283 questions aswell. i should be getting a 283 w/ 15k since rebuild either this week or next week. thing has a lumpy cam so the guy says but when i told him i want it for every day use he said it should be sweet with that cam set up for every day use. in his combo he says that this SB dyno'd 150 at the rear wheels before rebuild w/out the cam. apparently the cam and few other bits added he said was part of a 300hp deal he had shipped here from the states.. this is going into my every day car which was a blue flame 59 belair mordoor. He will supply the orig cam for me incase i change my mind on the cam but i really dont want to crack it open i just want to tighten everything and drive. The blueflame in it now runs but has a sticky lifter, leaks everywhere it could leak and just doesnt kick hills over. its getting tired, runs an equally tired ironglide and what i was going to spend tweaking it is the same as this fresh 283 so why not. i opted on the 283 since i can slip it in without harsh registration requirements here in NSW Australia plus i dont have to change the way the engine mounts. i want to put a th350 behind it and run the orig final drive as this diff was just reco'd. however i am unsure what the final drive ratio is in a 6cyl '59 chev. i'll run extractors (headers) and be getting a new alloy radiator (i was going to do that anyway as mine if ull of***** and tired). My questions are: does this sound like an ok set up for a 59 mordoor to you? i dont want to blow the doors off everything i see just be able to over take and charge hills and stamp the foot down when i feel like it. Is the cam overkill on a TH350? what kind of stall converter would you recommend? What would be the ideal carb suggestion? (does not come with carb)
Yep. HR40Cpe's right as rain. San Jose, 1959: I worked at the "Best damn garage in town", and friends had 283 Chevies I helped them with. 292s and 301s were built 3 at a time, there were street racers and Fremont drag strip racers...and most did both. The 301 really took hold, and in late '61 we saw the first of the 327s. But the 292s and 301s lived on, and were the low-buck answer for street***********. Anybody around San Jose then remember Schwartz's '55 Chevy? Montevaldo's Deuce sedan? Tomasello's nasty 292/301s? I had Ford Y-blocks, but built lots of Chevys...anybody remember the hydraulic cam with solid lifters trick? New cam every 6 days...LOL
My 283 is .30 over & I've got no problems with it. I could have just a easily gone out to .60, but decided not to. Whatever you decide, Good Luck!!!!!!!
look for a book called " How to Hotrod Small-Block Chevys" by Bill Fisher and Bob Waar.. heres a link ;; www.amazon.com/How-Hotrod-Small-Block-Chevys-small-block/dp/0912656069 i read through this book only a month ago ,(a loaner), although published in 1972, its got some very good information in it on block IDing, and what you can get away with It clearly states 120 thou bore out (from stock) but recommeds certain blocks..
I have a great big soft spot in my heart for the "little 283 engine that can"... I want to say that the later 283 "round-bottom" blocks can bore to .155" over just like the 302 and 327 blocks can go .030" over.. And even a .060" over, 327 was generally fine back then so that makes said 283 block bore to .185" or whatever... BUT dammit sonic check it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As for an early 1/8" over 283 engine, it was pretty-much standard back then to make the great old as stated earlier "Screaming 301"out of a 283!! My old junk301 was made out of a worn out stock bore early SJ 327 block using a '55, 265 P/U crank, unknown bigger bone-yard 283 rods because the stock 265 rods look like the modern skinny 305 lo-po rods, and W/JCW, 1/8" tall, 1/2 round, 1/8" over 283 el-cheapo cast "steel-strutted" pistons and ground hell outta I want to say '55, 265 small valve heads and an old junk engine coffee canned lifters, -097 Duntov cam. And I topped it off with my '67SS/RS Camaro's stock Q-Jet and cast-iron exhaust manifolds going into stock exhaust pipes with no more than 2.5" pipe******* dumps.. Dam W/JCW pistons only cost like $39.95/set back then so gimmie a break finding modern el-cheapo versions of them....... Badger is not making 1/8" over 283 pistons because I contacted them to know for sure. and I don't know what happened to Triplex or Simplex, (whatever the name was??), el-cheapo cast pistons?? My old junk301 engine was UNBALANCED and I could tell by the sound of it what my rpm was because it would go up through like 3, maybe 4 harmonic rpm points as I would top it out at 7 to 7,500+ rpm EASY!!! He, He!! It did however like ta throw a damper or 2 off at 55 mph running down the highway... No problem at all because I hunted the 1st one down along the side of the hwy walking it's grass path down and the 2nd time, I went to my Buddy's Boneyard and used a RR track bar to knock off another one and away I went.... Dam little-bitty, SBC's are tough as NAILS, imho!!!! And to this day, the old -097 Duntov cam is made FINE for these older, smaller SB's like GM used it in stock back then. *****er will hit 7,500 rpm with new points and a week later only 7,000 rpm b/c I've been there so know all about it. He, He!! pdq67
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