alright guys what is the going price to rebuild a 283 V8(Stock)? Im trying to put together 63 impalaSS as my daily driver, should I go TPI/Throttle body, if so, any recommendations? The powerglide tranny works great but I need something with more gears. What would be a good bolt-on replacement?
TPI? Throttlebody? Why not a plain old Edelbrock 450CFM 4bbl? Cheap enough at the parts store, ready to run. Replace the PowerGlide with a Turbo 350 short tailshaft box and you won't hav eto change anything except the shift quanfrant on the dash to reflect the new gear layout.
Well here it is, I was gonna buy another car, 2006 corvette. I want something cool to drive to work, considering I drive a total 80 miles to and from work per day. I decided not to buy a new car but to finally get that car in my driveway a shot. I figured whatever monthly payment I was gonna make on a new car, I can just spend it on my old car. It currently has a carter 650 carb but im thinking I may save some gas with tpi/throttle. The carter needs to get rebuilt, so before spending the money on the rebuild, I figured I would ask around about the tpi/throttlebody. another upgrade will be HEI.
I used to have a 64 Chev with 283 and 600 Holley. When driven conservatively it used to be cheaper to run than my Ford which had a 250 CID straight six. Why go through all the headaches and cost of setting up fuel injection on a stock 283? Just bolt a smaller carby on.
Why not a bone stock 283 and a powerglide? I was in love with the whine of my powerglide and the reliability of that 283. Drove it from Vancouver to L.A. twice in one year and put thousands and thousands of miles on it as a daily. Sold the car and he did a corvette engine, airbags, big brakes blah, blah, blah and in my opinion ruined a good original car that was reliable, cost effective, reliable, drove like a dream, reliable, easy to maintain, reliable and lastly had lots of room for sleeping, roadtrips and FUN. I pulled the 283 out once, did a reseal, timing chain, main seal, carb, ignition, had the trans freshened up, rad flushed, painted some things etc just because I felt guilty that I drove it so much without doing anything to it.
Dude, buy a used KIA... Even with your $100 a month car payment, you will still be $$$ ahead with the gas savings. Then use some of that $700 a month you would have been spending on corvette car [and insurance] payments to do your '63 right. JMHO, YMMV
I'd go with the 283/700r4 with the lock up converter. If you are serious about gas mileage, a carb won't touch the TBI. Gas has come down lately, but I'll bet it will eventually climb again. A car that does get good mileage is nice because you can afford to drive it more.
i'm rebuilding a 283 right now , with careful parts shopping and a friendly machine shop i have just a little over $1000 in the long block
Don't bother to convert to EFI. For your 50 mile commute, a carb set up right will get as good or better mileage as the injection will. Stop-and-go driving is where carbs are not so good, though you can make them work there too, just more tinkering. The small gains theoretically possible will take years to pay off. I'd leave the 'Glide in there too, stone reliable tranny, and soaks up less power than any other slushbox. If you really want mileage, put in a T5. Had a '63 Pontiac (Canadian) Parisienne 283/Glide that got 25 MPG (about 20 US) all day long driving on country roads. Beautiful old bomb, wish I had it back again.
The 200-4R isn't quite a bolt in but it is a good fit and works very nicely behind small displacement engines. Needs a 3.55 or 3.73 gear to work the best in a heavy car like a '63. A good friend has done 2 X-frame 200-4R swaps, one a '63 Bel Air with a boneyard 305 and stock 3.08 gears. He put a Summit 1102 cam in it and an early Q-Jet on top. It could pull 20-21 MPG even downshifting all the time on hilly terrain due to the tall gears. The other is his brother's '64 SS with a 327/250 Horse and 3.73 gears, the trans swap was done over the Winter. It is stock except for a Summit 1103 cam and a little porting on the Power Pak heads. It ran pretty good with the original PG and 3.36's but with the 200-4R and 3.73's it runs REAL good! No mileage numbers yet on that one but it's a whole lot more fun now.
Didn't SS stand for stick shift ? Replace the dogmatic with a 4-speed. Better performance, better mileage, and a lot more fun! As far as the carb is concerned, a 650 is ideally too large for a stock 283. Carter recommended a 400 for the 283 (part numbers 9400s / 9410s). However the 650 will still work, but be slightly doggy in the lower RPM range, and get slightly worse fuel economy. I don't see the EFI as an upgrade; more of a downgrade unless you are completely hooked on EFI. There would be no mileage improvement over a Carter 400, and very little over the Carter you have. Just expense, no payback. With your rebuild, don't forget a good exhaust system (duals). I personally prefer cast iron manifolds rather than headers (I like to listen to the stereo). Also, a set of good radial tires. Along with no car payment, insurance payment should be a wee bit less as well. Have fun. Jon.
I stand corrected. Thanks Brianangus. BTW, your thread on frames is the best thing I have ever read on the HAMB.
Okay so here is a quote I received. Remanufacture a 283 runs between 1800-2200 depending on what it needs, thats doing it right; pistons,rings,hard seats,new cam,balance etc.. labor to R&R is around 1400 for engine and trans, that includes cleaning the engine compartment driveshaft will need to be changed trans mount will need to be modified. 350Trans with core will be around 1000.00
Why rebuild the 283? http://paceperformance.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=225980 THIS AND THIS Would be a MUCH better idea.
You can PAY somebody to do stuff like that? Next thing you you are gonna tell me is you can get somebody to mow your lawn too. Pppht!
HEY I'm with pasadenahotrod.... and TPI/Throttle body oh that blows.............dont do that to the SS...... and a new what?#*@^&#$*a vette...........what? the buy something good for a cheep daily driver and PUT THE EXTRA IN THE SS................ and not a bunch of new crap...........
Have you ever experienced the thrill to break in an engine that you assembled yourself? I grin from ear to ear and want to hand out cigars. Do you tell stories about how proud you were when you went to pep boys and the kid there helped you load the crate motor?
I DO IT FOR A LIVING. What I am suggesting is why put all that money into the 283. Why not replace it with an engine that is more efficient and doesn't have to work as hard. L31 late model Vortec 350 is a proven combination that will wake up quite nicely with a cam and manifold. It has better heads than any Gen 1 SBC, it is hydraulic roller cammed, and it is a 1pc rear main seal. For what it would cost to rebuild that boat anchor 283, he could have a BRAND NEW 350 that in the long run is more economical and has more potential for upgrades. If it was a 57-61 210/Bel Air/Biscayne/Impala or a Vette that I was trying to restore and keep numbers matching, i'd say go for it. However, it is not. Cost wise and for the use he wants out of it, the 350 is a much better choice.
I kinda figured you were a machinist. I spent about 4 grand to build a 283 for my 40 truck. It's a period thing. A late model wouldn't do. I put a zz4 in my 72. It was great out of the box. I can't imagine the potential if I hop it up. I guess it has to do with what you are after.
My 57' Pontiac with a L03 305 and Th700R4, with 3.36 rear gear, gets about 25mpg on the highway with a 600cfm holley 1850 and is quick enough. There is nothing special about the motor except it has a good flowing dual exhaust. Even still has a points ignition. I have gotten a high of 28mpg on the highway with a different carb that had some serious issues and was running very lean.
My 50 has a 283 small cam with a 650 Edelbrock, 350 turbo with a B&M shift kit with a Nova rear end out back that has 2.52 gear. I get about 26-29 mpg. Cruise down the highway at 70 with the A/C on just kicked back in the seat listening to Johhny Cash!
okay, im going to rebuild the 283 myself. The tranny is a different story. i have not seen one in the classified for sale. As mentioned, a 350 turbo will bolt rt in any particular year?. what is involved in a 700r4 install?
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