my dad has an old 283 out back he has considered using for the 31 a. is this an ok engine or would it be better to start with a 305 or 350 block?? although there is a little voice that keeps telling me to keep the flat four in it with a cam,distributor, and custom carb setup, mated to a more modern trans, drive shaft and rear end?? your thoughts please
The 283 is a great little V8 but if it is power you want cubic inches is what you need and you can go all the way stock to 400 CID in the same space. The hopped up banger would be sweet but again the cost of building hot T, A, B and V8 flathead Fords (and other old engines too) is way over the cost of a really rapido small block Chevy V8 or small block Ford OHV V8. So, the answer is, decide what you want and go for it! All the choices will make you happy.
What year is the block? Does it have side mounts? Check the casting number at the rear if it's a 3731548 it's a '57 and a desirable early smallblock. I have a '57 in my Roadster and it's a great little engine. If you decide not to use it there's probably someone here that would like to have it. The FOGGER
Any early 283, front or sidemounts, is a desireable Chevy small block. All have forged steel cranks and can be punched to 292 or for the truly ambitious and daring 301(2).
yes, the 283 is a great motor...i have on in my `36 and rebuilding one right now for my next project. however, not all 283's had forged crankshafts and some were cast. cast or forged won't matter on a street motor
I am a fan of the 283.. i have a couple.. but.. i am a fan of ford in a ford and chevy in a chevy etc etc. There are a billion A's with a generic smallblock.. do something cool.. go against the grain..
I am putting a 61 or 62 small block 283 in my 32 chevy 5 window its punched 40 over which makes it a 289 but when its complete she's gonna be a screamer.Egge has alot of parts for them to turn them into an early hi performance 283 like they used in the vets.They have the domed pistons and all which is what i am gonna build mine into.
I had a '62 vintage 283 in my old '30 A full fendered coupe. It was bored to 292, ran 3 Rochesters and was backed by a 4 speed stick and 10 bolt posi. It was not a torque monster but it ran very well, sounded awesome, and would give any 5.0 Mustang a run for it's money! 350's are a dime a dozen, go with the 283 for the "cool of it".
good timing here, ive got a chance to pick up a 283, bored 60 over. does that make it a 292, or 301? he says 301, but the math dont add up also, will that have a tendency to run hot, like a 350 bored 60 over? just need to check before i pull the trigger
283's are great engines. Much better than a 305, or a 350, in my opinion. 1959 - 1961 blocks have thicker cylinder walls, so they can generally be bored .120 to get 301 cubic inches. These years also have the neoprene rear main seal, instead of the earlier rope seal. Most of these years also have a steel crank, too.
i wanna say its supposed to be a 67 block, with a "anti-twist steel crank". not sure what he mean by that
If it were mine the four would be tinkered on and left in. But it just depends on your pocket book and skills to determine which one to use.
I had a 283 in my first running model a. Good little motor till it gave up the ghost, too much blow by. I would definatly run one again! I've always wanted to build a 301 outa one, heard a lot of neat stuff about them.
Interesting, when I ordered the new rings for my 292-283 the size listed in the catalog and what I got was an odd .060+.030 listed that way for a bore .090 over. I'll have to check my references to see what a .040 over really is and .060, but I know .060+.030 is a 292.
ok, 3.875 x 3.00 is stock 283. +.060 is 3.935 +.090 is 3.965 +.125 is 4.00 a 68 302 is 4 x 3 so 60 over is a 292 and 125 over is a 301/302, correct? or is my math wrong? i dont have the actual equation to work it out, im going by whats been said and sense... also, is a 67 283 a decent block, or were they down on quality by the last year? sorry to hijack yer thread, if it helps my opinion is to build the 283
YEP! 283s are good engines, tough & easy on fuel. i just put a nice complete 65 w/4 barrel away for future use.
awesome we got the flattie running again today so i think we will play around with it for a while and see how it works out! but good info and thanks for the imput on the 283 i thought it wouldn't be worth much i do however like how the piont was made about how 305's and 350's are a dime a dozen nothing against them at all i just love to pull up and people be like what the ffffffffff!!
283 all the way! I'm puttin' the 283 out of my 61 Impala in my 29 Roadster right now. Putting on some 305 heads with a casting number of 416 or 601 and a cheap cam will do the 283 some good. Don't get me wrong, the flaty is cool but you can't beat the sound and power of a V8 in a light hot rod!!
so me and my dad started to dig into the 283 and found that it needs A LOT!!! pulled the plugs and water came out of a couple of them there were birds/mice nest in the intake valley rust in lots of places and its locked up so i guess its going to be going to the machine shop getting hot tanked, bored, line bored, balanced, micro-polished, new pistons, and all new bearings arp stud kit hopefully roller rockers and a cam, as for the heads we will probably look for some 305'S or my dad said something about 327 heads or something?? already have a four barrel carb and intake which im going to blast and powder coat along with loads of other stuff!! opinions please on cam lift and diration we want a large lobe/lope?? sounds like its gunna die!! and what ratio rockers to go with the cam. anyways i got the number off the block and it is GM 3914638 he said he thinks it came from a 67 chevelle, thanks
283's are already scarce (a bit) and they are becoming more desirable as gas prices go up. They are a good combo for fuel as far as V8's go. 305 heads are good way to play the power game as they fit the bore and allow lots of options in compression. If you are going to run FI with computer control, you'll need a moderate cam. Heck, if you want mileage you need a moderate cam. The old GM 929 cam is nice for many applications including FI. If you have a stick and carbs, the 151 cam will still idle all day and pull pretty strong
Stick with the 283. I am in the process of going through a 283 to put in my '40 pickup. They are great engines with plenty of power for a light weight rod.
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