Picking your brains for a 283 rebuild

Just got a running 283 (mid 60's vintage) with a 2 barrel carb for $200. It's set up for a manual trans and has camel hump heads.Sorry, I don't have any casting #'s yet as The guy is still pulling it from his car. It's obvious that it will need to be rebuilt eventually. What are some great, AFFORDABLE combinations of parts for a mild street motor. Keep in mind, all the power is going to a banjo rear end with 4:11 ratio, so nothing radical. I'd like to go some what stock with the emphasis on good machining and ***embly, and just enough cam to support a 3x2 set up.

Thanks

 

Devin,
When I rebuilt my 283, I put remanned 610 53 CC heads on it, new bearings, had the crank polished, new flat top pistons (like 12$ each), new rings, got a summit 1102 cam, 283s don't like big cams because they are small, Or I should say a small cam for a 350 acts like a bigger cam in a 283.

Then all the basic stuff like the oil and water pumps. Just a basic build.

I haven't run it yet, but with those small 305 heads it ought to be fun.

 

Mine is .030 over and otherwise, internally, basically stock - 'cept for the Lunatti Duntov cam. Up top I'm running an Edelbrock C4B intake and Edelbrock 600 cfm carb.

This is all in front of a '39 trans and '40 rear with 3.78 gears.

It's a f'in screamer in my RPU. I love it.

JH

 

Cheap, real good combo...build one and it was one of the best cheapest motors ever. Here was my combo...best of all, nearly all of it was given to me as junk.

1 64' 283 block from a boat (bored it 60 over to clean it up...I think the boat had sunk once or twice)
1 327 small journal crack (it was 20/20 or something like that)
1 pair of 601 casting 305 HO cylinder heads.
8 64' 283 rods with new rod bolts
8 307 pistons in 60 thou over (ebay! $30 for the entire set!)
1 Northern auto parts ring and bearing kit
1 204/214 mellings camshaft and lifters
1 early 60's 327 intake for holley carbs
1 edelbrock 600

I ported teh heads and put it together....I had next to nothing in it and it ran great.

 

Several years ago I had the stock 283 from my '67 Nova rebuilt - it got .060 o'bore and crank clean-up, and hardened valve-seats but all the parts that went in it were basic TRW "OEM replacement" stuff (I think the "basic OEM" TRW cam is a power-pack equivalent...). The increase in compression from o'bore made it a little sensitive to timing with no-lead gas but it has been a strong runner in the 3000-pound Nova! After running the stock 2bbl and cast iron intake for 30,000 more miles I put on a Edelbrock performer and 600CFM Performer carb - it now really "hops" even with the stock PG and 3.08 gear! Your hot-rod will not need anything "radical" to go like crazy with a healthy 283 (or 292 in my case!).

 

thanks

 

283 is a relative short stroke motor for small block chevy's. The timing for cam events is pretty critical as it's real easy to get too much cam. 204/212 with 112* LSA is about all you can get away with with stock automatic and converter (used 6 cyl converter will get you a bit more). Stick shift, you can use a bit more. Lift is determined by what the heads and springs will allow plus piston interference. If you want to use late model heads with accessory holes for easy front mounting, try the 305 heads.

Original Power Pak heads had 1.72 / 1.50 valves and will need hard seats. Later model 305 heads have induction hardened seats, but the iron is thinner (casting) so you have to be more careful with the grinder or cutters. 601 heads have 53cc chambers and 416 heads have 57 cc chambers. They both have 1.84 / 1.50 valves which fit 283 bores fine and they both flow about the same. Being careful to do a good job bowl blending and working the exhaust port will get you significant better flow numbers and they will support a nasty little 283.

Stock crank, shot peened rods and ARP bolts will get you 6,500 plus safely.

You'll need headers to pull hard with a bigger cam. Rams horn cast exhaust manifolds work and so do 305 Van & truck OEM welded ones for a mild street motor. A small early style 'Vette cam will work fine for the street. Try to keep the intake runners similar to the heads. You have a smaller air pump, so big runners will do you no good. 600 CFM carb will be fine.

These are fun motors

 

Man you said it all right there,,I've built a few like that and truer words could not be spoken.