Hi All, I was wondering if those in the know could school me on the 283. ive never owned a SBC before and need to know what the best performance packages, manual trannies (easy to mate up to a '39 box?) etc would be to use with one. I'm looking for reliable, and relativly ecconomic power. nothing too extreme. Danny
Man I ain't trying to dog ya but...you'll blow that 39 trans all over the road if ya build very much power at all. Just a thought......
[ QUOTE ] Man I ain't trying to dog ya but...you'll blow that 39 trans all over the road if ya build very much power at all. Just a thought...... [/ QUOTE ] ahahah i thought at much. i wouldnt mind running a 4 or 5spd trans as i do alot of highway driving. excuse my ignorance
Man, all I would do is buy a small cam with a short duration...look into the spec cams for the early Vettes etc. I know Crane and Competition have them. Don't overcam it...wee blocks die with a lot of duration. Go with a dual plane Edelbrock Performer/air gap intake with a 650 cfm carb. Sounds simple but it will have a good lope because a small cam in a 350 is a thumper in a 283. If you get lucky and find a set of later heads...that will help as well. The powerpack heads are what most 283's had but they have really small valves and combustion chambers. Look for casting numbers like 461,461X,462 etc. They are the old tried and true "double hump" heads and work great with samll cubic inches. Hope this helps. Root
Here's the combo i'm running: Ported 462 heads (thanks FeO2) Ram's horn manifolds Isky Z-25 cam 3x2 intake with Stromberg 48s I haven't run it yet, but Desktop Dyno likes it to the tune of 310hp/310ft-lbs.
I have a 283 in my 40 Ford standard coupe. It has a Wilcap adapter (Chevrolet V8 to early Ford transmission). 55 - 57 Chevrolet starter .......3 bolts....go to the adapter (bell housing), a 168 tooth V8 Chevrolet flywheel and a 50 Mercury clutch pressure plate, stock 40 Ford clutch disc. The 283 is bored .060 over (292 cubic inches), has a Duntov 097 factory solid lifter camshaft, Weiand aluminum intake and a 500 cfm Edelbrock carb. The engine is balanced. Photo of the 55 -57 Chevrolet V8 starter.... Runs good and gives no problems But I do drive it like I have a little common sense. I drive it on 500 mile 1 way trips regularly. Go for IT !!
Deuce thats a real nice package you put togeather there. And BTW hows the body coming? Hope everything is going smoothly.
It's only anecdotal evidence, but I was talking to someone a while back who blew less '39 transmissions after they installed a 283 than when they had a flatty. His theory was that the 283 had less torque, so didn't put as much strain on the trans.
There's all sorts of tricks to get lotsa power out of the 283. A 327 crank makes a 302, and some of the castings can be bored .090 or .125. A friend used to run a Crane Fireball cam with a 57 Vette dual quad intake and headers. That thing screamed!!!!
[ QUOTE ] A 327 crank makes a 302 [/ QUOTE ] A 327 crank (3.25" stroke) in a 283 block (3.875" bore) makes a 307. A 327 block (4" bore) with a 283 crank (3" stroke) makes a 302. ----- Bart -----
So here is the ball breaker - is it worth it...im looking for a nostalgic but cheep motor to put together. is a 283 as good as any SBC when it comes to this?
the 283 is the best engine every made...at least by chevrolet. it will cost you more to rebuild than a 350,but it will be a smoother and cooler running....i'm putting one in the `36 ford i'm building for myself.
The only thing that will cost you more is the pistons. The rest is pretty much the same. I would build it. If you are wanting a driver that gets pretty good gas mileage. I thought about building one with the new Vortec heads just to see if I could get it up to 22 mpg. Worth a try.
Be careful on the overbore. The 61 and earlier blocks can safely be overbored an eighth(.125). But the later ones came with thinner walls and probably wont handle more than .060. I second whoever said it was the best engine chevy ever built. Put it together right and it will run forever.
To All, Thanks heaps for all of your advice. I'll look forward to building one of these i hope...better hit the swap meets. Danny
The adapter.......Chevrolet V8 to the early Ford transmission. The pressure plate and clutch disc. http://www.wilcap.com/webdoc8.htm#A307 Wilcap adapter site........
[ QUOTE ] Deuce thats a real nice package you put togeather there. And BTW hows the body coming? Hope everything is going smoothly. [/ QUOTE ] The 40 is on the mend. Hopefully back together in 3 weeks.
I LOVE my stock '64-283, she's tired and needs a rebuild (bad valves) but never uses a drop of oil, nor has it ever not started. I drove the car (64 impala wagon) over 1500 mi last week from Los Angles to vancouver and it was HOT the whole way, she didn't miss a beat. This is the second time in a year that old 283 took me to Los Angles and back. If you must own a SBC best make it a 283... You can always get a good 283 core around here for $100. I'll send you one?
I really like how the 283 in my roadster performs, now that it has been dialed in on a dyno. Specs are: '57 Vette 283, Small valve Double hump heads,VS 57 mcCulloch Blower, Comp Cams Blower grind cam, Roller tip rockers, Factory cast iron Dual point( recurved ), Early Edelbrock Intake, 600 Holey Double pump carb, Aluminum Flywheel, Cast aluminum*****ter shield ( With the mounts to fit a 57 car ), IROC/Z T5*******. The thing is a real animal, revs like crazy, with lots of torque. But somehow I still bend my throttle pedal by standing on it.....
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