Technical Just how big can a 56 Chevy 265 be taken to

Been thinking if I were ever to put a V8 in my 37 Chevy p/u I could try to come up with a 56 265 and make it look like the factory 2 4 bbl version on the outside but be a little bigger on the inside. Can those older blocks take a modern stroker kit or at least 327 internals,I know it would be easier to use later block but I want it all 1956 on the outside and I know it probably wont be cheap.

 

It depends on the block and how big you want to go. If the block checks out to not have significant core shift it will bore + 0.125" and you use the standard size 283 piston. If you are thinking stroke increase, yes it will get expensive and probably hard to get the parts. And probably not practical, but I understand the getting what you want part.

 

Be a lot easier with an early 350 block.

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/plain-ole-black-white-265-chevy-re-build.1009014/

 

>>I could try to come up with a 56 265 and make it look like the factory 2 4 bbl version on the outside but be a little bigger on the inside. >>

If it was mine, I'd leave it a 265 and only try to do things to make it seem a little bigger on the inside.

 

Friend of mine did kinda similar. Had a 350 in a mid 60s vette. Didn’t like the “look”
built a stroker SJ 327 dressed appropriately

I got the old 350.

it was a win win

 

According to the thread I posted, 56sedandelivery says the 327 crank needs a lot of counterweight work to fit.
I’m no expert but that guy knee a lot of stuff about early SBCs

 

Use a 400 block and machine off the side motor mount bosses. If you can find it, there are some with only 2 side core holes, albeit a little bit rare. With some effort, it can be made to look pretty close to the old blocks. If anyone looks closely they’ll notice that it has a spin on filter. No problem, just tell them you updated it to get away from the fussy o ring of the original canister filter setup.

Heads and intake, you’re on your own there. Maybe start with an aftermarket aluminum double hump casting and modify it to look like the power pack heads. And weld a boss to move the valve cover bolts to match the 55-58 staggered valve cover bolt pattern. Paint it Chevrolet orange and you’ve got a stealth 400 that mimics the 265. Get really crazy and put a 4 inch striker in it and 30 over bore, and you have a 433 thumper!

Hey, I love spending other guys money…

 

Could it be bored out and larger sleeves put in? Then you might be able to make a larger displacement and still have the 56 look while increasing displacement sufficiently to get some bang for your buck.

https://enginetechcatalog.com/Home/...OLET - TRUCK, VAN, SUV&EnginePartNo=GM327T-CH

 

Keep in mind guy’s. 265’s, either 55 or 56 has early oiling system design within the block. Not till 57 did the lifter galleys get full time oil pressure.

 

Or a 57 283 block. The block will probably need clearancing
Toss in the 327 crank for a 307 plus the overbore?

 

Did not know about the oiling so a 57 283 would work,what I was thinking is the early look with the early externals but with some added stroke to add some more low end torque as it would not be required to be a high reving engine as it would have street gears around 3.24. If that can not be done a 324 Olds or Buick nailhead could be used instead.

 

This is the practical limit - stock 283/307 bore so off the shelf std bore pistons - worked on a project like this with a buddy in the 90s - wanted a "cheater" '55 power pack - even ported the stock exhaust manifolds

 

This is why I suggested very early 350. If you didn’t notice they have provision for the road draft tube. Most have never been bored for the tube and canister. Just shave the side mounts off.

 

People have bored and stroked 265s and 283s to 350 ci

 

And further. There’s an old article floating around the HAMB on it.

 

I have a 1959 hrm where they did a 400 ci from a 57 283

 

Unfortunately the 1959 crank they used isn't era correct according to the hamb lol

 

I think the 56 265 block in my daily driver deuce pickup is 125 over. What ever it is the combination works great. The manual O P gauge shows 40 lbs. at 75 and stays there. Truck will cruise 75 + all day long. Be tough to replace if it died.

 

Personally I'd start with a bit later 283 rather than the 265. That might make finding internal parts a bit easier. A 283 with a,327 crank comes out as a 307 though

Side note back in the mid 80s my son and I put a 307 together on a budget with power pack heads, a mid 80's Z28 cam from a swapmeet, 300 hp 327 intake and Holley spreadbore. He had it in a 70C10 with an S365 and 3.70 posi and it ripped out of the hole and pulled 16 mpg on a road trip to Texas. A combo like that would be fairly simple to come up with.

Still it also depends on what the budget is. Internal parts for a 350 are going to cost a lot less and be easier to get than 265 or 283 parts. You can still run early heads and intake and accessories. If they are bent over looking at the vibration dampened to have something g to give you a ration of shit about put a boot in their ass. Or spend 50% more on parts to impress them.

 

IIRC the '67 Camaro 350 was the only one drilled. Maybe service replacement blocks too?

 

I’d rock a 307 all day long

 

Don't you mean a 307 stroker?

 

That too

 

My 283 cost more than the 350 we built.

I’m fine with that.
Machine work was the same.
The SJ bearings and the pistons cost a little more.
No big deal.

 

A 307 ( stroked 283) with 10-1 compression and 194 fuely heads like the 462's with 1.94 valve and a identical 327" with 10-1 compression with the same heads will be with in about 10 HP of each other or less .
The notion that 11 CI decrease in a street engine running the same everything is going to be some big loss is not really valid .


I have a 60 over 3o7 with TRW forged flat top pistons, 262 heads that were decked a lot with some port work and a medium sized cam and it runs just fine revs well as a 327 with the identical stroke . its about 316" as I recall . I ran 13.02 quarter with it on 4.11 gears about 30 years ago with 3200 stall on a tubo 400 .

IF and thats IF you can go to a 3.875" bore of a 283 and IF you get a Small 327 small journal crank to fit and balance and then IF you can find a piston that will zero deck inthe 10-1 you may need a smaller than 64 cc head to do 10-1 or a set of 307 pop up pistons to get to about 10-1 with a 64 CC head the engine will make about 375 HP or more with the right cam and rev just like a 327.
the smaller bore shrouds the intake valve pretty bad on a 2.02 intake and guys used to notch the top of the cylinder.

I also think there is a way to run the 283 piston with a 327 crank and a 400 shorter rod and be about .030 in the hole. you could deck the block to get closer . Then a used set of 283 pistons could be ran on a used set of 400 rods ( with bearing spacers if there is a SJ to 400 rod spacer avalable ??) OR you could turn a 3o7 crank down to run SJ mains IF IF IF it will all fit on that 265. Then IF you pull it off 10% of real HAMB type guys will notice its a early no side mount block and of those 1% will really care .5% will care that its got some stoke and big bore going on inside . But if its worth it you then Id first see what you can bore to by having it sonic tested and then Id personally look to see if a 327 or even a 350 stroke crank would fit . If you can swing it then custom pistons would solve about any problem as far as good compression . Id want at least a 1.94 valve . there are after market smaller than 64 cc heards with under 2.02 valves but there not going to look right . I THINK the power pack combustion chambers are smaller so you could do bigger valves and porting to make them almost as good as a 462 type head that will also scream post 1956 .

In about 1981 we built back up short block that we ended up using for a stock car it was a .060" 307 with TRW flat top pistons ( trw ) that we ended up bolted a set of angle cut over the counter bowtie heads on to that were ported by Berzinsky ( spelling) that had 2.02 valves so it made about 11-1 compression or less we had a Breznskie reworked factory cast iron intake that had been cut apart ported and reweld and angle cut to fit the heads with a Holley 2bbl carb that was legal in the street stock class from Bowlaws and a custom ground cam I do not know the specs on but it was a big hydraulic grind the engine made 402 HP peak at 6800 RPM and ran up to 7,300 RPM and was visually legal in the street stock class that had a 360 CI limit .
I know all this because I have the short block in my 57 vette after the heads and cam were removed for a new 360"
The same exact angle cut heads on a 350 that was .030 over with 2 eye brow pistons so it was about 12-1 due to the bore increase made 410 HP with the same intake and carb but did it at a lower RPM . This was with the same cam as well.
that 350 with a scorpion intake and a 850 carb made 498 HP after we sold it with the bow tie heads that were angle cut .

Point is if you build a 307 it will run very well with the right parts but be mind full the smaller bore is harder to get say 10-1 out of with normal heads .
I have seen a bunch of 307 making 350 Hp with street able cams back in the day I built a bunch of them because the blocks were free and I had access to a boring bar and you could get forged TRW pistons at the time pretty cheap as well as pop up domes.
I was doing a short blocks back then on Nothern's $199 rebuild kits wiht a $30 cam up grade for like $400 and then selling of the cast 350 pistons for about $45 .
used to be $60 to grind a crank that I could not due .

Id wager a 10.5 to 1 .060" over 307 with a Comp Cams hyd roller Thumper cam and set of the cheap $1300 or so AFR China casting heads ( or similar ) and a Edelbrock performer type intake and a 750 carb would make right 400 HP or more at about 6900 RPM. The only question mark would be the 2.02 heads on the under 4 bore .
I base this guess on what a same stroke 4.030 bore 327 makes that is 20 CI or so smaller that routinely make 420 or more with the same combo . Engine masters had a couple episodes on a very similar engine in fact that were getting about 42o HP or so on a 9.5 to one engine .

 

Its shame there is not a cheap off the shelf cast .060 pop up piston that gives about
10.5-1 with a 64 cc head and .040" thick gasket for the 307 with a .060 over bore

I have a couple 283 laying around that I could put those pistons in with a 327 crank for a really cheap 375- 400 HP engine with 462 heads that people almost give away these days.

I have been contemplating angle milling a set of my 462 heads or my 307 I hate to have to cut the intake to fit however . these run good at 10.5 to one not so good at 8.5 to one .

That all said a 350 chevy or 383 is cheaper and easier and looks 99% the same to most .

 

Yeah, the problem there is you'll always be looking over your shoulder, those Camaro guys will hunt you down and give you a verbal flogging.

 

Scary looking block in that article.

 

that crankcase must weigh about 60 lbs.!!