Thread: !964 Chevelle 283

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Hello i have a 1964 Chevelle 4 door with a original 230 i've built to a full roller and it will roast the tires with the 3 on the tree no problem. But i've wanted to put a 283 i bought a while ago in it and it is not the first SBC i've built but the first 283. I want this thing to run like a raped ape. I'm just lookin for some help on anyone that has built a 283 on which cam, heads, intake and carb combo will give me what i'm looking for?

Dave-there are enough old school guys on here to help out.

I dont have your answer but the guys will want to know what year 283 you have and is it a stock engine.

There are a group of guys who are going to say why a 283??.Why not a 350??.I just have fond memories of my 55 with a 283 I swapped into a 6 cylinder car that had three on the floor shifter and the good 6 cylinder rear end gear ratio.I was 17 teen and wiry young hot rodder.Yeah why not a 283 guys??.Better yet a stroker 301 with a solid lifter roller cam and double hump 202 heads??.Buzz her up to the moon.

Hot Rodder 101!!.

Originally Posted by 1gary

Buzz her up to the moon.

I think you'll change your mind when you find out how many sheckels it will cost for the valvetrain.

Yeah Richard I had one many many moons ago in a 57.Ran C/MP with M/T rods,JE pistons, Mondelo Heads, Isky cam and kit,tunnel dual quad ram.Today's pricing I don't have a clue how much for a 283.

David,
I'm not one of the "engine guys" here, but the question you'll always be answering is, "Why did you put your money into a 283?" The mouse motor was the rage in the late 50's, but that's been more than 50 years!! People quit making parts specific to the 283 long, long ago. You'll spend a ton more money to get less horsepower and torque than you will if you scrap the 283 and start over with a good 350 block. Even better would be to jump to the LS series engine, which gives even more power to weight/size and is becoming the "standard" small block since it's been around more than ten years and is readily available. IMO you're heading down a rugged path that's going to be disappointing in the end, but then I'm not an "engine guru".

LS is now 15 years old--will be old enough to drive this fall----------

as for the 283----with todays parts, you can build a 283(or about any size) sbc with very lite pistons/rods, small bearings,etc and with the heads/valve trains(jesel type shaft rockers) lite wt roller lifters, etc you can build a lot of hp that is very streetable---just don't put it in a four wheel drive suburban!!!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

LS is now 15 years old--will be old enough to drive this fall----------
as for the 283----with todays parts, you can build a 283(or about any size) sbc with very lite pistons/rods, small bearings,etc and with the heads/valve trains(jesel type shaft rockers) lite wt roller lifters, etc you can build a lot of hp that is very streetable---just don't put it in a four wheel drive suburban!!!!!!!!!!

David,
Jerry is one of the "engine guys" around here.

So Jerry,
Just to clarify, how many 283's have you built in the past twenty years?

I gotta go with the majority of the comments here. The only way to make the screaming power you’re after with a 283 is to build one that lives in the 6-8,000RPM range. It’s been a long time since I’ve built a 283 (as I’ll bet it has been for Jerry as well!) - did a few of them in the ‘60’s and early ‘70’s as they were still plentiful and common in a lot of Chevys. When the 350 came out in 1967, everything changed. It was a better engine for a lot of reasons (and the newer heads had great advantages in flow and oh-by-the-way, accessory holes!). Of the 283’s that I did build, I had problems with the high RPM as most people would inevitably miss a shift sooner or later and the valve springs we used were just not adequate so there was a lot of damaged engines as the valve train was the weak link.

The modern components are certainly available to “do it right” and build a screaming 283 – but why? If its nostalgia, build a 350, paint everything Chevy orange, slap stock valve covers and decals on it with a set of reproduction ram’s horn manifolds and enjoy an engine that will start every time, run strong and outperform the 283 for a whole lot less money!

My two cents,
Glenn

i built 1 1/2 in the last 2years . one roller build. the other all machine work done and no customer ? first one was a number deal for a 59 wooden runabout. Chirs the other was a 59 chevy . parts are not more$$ there all the same for a 350 other then pistons ring bearings . less very old then it takes the 265to 283 early oil pump. and cam need s a flat cut in it or groove . last four years i machined parts for them so one a year . the last build pistons were hard to find. thats when speedpro was building them in INDA and was a backer order .i went to a KB less then two weeks . the 283 could be build to run good with the small chamber vortech may work good on it ? roller engine could be built for the same as a 350 or a small amount more$$ abit more would be pistons

Lets see--in the last 20 years--probably 35-50 of them---the only thing hurting 283 over the 327/350 block is the smaller bore limits valve sizes---however, the smaller main size helps on the crank as the higher horse power engines are now using even smaller bearing sizes---
Rev limits as for missed shifts????????you ain't gonna fix that issue by not using a 283!!! valve springs,etc, light valves, shaft roller rckers, rev kits---same price on all sbc
and as for numbers matching deals----------you ain't a goin to use a 350----------

But on the other hand---just this morning delivered a 4 inch stroke Dart SHP to a guy with a 1957 chev------

i have a 59 block . new pistons on rods .rods with arp bolts. resize. block fresh bore .balanced fresh crank . bearings. and rings.

It is from a 1964 and yes it is all original and the reason i want it is because i want a period correct engine for my car and i want something not many people use anymore. And a big bonus for me is becasue it came original out of a 1964 Chevelle as well. I do not want a 350 because of the fact is EVERYONE has one and i don't want a BB because i will have to change everything it the damn thing other than just a few connections throttle linkage and engine mounts.

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

Rev limits as for missed shifts????????you ain't gonna fix that issue by not using a 283!!! valve springs,etc, light valves, shaft roller rckers, rev kits---same price on all sbc

Apologize if I over generalized Jerry - We're on the same page. People many times used stock or shimmed springs and stock 1:5 rockers in the '60's to try and save a few bucks (against my better judgement even then!) and rev limiters were for "serious racers" and many of my friends were enlisted men living payday-to-payday.

I do believe that the modern heads and their associated valve train components are superior and a bit more forgiving.

Regards All,
Glenn