Thread: needing 283 advice

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hello i have a 1964 chevy truck and need advice from the 283 experts i want to rebuild my 283 to get more power but not dragstrip power but more than stock
heres what i have
283 truck motor stock heads with cast iron 2 barrel intake with factory 2 in exhaust manifolds and single yes single exhaust
im wanting to add a cast 4 barrel intake and use a small edelbrock 4 barrel and i want to keep my centerdump manifolds i am going to put true duel exhaust and 36 in smittys glass packs but the internal stuff i dont know much about such as cam selection switching to a truck 305 head or double hump heads valve size ? compression? flat tops or dommed i want it to run off pump gas and i dont want a lumpy sound must be hydraulic not solid i just want it to have a smooth idle and 300+horses if possible dont want to bore it out much but be responsive when i floor it ....
if anyone here has a really good combo that they tried and worked please lmk or email me @ oldno3fan@adelphia.net
i was told by a friend of mine there was some 283 pros here

Originally posted by oldno3fan
hello i have a 1964 chevy truck and need advice from the 283 experts i want to rebuild my 283 to get more power but not dragstrip power but more than stock
heres what i have
283 truck motor stock heads with cast iron 2 barrel intake with factory 2 in exhaust manifolds and single yes single exhaust
im wanting to add a cast 4 barrel intake and use a small edelbrock 4 barrel and i want to keep my centerdump manifolds i am going to put true duel exhaust and 36 in smittys glass packs but the internal stuff i dont know much about such as cam selection switching to a truck 305 head or double hump heads valve size ? compression? flat tops or dommed i want it to run off pump gas and i dont want a lumpy sound must be hydraulic not solid i just want it to have a smooth idle and 300+horses if possible dont want to bore it out much but be responsive when i floor it ....
if anyone here has a really good combo that they tried and worked please lmk or email me @ oldno3fan@adelphia.net
i was told by a friend of mine there was some 283 pros here

Here is another idea.Find a core 350 and build a 383 while your 283 stays in the truck, with a mild cam ,76 cc heads,aluminum 4-barrel intake 600 carb,H.E.I distributor.You can make an easy 325 h.p. and 350 foot lbs. of torque.To get a heavy truck moving the 383 would help out a lot.

that sounds like a good idea and all but its like a #s matching kinda deal good idea though thanks for reply

you need some big domes or a small chamber to get
any compression out of a 3" stroke
cam with a wide LSA 108-112 to keep the overlap down
will help make cylinder pressure too
a set of ARP rod bolts is good insurance for high revs

Originally posted by oldno3fan
that sounds like a good idea and all but its like a #s matching kinda deal good idea though thanks for reply

If you change to an Edelbrock intake or install 305 heads or the double hump heads it is no longer numbers matching.

"Numbers matching" only matters when its bone stock. Build a 350 or whatever and store the matching 283 for resale time.

I know a guy that has a 78 chevy and he thinks as long as he puts GM performance parts in it it is still factory stock. He has GM 2.02 heads and a GM performance cam. I tried to tell him it aint orignal any more. He doesn't want to hear it.

When I was in highschool a friend and I put a huge cam in a 283. it was like 500 lift and 290 duration. The thing was totaly stock otherwise. What a dog. We thought that we were cool. Turns out it went better with stock cam. It would not even idle below 1100 rpm's. Also had a stock power glide tranny with stock converter. What a chore to drive that thing. One thing I will say is that it would bounce the needle off bottom of a 8000 rpm tach.

geez were all the 283 folks did they all buy 383s or something

Originally posted by oldno3fan
geez were all the 283 folks did they all buy 383s or something

I am one of the middle aged guy's on the forum and the last 283 I built was in about 1985 or so.The reason everyone builds the 383 is you can find an old 350 block just about everywhere and the aftermarket cranks can be bought new for less than $200 if you look in the right place.

Great looking truck! I wish it was in my driveway. I was a teenager from 1956 to 1961, so I have a certain fondness for 3 inch stroke motors. It sounds like you want to keep your truck basically stock but have a little bit more power. I'm going to assume that the motor is in good shape, not burning oil, good compression and leak down, has a standard (3spd) transmission and stock rearend. Here's what I would do, can't express enough that this is my opinion. I would put it in my shop pull the exhaust and intake manifolds off, put on a cast iron Chevy 4 bl maniford, and a 500 cfm carb. Then I would use Corvette cast iron center dump, 2 1/2 inch exhaust manifolds and build a complete new exhaust system with a crossover ( H pipe ). Then I would just drive it for a couple months and see what I think. You might be surprised. If the motor was really tired and I had to do a complete new rebuild, (let me say here that most normal people probably wouldn't rebuild a 283, unless their going for factory stock), I would probably put in a " little " bit bigger cam ( below 224 deg duration at .050) and maybe a good set of Chev 1.94/1.50 heads and just have fun with it. One other thing, I'd put a HEI ignition on it. Both of my projects ( 32 Ford coupe and 57 Chev p/u ) are going to have 3 inch stroke sbc's. I'm building the motor for the p/u now. 350 4blt block, DZ crank, pre-64 Corvette solid lifter cam (097) , ported 461 heads, M21 transmission, and a quickchange rearend with ladderbars. In my opinion if you really want to run a 283/302 Chevs HARD, you need 4spd transmissions and some rearend gears 4:11, 4:56. These are just fun cars for me so I'm not real concerned about gas mileage, although the quickchange kinda helps.

I'm by no means an expert on any type of engine...however, when it comes to talking about numbers matching and stuff like that...

First you have to decide if you want to hotrod it or if you just want a good solid truck.

Hotrod = pull that 283 out, wrap it in plastic and tuck it away in a corner. Then drop a 350 or a 383 in there and go tear up the street.

Solid Truck = pull that 283 out, rebuild it. Bore it just enough to make the cylinders clean again. By a good piston, use the stock rod. Take your heads to a machine shop and have them cleaned and rebuilt. Use just a pinch hotter of cam. Rethink your whole exhaust system. (maybe some headers)

Either way you should convert to HEI, redo the exhaust, and have the whole thing cleaned up.

Now, the numbers that the 283 puts out after the head work, exhaust work, rebuild, cam change, ect. won't be much different from stock. But you'll be able to notice a big change. Especially if it has been a long while since that motor has been rebuilt. IF YOU DECIDE TO CHANGE ANYTHING ON THE MOTOR TO AFTER MARKET, WRAP THE ORIGINAL PART IN PLASTIC. I cannot stress this enough. The original parts aren't replaceable.

im a 283 person just ask me anything