Thread: 283 v8 build good idea?

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Ok, the deal is my dad is thinking about building a motor starting with a 283 bored .125 to a 301. He built these motors back in his time during the early 60's and we want to know if a build like this would stand up to competition now a days. We are ganna go all out on this motor and possibly put around a 200 shot of nitrous on it. We are ganna put it into a stripped car and most likely run 4.11 gears. What do you guys think. Anyone ever built one of these motors? Think we could hit 12 second 1/4 times?

well, it's only '64-'65 motors that can go .125 over I belive, and they were never strong that way. putting a 200 shot of NOS thru it, would kill it quickly I'd think. that wasn't around in the 60's. how about a 283 with a 327 crank, get a 301 that way.

Start with a small-main 327, its already 4" bore.

MMMMM...no. Matt is right. Even most of the first '64 blocks couldn't handle it with out barrel shaping the cylinders and torsional flex on the block was murder. Heating under nos apps would make me shiver in fear of a cast iron shower. Is this a budget thing or wanna be different with a small cubed chebbie? Wanna be different? drop a 307/327 crank in it and take the gears down very deeply. It's gonna be a while before you can tune this thing to run respectibly. 12's are a big stretch to achieve. ("BIG")

Yeah we just wanted something different. He told me that they used to turn 9,000 and sometimes 10 with these motors. The car would be strictly for the track anyways.

Originally Posted by Seminole_Wind

Yeah we just wanted something different. He told me that they used to turn 9,000 and sometimes 10 with these motors. The car would be strictly for the track anyways.

Nothing wrong with running something different, as long as you have the check book to do it.....

I believe horsepower and torque per dollar as it relates to quarter mile performance, more cubes is better. No replacement for displacement. If you really want a pounder and want to be really different, then get one of Erik or Pat's big inch big blocks, same car with their setup will go in the 10's!!!!!!!!

Costs more to build a small cube, high RPM, low torque engine then to build a big cube, low RPM, hi torque engine. Scooter will tell you it ain't so, but most of the rest of us have allready learned this lesson.

A small cube engine will run fine, if the car is under 2,800 pounds and either has a 5 speed or a high stall (3000 and up) converter. As for the 4.11 gears, depends on the tires size but probably not deep enough for the amount of RPM you would have to twist this engine to get it in the 12's. Yes, now we'll hear about all the 3500 pound cars that run in the 12's with a 301, just won't hear about all the one's that DON'T!!!!

Might be better off to forget the nostalgia stuff and go with a stroker engine, 383 or bigger, get the car weight at or below 3,000 pounds. Get a good aftermarket stroker kit, aluminum heads with 180 CFM runners, determine your tire diameter and the RPM you want to be at at the finish line BEFORE selecting a gear ratio.

Low RPM big cube engines generally are a lot less maintenance and have increased longevity, too.... Kind of like the old Fram commercial, you can pay me now, or you can pay me later......

Ohh yeah and matt i never said anything about him putting nitrous on it in the 60's bub. Go to youtube and type in 283 drag theres a 283 with 250 shot of nitrous running 10.40.

Originally Posted by Seminole_Wind

Ohh yeah and matt i never said anything about him putting nitrous on it in the 60's bub. Go to youtube and type in 283 drag theres a 283 with 250 shot of nitrous running 10.40.

Deja Vu all over again. Check out gasserules's posts, he's been having this argument on here for years..... And yes, all those hydraulic cammed, stock valve train 301's turned 9500 RPM.......

When adding a 200 shot of nitrous, you must have some very stable cylinders on the bottom end, some block fill would help, but still not guarantee a lot of longevity. Might work, but IMO it's a gernade with the pin allready pulled half way out......

Originally Posted by Seminole_Wind

Ohh yeah and matt i never said anything about him putting nitrous on it in the 60's bub. Go to youtube and type in 283 drag theres a 283 with 250 shot of nitrous running 10.40.

I know that, N20 was not redially available for automotive use at that time, or common. but that is why your dad's .125 over 283's lived a stock bore, or probably even up to a .060 over 283, could run n20 fairly safely.

Originally Posted by Seminole_Wind

Ohh yeah and matt i never said anything about him putting nitrous on it in the 60's bub. Go to youtube and type in 283 drag theres a 283 with 250 shot of nitrous running 10.40.

Yes, as everyone on here has told you, you can do it. I didn't look at the 283 you refer to, but chances are it's running an aftermarket steel crank, aftermarket 4-bolt main caps, aftermarket rods and the block is filled to the top with 'crete, negating the water jackets. So, it's not able to be operated on the street. I further suspect that he has to pull the pan often to change out the bearings.

It's simply a matter of moving air through the motor. The more air you move, the more horsepower you make. For instance, a 400 small block spinning 6,000 r's will move an ideal 699 CFM using an efficiency figure of 100%. A 302 will have to be revved to 8,000 r's to move the same amount of air. A 350 would move the same amount of air at 6,900 r's.

As you buzz the smaller motor faster to move the same amount of air as a larger motor, the requirements change in respect to the camshaft, cylinder heads and static compression ratio, moving further and further away from streetability. Any cam you bolt into a motor will have an operating range of about 3,500 r's. In other words, it will make power from 1,000 to 4,500 or 2,000 to 5,500 or 3,000 to 6,500 or in the case of a 302, to make the same power as a 400, 4,500 to 8,000 r's. So, the motor will not pull the hat off your head at revs lower than 4,500. Doesn't sound much like a street motor does it? This is way past a hydraulics camshaft's capability, so a solid or roller mechanical cam will have to be used. Here's an example of the cam I might choose in such a motor.....
http://www.cranecams.com/?show=brows...tType=camshaft
Please read the characteristics of this cam in the upper right corner of the spec sheet. You'll need race gas to operate it at minimum 12.5:1 static compression ratio. And check out the valve lift. Do you think you'll be changing out valve springs often?

Now, with all that having been said, yes you can build a nice 302 that will rev to less than the example and be streetable. Just be aware that you can make more power for less money with a larger motor to start with.

It all comes down to knowing what you want. Hot rodding doesn't make any sense, anyway,we're all nuts. If you want a lil' screamer, then go ahead and build one. My previously-mentioned 283 had to be driven around town in first gear, with 4.11 rear, but I loved it! Young and foolish, maybe.Older now. (Still foolish.)

Seminole..."anything" can be done. We are asking questions to relay what we have experienced. Our interest in your success is at heart. That's why we ask good questions because it's very hard to read your mind as in what you and your Pop want to accomplish.

Back in the '60's I had a few .125 over SBC's and they weren't that happy. If you want a 301 why not get a standard bore small journal 327 and drop in a 283 crank or better yet find an early z28 crank.

if you're gonna build a 283 i would try and get a corvette fuel injection for it, use a stock 283 crank dont overbore it if you want it to last, leave it closer to stock bore, use all light weight heavy duty parts on the bottom, and build a valve train made for spinning HIGH rpms, thats the way 283s make power is revving like crazy, get some heads made for flowing right with the fuel injection, i've never messed with a classic vette injection system so i dont know how tuneable they are....next put a 5 speed behind the car, use a good heavy duty rearend with like a 4.56 gear, possibly a ford 9", get a 4link kit for your car so your rearend will hook up, use the best clutch money can buy, and dont forget to put brakes on the car cause you'll need um..... i'm sure you could pull under 12s with that setup.... its gonna cost you a lot though.... and probably cause a few headaches along the way since a high rpm 283 (which is what a 283 is best used for) has not so much torque, you're gonna need that rear gear to make up for the loss of torque, and a good launch