Thread: 283 or 327 c.i.d

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I just bought a 283 project engine.
Somebody said it's from 60's Corvette.
Maybe? (Look the picture!)

The block number is:
GM 384 9852
Cylinder head number is:
388 4520

Is there a good web page where I could get more info about the engine?

Jani

Hi Jani.
Try www.mortec.com they have a lot of information on chevy engine IDs
AL

There should be a number stamped on the pad on the front side passengers side of the block deck (it would be just foward of where the cyl head would end. If you can provide that number, I may be able to decifer what the engines original application is. I'll see if I can find the block casting number when I go out to the shop, but all that will give me is displacement and year.

Jani.
Early Corvette engines were painted blue instead of Chevy orange. Your block doesn't have any traces of orange paint so it might be from a Corvette. I don't know if the Vette engine had bigger valves or a different cam or if it was the same as a regular car engine. I thuoght they all came with the aluminum valve covers that said Corvette on them. Maybe Mike P knows more about that than I do.
AL

So far, with the info I have (i.e. casting numbers and what I can tell from the pictures) it is a 283 with "power pack" heads. To tell any more I need the number stamped on the deck (these should break back to the application, HP, trans type etc). Hopefully the block has not been decked, as the milling process will have taken off the numbers.

MikeP wrote:
Hopefully rhe block has not been decked, as the millimg prosses will take off the numbers.


Hi
That's good advice Mike! Thank's! I had a 010 block that has factory nodular 4 bolt main caps. Needless not say, I had it bored and the machinist took .010 off the deck. Dummie me didn't write down the numders that are on the front passender side of the block, dang-me. I do know it was cast in 69. I aslo have a 4 bolt 454 block that I bought from my machinist. Same story, he decked it before I ever saw it, bummer.

Also *Salute* too the Al Show
Mortec is a great site, the links are good also! I've used Mortec for a few years now and find it's info valuable.

Respectfully
Monte

Hey Monte,
A few drops of sulfuric acid where the numbers were milled off should make the numbers readable. The metal was compressed and deformed by the stamp and the acid should show what was there. The cops used this method to identify stolen cars that had the numbers changed. I never tried it myself though I saw it on a tv show.
AL

Because of the time zones, i'm in the future and I have to wait for your reply to the next day every time.
I will try to check the stamped number from the block Mike!
Thanks for the web link Al.

Information so far:
The block is 283 c.i.d, 1957-66
The casting date is A286 (28.Jan.19?6)
The heads are 283 or 327c.i.d, 1960-67
The color of the engine is blue and it has a short water pump and a long oil pan.

Does this all mean that the engine is a:
283 V8 from a 1966 Corvette?

Jani

At this point it is not really possible to say. There is a possibility it is, but as I said it's the stamped number/letters that will tell. (If the engine has ever been rebuilt, chances are that it was chemically cleaned and repainted.)

Jani,

Couple things I can add based on picture and comments.
Block would be '58 or later based on motor mount flanges.
I don't think the color is meaningful for a 283 or 327, the early blue Vettes were the sixes, by '58 they were the signature "orange". In the '70's the "corporate" 350's were also blue.
Based on the casting mark, heads should have a casting number ending in 520 or 896. They'd be for '58 & up 283 power paks, '58-60 Vette, originally were 9.25-1 comp ratio, 1.72/1.50 valves, 59cc chambers.
Wouldn't be from a '66 Vette unless it's a 327. With the introduction of the 327 in '62, 283's weren't available in Vettes.
Those valve covers weren't available on the 327, but then, we don't know how stock it is either.

Mike,
Ok, I found the number from the block and it is: F03I5WA
The numbers where very clear and readable.

Bob,
You say yhat they didn't use 283's in Vette after '62???

Jani

Jani,

Actually, 1961 was the last year of 283 in the Vette. From '62 to early '65 only 327, then 396 was added in '65.

Based on the number you posted, the engine is F= Flint plant, 03=March, 15=15th day, WA=283. My source indicates the WA is 1965, but since it didn't have any later date decode that could mean WA was used 1965 thru 1967.

Bob,
What about the casting date on the other end of the block. It is A286 (28.Jan.19?6)???

I thought it was a Vette engine because of the long oil pan and the short water pump.
Maybe the block has been in a Corvette to replace a broken original block?
Does the small collar inside the end of the camshaft mean that it has been connected to a manual transmission?

If the block is bored to .010 oversize what is the c.i.d then?

What does the power pack mean? (Cylinder head number is: 3884520)

Jani

Jani,
Casting date would, and should, precede production date. In other words, the block could be cast in January of '66, then machined and engine assembled in March, two months later. Probably means you have a '66 engine.

Could be this engine came from a truck which had the larger pan too, or someone added the larger pan for some reason.

As for "collar", you said cam shaft, but probably meant crank shaft. I can't tell well enough as the picture shows on my screen, but I see you have it circled. If there is a "collar" inserted, that would be the pilot bushing/bearing for the manual transmission input shaft.

.010 is what we call a clean up bore. Adds just over 1 cubic inch. In another thread, Mike had mentioned a .125 overbore (1/8 inch) to get a 283 up to 301 cubic inches. That would be 18 cubic inches. .010 is about 1/12th of .125, 1/12th of 18 = 1.5".

Power pack was Chevrolet's designation for engines equipped with 4 barrel carb and dual exhaust.

Bob your doing better than me in breaking it back, WA doesn't show up in my references. (Sorry Jani).

Just to add a little to what Bob said, the little triangle you circled on the head is usually the easy way to tell if the heads are "power pack" or not).

Chevrolet used the short water pumps on the magority if not all their cars through 1968. The Vettes and the trucks used the short pumps longer.

Jani, keep in mind there is nothing magic about a Corvette motor. Yes they did use the better heavy duty factory parts, but these could be purchased over the counter at any Chevy dealer, and with few exceptions (the tri-power 427 comes to mind) the engines themselves could be special ordered in almost any other body style. With the parts available these days, it would be fairly simple to build the 283 you have to meet or exceed the original Corvette HP numbers. All that is really needed is to match the Compression ratio, cam size and profile, valve size and carburation.

We used to have a joke around the shop that "Every Small Block Chevy had been a Vette motor and every Early Hemi was a 392" due to the number of people who made that claim about their engines (especially if they were trying to sell them).