I’ve seen several engine builds/upgrades on the site since I joined. A lot of guys are using tried and true hotrod parts and several are using updated technology to build some pretty impressive engines.
Driven suggested that some of you might get a kick out of how we old guys used to build them back in the stone age. I’m starting to put together a pretty much mid 1960s era correct hot rod 283 and if there’s enough interest I’ll keep this thread going while I build it.
Basically over the years I ended up with a lot of odds and ends to the point where I could pretty much build the engine with what I had laying around. The parts stash included a virgin 1960 283, a spare standard block, extra standard steel crank, a set of .030 forged pistons (9-9 ¼ :1 compression with the heads I have), 3 pairs of Power Pack heads (60CC, 1.72/150), a Mallory dual point distributor and an Offenhauser Tri-Power.
I’m not really sure what we’ll do with this once it’s done; hunt for a car to put it in, sell it, or just keep it around until my grandson is old enough to build a car around it.
I’ve wanted to do this engine build for quite a while and now that my Grandson is 11 I figured it would be a good time for him to start getting his feet wet on engine building and learn that there’s nothing wrong with getting your hands dirty.
We’re starting with 170HP, 1960, 283 2 barrel I pulled out of its original home (a 1960 BelAir) about 25 years ago to make room for a 350. It was tired, but came into the shop under its own power so I just set it in a corner of the storage shed.
The first order of business was getting the engine off the storage stand and on to the engine stand so we could do the tear down. By the time that was done my Grandson Cade was handling the chain hoist like an old pro LOL.
Cade usually comes over on Sunday so we only have a few hours a week to work on this and getting the engine on the stand was pretty much the end of the first Sunday.
I do have a bit of a head start on the project. Over the holidays work at my friend’s machine shop was slow so it was a good time to get the heads done. Back in the 60s I probably would have spent some time at a local junk yard hunting up a set of the double hump 1.94/1.50 “fuelie” heads off a 327…. but this isn’t the 60’s so we re-worked a pair of 1965 Power Packs. We opened the heads up for new 1.94 intake valves, put in hardened exhaust seats and new exhaust valves, gave them new valve guides, milled off .015 and installed new Corvette spec valve springs. I had considered installing screw in studs, but with the cam lift and relatively light spring pressure they shouldn’t really be necessary. As there was some wear on the original rocker arm tips, they also got a new set of rockers.
The Offenhauser Tri-Power is appropriate for this build, as these were originally released in the late 1950s. I bought this one new about 30 years ago and this will be the 4th engine it’s been on (the previous engines were a 327, 350 and a 383). We still have to go thru and rebuild the carburetors but that will be a bit later.
Rather than use headers (which are pretty body specific), I broke out the checkbook and bought a set of the Dorman reproduction 62-64 Corvette exhaust manifolds with the 2 ½” outlets. Even back in the 60s there were not a lot of wrecked Corvettes sitting in junk yards, however these manifolds were readily available over the parts counter at the Chevy dealers and not an uncommon upgrade. I remember reading a test on these many years ago (possibly in Hot Rod magazine) and these actually flowed as well or in some cases better than many of the headers they were testing. At about $55 per side they are a reasonable alternative to used originals which bring about $200 a side. That being said, as I suspected they are made in China, the flanges look good on them, but the casting flash removal did leave a bit to be desired and I spent some time with a grinder cleaning them up before painting them with some VHT paint.
Overall that’s pretty much where we are right now on it.
Driven suggested that some of you might get a kick out of how we old guys used to build them back in the stone age. I’m starting to put together a pretty much mid 1960s era correct hot rod 283 and if there’s enough interest I’ll keep this thread going while I build it.
Basically over the years I ended up with a lot of odds and ends to the point where I could pretty much build the engine with what I had laying around. The parts stash included a virgin 1960 283, a spare standard block, extra standard steel crank, a set of .030 forged pistons (9-9 ¼ :1 compression with the heads I have), 3 pairs of Power Pack heads (60CC, 1.72/150), a Mallory dual point distributor and an Offenhauser Tri-Power.
I’m not really sure what we’ll do with this once it’s done; hunt for a car to put it in, sell it, or just keep it around until my grandson is old enough to build a car around it.
I’ve wanted to do this engine build for quite a while and now that my Grandson is 11 I figured it would be a good time for him to start getting his feet wet on engine building and learn that there’s nothing wrong with getting your hands dirty.
We’re starting with 170HP, 1960, 283 2 barrel I pulled out of its original home (a 1960 BelAir) about 25 years ago to make room for a 350. It was tired, but came into the shop under its own power so I just set it in a corner of the storage shed.
The first order of business was getting the engine off the storage stand and on to the engine stand so we could do the tear down. By the time that was done my Grandson Cade was handling the chain hoist like an old pro LOL.
Cade usually comes over on Sunday so we only have a few hours a week to work on this and getting the engine on the stand was pretty much the end of the first Sunday.
I do have a bit of a head start on the project. Over the holidays work at my friend’s machine shop was slow so it was a good time to get the heads done. Back in the 60s I probably would have spent some time at a local junk yard hunting up a set of the double hump 1.94/1.50 “fuelie” heads off a 327…. but this isn’t the 60’s so we re-worked a pair of 1965 Power Packs. We opened the heads up for new 1.94 intake valves, put in hardened exhaust seats and new exhaust valves, gave them new valve guides, milled off .015 and installed new Corvette spec valve springs. I had considered installing screw in studs, but with the cam lift and relatively light spring pressure they shouldn’t really be necessary. As there was some wear on the original rocker arm tips, they also got a new set of rockers.
The Offenhauser Tri-Power is appropriate for this build, as these were originally released in the late 1950s. I bought this one new about 30 years ago and this will be the 4th engine it’s been on (the previous engines were a 327, 350 and a 383). We still have to go thru and rebuild the carburetors but that will be a bit later.
Rather than use headers (which are pretty body specific), I broke out the checkbook and bought a set of the Dorman reproduction 62-64 Corvette exhaust manifolds with the 2 ½” outlets. Even back in the 60s there were not a lot of wrecked Corvettes sitting in junk yards, however these manifolds were readily available over the parts counter at the Chevy dealers and not an uncommon upgrade. I remember reading a test on these many years ago (possibly in Hot Rod magazine) and these actually flowed as well or in some cases better than many of the headers they were testing. At about $55 per side they are a reasonable alternative to used originals which bring about $200 a side. That being said, as I suspected they are made in China, the flanges look good on them, but the casting flash removal did leave a bit to be desired and I spent some time with a grinder cleaning them up before painting them with some VHT paint.
Overall that’s pretty much where we are right now on it.