283?

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Phoenyx

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Jun 27, 2007
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People always say they are a good high revving engine and good for lighter cars. But back when I had my 1964 GMC that little 283 had no problems moving that big truck around.

With the gas prices, a 283 wouldn't be a bad choice for a cruiser. And you still get the V8 sound.
 

G-Body_Vet

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Oct 15, 2010
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I don't think you hear about the 283's much because they had a 3.875" bore, as opposed to the more common 4.00" bore of the 350 & 327. The 283 also had a short 3.00" stroke that made if nice to rev to the moon but sacrificed torque of the bigger cubes. The DZ 302's were using the 3.00" stroke, 4.00" bore at the time.

I imagine you could squeeze some decent mileage out of one with modern heads and a decent grind. IIRC, they may have been using forged cranks in those in the 60's too.
 

foxtrot

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Dec 19, 2008
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I remember back in the 70's (when I was a kid) my father had a 61 Chevy Impala with a built 283. He was just talking about it the other day and regrets getting rid of it. He said that he was younger and "knew everything" and that's why he got rid of it. Anywho, He said that during the 70's oil embargo fiasco that it actually got good mileage and went alright. That was a cool ride!
 

RITTER

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May 26, 2007
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They are not as common for the same reason 305's are not sought after. You can get a 327 or 350 cu in. engine for the same price and make more power. It's still a V8. If you get any type of decent power from it, it's not going to be "good" on gas. Granted, they are cool engines and can be turned up and came with factory forged cranks (which are actually very common for cracking)
 

DRIVEN

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Apr 25, 2009
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I've had several 283s in several different vehicles. They are great little engines that will take a ton of abuse. The main thing to consider is that since they are a short stroke engine they aren't very torquey. They typically don't like gearing much taller than around 3.08s. I ran one in a '35 Ford with a manual transmission and 2.79, 3.25, 3.54 and 3.78 gears. It actually got the best mileage with the 3.78s. I could get 23-24mpg with no overdrive. Also, the more you "hop em up" the higher in the RPM range the power band moves. The factory heads don't have very big valves or ports. That's fine because they operate on a velocity principle rather than all-out flow. One hurdle is the lack of accessory holes on the front so you might need to substitute 305 heads to be able to retain alternator, PS pump and AC without losing compression ratio. A stock 283 with a Qjet would probably be fine in a Gbody with decent gearing. Add a bigger cam, giant carb, "better" heads and some headers and you may really want to move to a manual transmission and some deep gears.
 

DRIVEN

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Not really. All pre-'86 heads, intakes, cams, distributors, water pumps, fuel pumps, headers/exhaust manifolds will interchange. All pre-'67 small journal bearings, rods and crank shafts will physically fit the block. The only actually specific 283 parts are the pistons and rings. Naturally, you'll pay more for a set of forged 283 pistons than for a 350 as a result of supply and demand. Don't forget the cool advantage of the SBC. 283 block + early 327 crank = 307. Early 327 block + 283 crank = 302. Most of the later 283 blocks can also take a 4" bore too.
 

oldtinsmith

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Jun 14, 2010
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1) 1957, The 283 was a 265 with an overbore.
2) 1958, The 283 had the engine-mounting bosses cast into the side of the block and could be bored to 4.000 inches.
3) 1959, The 283 rear main seal was changed from a graphite-impregnated rope-type seal to a neoprene lip seal (and could still be bored to 4.000 inches until 1962).
4) 1963-1967, The 283 should only be bored 0.060 inch (thin wall casting).

Note: You can't put a neoprene seal in a rope-seal block.

From "How to rebuild your SMALL-BLOCK CHEVY" by David Vizard

Doug
 
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