Many years ago I had a 283 in a '67 Chevelle. It burned oil when I bought it, but did a complete rebuild about a year later (bored .030 over, new cam, lifters, valves and guides etc). The Chevelle I eventually wrecked, but the motor I kept for a lot of years after that. I ended up installing it in 3 other vehicles before finally letting it go when I sold my '63 Chevy pickup (still running sweet).
About a year ago, I was trying to locate the buyer of my old '63 in hopes of getting back my 283. He lived out in the country and I was hoping that it might be sitting out at the family farm. No such luck. I did however recently locate a clean, original looking 283 that was just pulled from a '66 Chevelle. The owner was going to freshen it up and put it in a Model A street rod he is building, but decided to buy a crate motor instead. I have plans for this one.
John