I`d yoink that motor out and go through it and decide whether to put in a 283. I like the 327 but nothing wrong with a 283. Clean the tank or put in filters. There are some great plug and play rewire kits out there. Not that hard.
~ BD. "You won't find me in an old folks home" Pioneer Florida Cracker 1958 Apache Stepside 1958 Apache 1/2 ton Panel 1959 Apache 1/2 ton Panel