I do not know the specifics of the engine modifications.
I have no way of tracing back to that source. To the best of my knowledge, based on what the seller told me and what I have learned in the last 2 years from various mechanics who I know and trust, the 283 has been bored and has a mild cam. I have no compelling reason to have the engine torn down to gain more specific info.
Carb is 4bbl Edelbrock. Manifold is high rise single plane. Spark is HEI. Dual exhaust via headers, straight back , no X.
From my limited but growing knowledge I have deduced that the manifold is likely not ideal for my application - mostly city driving, plenty of stop signs. Differential is 3:08/1
Not too hot off the line , much happier at mid-upper power settings.
Certainly the high rise single plane intake and the headers were an attempt to make horsepower, only problem is it's not very usable, those items are designed for high rpm. The rich mixture is probably partly the results of that induction/cam combo. A hand choke and throttle might not make much of an improvement. You could probably make good progress with a low rise dual plane manifold, depending on how the carb is set up. Small block intakes are a dime a dozen, that would be the first thing I would change. The rest of the stuff might respond pretty well to it.
