I'm no elder but I'll share some info about your second question. In a recent post about the 283, here is the list again from a site showing the available engines for chevy trucks in 1958. (Look under the engine serial number section)

http://www.chevytrucks.org/mikesgarage/1958.htm


"Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing." - Ralph Waldo Emerson