Hotrod Lincoln writes, "If you'll drop back to a 250-horsepower build, it will be a lot more streetable, and the cost will be just about cut in half."
Perfect setup for a 283. Tame enough for street, wild enough to draw attention. Old Fifties "Duntov 097" cams are still available, brand new. Eklers Corvette carries those. Nice lope on idle, perky at higher RPM. Edelbrock (Weber) 500 CFM carb, Edelbrock Performer heads, 9:1 pop up pistons, jet coated headers, very nice engine.
RED65STEPSIDE, some considerations for you beyond good advice already given by others. When you punch a 283 out up around 300 cubic inches, such as a 302, run high compression pistons with a big cam, you will start having overheating problems. This severely shortens the life of your engine.
This problem is most noticeable when having fun cruising at a car show, maybe averaging 5 MPH. A punched out 283 needs a lot of air flow or a massive radiator. Even with a massive radiator, your engine will eventually begin running too hot. Over 275 horsepower with a 283, you are into the racing range; not an engine well suited for street driving.
An example is a small block 400 cubic inch. Nobody wants those because of severe overheating; cylinder walls are too thin. 400 cranks are very popular for 350 engines, a "383" stroker. Personally, I would stay away from "stroking" your 283 in exchange for dependability and better street driving.
Edelbrock offers some really nice performance packages, saves you a lot of money. On the Edelbrock website you will find all kinds of comparisons of packages, 265 through 350 small blocks. Edelbrock even has "how to" build pages. One of their packages saves you money and is truly a "bolt on package" - could not be any easier. I have used Edelbrock packages for decades, always very pleased, never a problem. Cam kit, heads, intake manifold and carb package, perfect, tested and designed for max performance.
Keep your compression ratio below 9.5:1 for today's cheap ethanol blended gasoline. Over this, bad pinging without expensive additives.
Seriously, go over to Edelbrock, look around, read a lot, even if you do not buy from Edelbrock. Great info there, dig deep into their web site, you will be rewarded.
Edelbrock Automotive - Fun! Billyray
