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I have a 1954 3/4 ton with the 4.56 axle. Would a higher revving engine like a 283 work good? Id like to be able to cruise at like 60-65. What other options would be good? Thanks in advance

The motor has nothing to do with it. Your ratio is way wrong for cruising. You got a hauler not a hauler.

would it be logical to build an engine that's comfortable cruising at 3,250 rpm?

Based on my own experience, you want to keep your rev's in the 2000 / 2200 range to be able to cruise at 65 without being too loud, I am running a Chevy 327 with a TH 350 trans, and 3:42 rear gear, and 17" wheels. At 65 mph, I am turning close to 3000 rpm.
If you want to go with the 283, I would use a Transmission with an overdrive ( 700r4, 4L60e ), along with a rear end gear swap. Definitely won't be doing much drag racing, but should cruise OK.

My 51 3600 is now comfortable cruising at 60-63 mph. Stock 216 engine, upgrades include a T5 transmission from a S10, tag number 1352-222 which has a .72 5th gear along with changing the original 4.57 rear gears out to 4.11s. I highly recommend this combo, search will yield a lot of info on these upgrades.

I will be running close to the same engine/trans setup. I have a th350 and a 350 all disassembled but it will take about $1500 to get it going and im trying to find something that's already running for a little cheaper. Tire wise i want to run pie crust cheater slicks mostly for the looks and those are like 28.5-29.5 inches in diameter. I put everything in an rpm calculator and it says i will be turning about 3200 rpm at 60. Do you guys think this would be an ok combo just for now? I have limited time as school starts in 2 weeks and i don't have a garage or shop to work in so it sits all winter. I kind of just want to get up and running for now and i can do the rearend swap down the road.

Don't drive it in the rain- - - - -those cheaters will be as slippery as snot on a brass doorknob!
Jerry

who doesn't like a little sketchiness every now and then

Maybe the people you're about to run over? Just a wild guess- - - - - - -They might be packing a 1911 Colt like I do!
Jerry

Yeah if it ever does start raining hard i would just pull off and take a back way or something. Im all about having fun and screwing around until someone else is in danger.

What would you recomend engine wise for my truck? This is kind of an area i'm struggling with. I say somewhere that higher number rearends better suit higher revving engines because the they have less bottom end. I would like to build a 283 that revs to something like 7,000 but i don't know what the cost would be. What would you guys recommend components wise for building an engine like this?

Let's see what HrL says about the cost of safely reaching 7,000 RPMs for a 283.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Che.....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.1.136.OfX7gUXsxds

7K RPM is well within the capabilities of a 283, but it's going to take some pretty serious preparation work on the heads, a hotter than stock cam, and a very detailed buildup and balance of the lower end to keep it together for long. I'd guesstimate the cost of a good build for street cruising and the occasional stoplight burnout to be somewhere in the $6K range, and close to twice that if you like going around in circles for about half a summer racing season. Don't over-cam or over-carburete the engine or you'll end up with a very peaky engine that ONLY works at wide open throttle. I'm currently in the process of building a destroked small block using a 283 crankshaft with the stroke shortened to 2 7/8 inches and a 305 block. It will end up at around 250 cubic inches and rev to 8K+ RPM if I build it right. Even using recycled NASCAR round track parts, I'll probably spend $5K or more, and I don't even want to think about what I'd have to charge labor-wise if somebody wanted to pay me to build that engine and break even on the time!
Jerry

Okay that's kind of the info i was looking for. I've been searching around on forums and seems like a lot of people are saying don't even bother with a stock stroke engine and just go straight for a 383 or something like that when talking about a high revving sbc. What kind of power would be available for somewhere in the range of $1500-$2000? Im only 15 so i'm on a fairly low budget.

$2K will buy most of the parts to build a pretty respectable street engine, but you'll have to do most of the work yourself. Any 283 you find will be over 50 years old, with no telling how many rebuilds on it already. If you want a short stroke, tight-winding engine look for a mid-1980's 262 Chevy engine to start with- - - -it's got a 3.100" stroke which is less than 1/8" longer than a 283, and the engine will be 40 years newer at least. They were used in late-production full size Caprice Classics and the hotrodders usually ignore them because of the oddball ignition system that drives off the end of the camshaft. It's fairly simple to adapt a more conventional distributor setup and take advantage of the short stroke, or use the crankshaft in a 305 block and make a real screamer with Comp Cams anti-pump-up lifters and a set of screw-in rocker arm studs and roller rockers. Once you get it wound up, a 383 will have trouble keeping up with you. You'll also have 100 cubic inches less engine to feed, so you can pass everything on the road, including the gas stations.

BTW, I was 16 when I built my first hotrod engine- - - - -in 1962!
Jerry

I have a 235 with an s10 5 speed and 2.73 Nova rear end which is great for cruising in flat land Indiana. 1800 rpm at 65 mph. Went to WVa in the spring and a lot shifting in the mountains. 3.23 would be better or even 3.55. Mpg is in the 20s average on a long trip.Catalogs When I got my truck in 1983 you had to pay for catalogs but now they will send all you want then some. Being where you are you will have something to do this winter.Engines

Rear end ratios are reasonably easy to chenge, so it would be productive to select the engine you like, pick a suitable trans, and then pick the suitable diff. ratio. All done before one turns a wrench or purchases anything.

Other choices to be made first are, total vehicle weight and use, engine compartment configuration, power steering available?

Ed

15 years old, types in such a fashion which old people can understand, has a passion for engines.
There is hope for the future!!!

You can get a new 260hp 350 engine from Jegs for $1500 delivered to your door. Add another $1000 for the carb, manifolds, and accessories. If you already have the components they can be used on the new engine. You will have all the power you need for a street operated vehicle. And you get a warranty! I have installed several of them and everyone was satisfied with the performance.
Fred

One thing you don't address is the purpose/intent of your truck. It's hard to recommend a solution if we don't fully understand the problem. Do you want an as designed/intended/capable truck or do you want a cruiser? That will help shape your solution. If you want a fully functional truck that will routinely do work and occasionally cruise for longer distances, that leads you down a certain path. If you want a cruiser that may occasionally do some real work, that leads you down a different path. It all comes down to where you are willing to accept "risk." I don't mean risk from a safety standpoint; more of a capabilities standpoint.

I will make the stereotyped conclusion that as a 15 year old you probably want cool vehicle to drive to high school and have a really cool vehicle to cruise in on your soon to be numerous dates (because you drive a really cool truck). :-) If that is your intent, then you should be willing to accept risk in the workhorse nature of your truck. With an overdrive transmission/rear end gear swap/taller tires you can get comfortable cruising without having to wind up the motor. You will probably sacrifice hauling and towing capacity or at least make it more difficult. If on the other hand your intent is to routinely use your truck to do real work hauling/towing and occasionally go for a cruise that may lead to the higher revving engine. You get to keep all the functionality of your truck while accepting risk in the quite/comfortable cruising area.

Bottom line is you need to clearly define the problem. I believe it was Einstein that said "if I had one hour to solve a problem that my life depended on, I would spend 55 minutes studying the problem and 5 minutes solving it."

I'd like to make it a work/cruiser but definitely more on the work side.

SBC's are like belly buttons. Everybody has one! What is wrong with keeping the six and upgrading it a bit.?

I like the straight 6 myself. I'm having a 292 built 600+ hp. I'll leave it at that because people give me a hard time about it.

Here's my bellybutton Sedgy.

I would also think that the time between rebuilds would factor in, if you are planning on keeping the truck indefinitely... a V8 is going to run for a lot more miles than the stovebolt. Carl's installation is really nice. Those valve covers really make it work.