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how much can i bore out a 283 with out going 2 much an how can i get cheap hp an touqe


sorry for misspelled words never passed a spelling test

It depends on the year of the 283 and on your luck. It used to be common to push them out to a 4 inch bore which resulted in 301 cubic inches.

But not all of them will go that far (about an eight of an inch) without the cylinder walls getting too thin, resulting in a motor that runs too hot.

The cheapest way to more hp and torque is going to be a much larger motor. With current high gas prices you might be able to find an old Suburban real cheap with a 454 that could easily be swapped in and give much more torque than that 283 ever will.

283's are cool but they are not real practical in today's world if you need lots of power.

I have a 283 in my '55 Willys Jeep. It makes more power than I could ever need. My race engine builder did it up for me.
It's bored .030 over so that gives 288 cubes. We found a set of Chevy Power Pack heads for it and he milled everything for a 10:1 compression ratio. He did a 3 angle valve job and cleaned up the ports. He also installed the 327/300 Corvette cam. The engine came with the steel crank so needless to say that was reground and reused. I finished everything off with an Edelbrock Performer Air gap intake, an Edelbrock 600 CFM carb, and an Accel billet distributor to light the fire. Does it make as much power as a built to the hilt 350?, No. But, it does make PLENTY of power for the vehicle it's in and it gets decent mileage since it's not overly huge. Plus it has the cool factor for being a 283.

Southtowns27

I have installed once a 307, all stock into a CJ5 of a fellow. It was way too much more than that poor jeep could handle...I can imagine how cool this 283 of yours should have been!

OldSub what year range sub should i look 4 im gettin a 454 out of a sub an gonna build it up 4 my chevelle would a 383 stroker be jus a good 4 my truck

With the 383 stroker you are trading about 70 cubic inches to save 100 pounds. I don't think it would be just as good. Also while many guys have great luck with the modified crank if its not done right it will destroy the motor when it fails. I'd go with the 454 if it were me.

Any '73 to 90-something Suburuban could have a good 454 under the hood. And not just Suburbans, any 3/4- or 1-ton pickup of the era might have one also, its just that Suburbans are more likely to be available real cheap.

Funny thing though, a year ago I was offered an 80-something Suburban for free. It had a 383 under the hood. However the motor did not run and the 'owner' did not have either the title nor the keys, so I passed.

Cheap hp and tq won't be found using a 283. You want tq? you can't beat a late 60s_ early 70s 455 Buick. The size and weight of the 455 isn't much greater than a sbc. You want cheap....can't beat 350ci Chevy. An RV cam, hedders and 3.70 - 4.11 gears you can really get lost.
PS I'm not bashing a 283, my 54 has one and I'm proud of it. They are great motors.

my 500 cid cadillac engine seems torquey.

my 383 GM crate i got in my Chevelle has right much hp an tq i was thinkin bout putting it in my truck when i get my bbc 2 put in my car

My 283 has plenty of power (of course, I'm not drag racing!) to suit me. I can cruise the interstate at 70mph all day and still get anywhere from 20-23 mpg.

If I were you I would only bore it out as much as you need. If your looking for horsepower, start with a 350. It's a lot cheaper too.

That makes more sense than expecting a 283 to move a loaded truck with any finesse. You'll appreciate those added 100 cubes and may even start wondering if the BBC would be more fun in the truck!

OldSub what do u mean loaded truck if you are talking bout a load in the back then u would be shocked 2 know when my grandaddy had the truck he had 7,000 pounds of fretilizer in the bed an drove the truck home at 55 mph my little 283 is mean but i really need somthing bigger i thinkin my 383 well do the job

Your little 283 may be mean enough to move that truck 55 mph with 7000 pounds in the bed, but I can assure you it didn't do it with finesse.

There is no substitute for cubic inches.

"didn't do it with finesse"??
the 283 is all about finesse, the bigger cubic inches are about brute force
I'll take finesse any day ... but I'm not likely to be haulin 7000# in a 1/2T truck

Bill

64 Rebel, getting back to your first question... I believe that general engine practices say that for general street or daily use, it's not recommended to exceed a .060 bore on a G.M. small block. I have seen many engines that were severely in need of rebuild clean up at .040". Chevrolet small blocks are famous for cheap h.p. and although not providing "tons" of torque, they have proven themselves throughout history as a staple of everyday hot rod life. Southtowns27 has great advice on how to get it done with a small block. Also remember, small blocks are internally balanced and are much more user friendly. Good luck, Grant.

If you have an early block (say a 1957-58) you can actually bore them to .100" over. The later blocks can only go over .060" without the walls getting to thin.

my 283 might not have alot of grunt but she well suprise ya being shes got a 1 ton trans outa bread truck an a 1 ton rear end i have a hard time keepin her striaght win i change 2 second gear for a farm truck shes pretty fast but not even close 2 my chevelle

i aint worred bout finesse the point is it handled the load an it has had enought sand in the back that the front TIRES CAME OFF THE GROUND that was dry sand 2

Builder - my understanding is that the first 283 blocks [57, no mount bosses on side] were overbored 265's and can only stand .060 over, 58-62 can take up to .125, but some may have enough water jacket corrosion from age that less is better - my 62 283 is .060 over and strong

Bill

bored my 283 to .120 over back in the mid sixties. I was the terror of town in my 56 coupe but it lasted only a year. Ran hot, cracked #2 cylinder wall. But it was FUN while it run!! I think if 64rebel has the engine sitting around it may save him a few bucks, since he has it, to rebuild it and enjoy it. If I didn't have a 283 then definitely go 350...or bigger. Depending on what he can find at a price he is willing to pay.

i do have a 350 its in my 72 chevy truck thats been sitting last time i cranked was bout a year ago but the plan is the 383 crate i think

if theres a hood on the 72 it should crank up if the gas didn't chrystalize.

it should crank up the 64 had not been cranked in 20 years i got it runnin in bout 30 mins i jus aint had time 2 mess with the 72 or the $$ the body is in BAD shape