The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop 283 BUILD SUGESTIONS HELP!

I know almost nothing about building a 283 engine. (I am a "Diesel Guy")

I want to get around 300 to 315 ish HP from the 283 that I pulled out of the '66 parts donor truck.
I will be removing the Powerglide & hooking it up to a 700R4 (pre '88 years)

What I also want from this is a good "lumpy" sounding cam.
What I have been thinking of is an Edelbrock preformer series intake, Edelbrock carb, COPM Cams "Thumpr" series cam (Part#12-600-4)a HEI distributor, and maybe some headders. But like I said, what I NEED is to talk with someone who has real world experiance with the 283 who can help me. So any input you all might have on this would be most greatly appreciated! Thanks again! ------KJ

That kind of horsepower from a 283 is doable, but bring money- - - - -lots of it! More than one HP per cubic inch takes most engines out of the "street driver" category and puts them into the weekend cruiser or full-competition realm. You'll need forged pistons, a compression ratio that will limit you to racing fuel as your only option, and it's unlikely you'll be able to run an automatic transmission without a high stall speed torque converter that will turn every stop sign into a tire-smoking launch whether you want to or not.

I built my first small block Chevy back in 1962, but it was a 265, not a 283. Since then, I've probably built or supervised the buildup of a couple of hundred of them, maybe more. 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. One thing 283's do very well is make lots of RPM, so with the right gearing, high horsepower isn't really necessary for good performance. One of the fastest road cars I've ever driven only had 255 cubic inches, but it ran over 180 MPH.
Jerry

you can stroke your 283 with a 327 crank and turn into a 316 with plenty of power Im guessin you probally already have the small chamber double hump heads which will definately help and you can get pistons for a 9:5- 10:5 ratio,, you dont really need racing fuel unless your over 10:1, and they do like rpm's..

327 crankshafts don't fit 283 blocks. The counterweights hit the block webs. If you want a 3 7/8" bore and a 3 1/4" stroke, do it the way Chevy did- - - - - -use a 307.
Jerry

an early 327 crank does fit, we built several of them..
craig

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

Hope members will overlook my rattling on.

RED65STEPSIDE, a real life example of overheating problems when you kick the horsepower way up. I built a mondo beyondo wild Mako Shark Corvette for my girl. Tricked out, custom body, weighs barely over 2,000 pounds, 383 stroker at 460 horsepower, fuel injected flame throwers, the whole car show wildness thing. Buckles asphalt with a just a tap of the gas pedal, low tens in the quarter mile. Only costs ten dollars to start the puppy, gets about 5 miles to the gallon.

For a year now I have been designing and redesigning her radiator and cooling system to keep the temp below 200 degrees. Runs cool at 35 MPH and over. However, at a car show cruise, 210 to 220 degrees even with electric fans and an engine fan. A 350 is designed to run over 200 degrees. I am not comfortable with this.

You will have the same problem if you build your 283 too "hot" - high horsepower.

Your 283 is designed to run around 180 to 190 degrees and should not be taken over this for long periods of time.

Bottom line is we all love high horsepower but there is a price to pay: Hard to drive and constant overheating problems. If you really want wild horses, go with a 350 or 383 size engine. If you want a bit of neck snap yet dependability, keep your 283 at 250 horse or below as Hotrod Lincoln suggests. He is giving you very good advice based on his years of experience, as I am.

Billyray

Not quite finished yet...

RED65STEPSIDE, you must install a Richmond close ratio 5 speed, final drive is 1:1 not an overdrive. Couple this through a stout clutch to a 5 to 7 pound lightened _steel_ flywheel, you will transfer a good 40 more horsepower to your rear wheels. This is a cool trick to nurse more horsepower out to your drive tires. This makes a big difference and makes you competitive with higher horse cars. Efficiency is the real trick, not raw horsepower.

There is little difference between the final installation cost of a built TH700_R4 and a Richmond 5 speed. There is a significant weight difference: TH700_R4 about 250 pounds, Richmond, 95 pounds.

I did some number crunching for you. This is a screen capture image displaying gear ratio, speed per gear and top speed for a TH700-R4 versus a Richmond close ratio 5 speed. Our 1957 Chevy hot rod has the TH700-R4 with a 4.11 rearend. Our old Corvette has the Richmond with a 3.70 rearend. Looking at the "Final Ratio" section, you can see why a TH700-R4 will always lose to a manual close ratio 5 speed with all else equal. A manual 5 speed keeps rpm in a tight range and provides much more "pulling" power through out the gear ranges.

Ratio Image

Fairly equal off the line but a TH700-R4 will "lug" down when it hits 3rd gear and really lugs down when it hits 4th gear; might as well be stepping on the brakes.

There is no comparison between a TH700-R4 and a Richmond 5 speed. The Richmond trans car will blow the doors off the TH700-R4 car around an eighth mile and continue to pull away through the rest of the quarter mile strip.

Again, efficiency is the real trick, not raw horsepower. You can build yourself a 250 horse 283 engine which will be nothing but grins and giggles for you, if you focus on efficiency rather than horsepower. A mild but peppy 283 won't cost you ten dollars to start, either.

Have fun!

Billyray

I'm not going to dispute any of the suggestions given by Jerry and Billyray, because it's all good stuff, but I will ask the one question that hasn't been asked; What type of use do you have in mind for the truck? Regular driver" Light/heavy towing? Drag racing? All of these will factor into what you should do to attain the goals on the engine build.
Personal opinion time, for the power you want, and the cost it'll take, you may want to consider going with a 327 or 350, or even a 383, over the 283. Properly dressed up, most folks won't be able to tell the difference.

300 HP is easily doable from a 283. With the proper heads, exhaust, intake and carb.

What I also want from this is a good "lumpy" sounding cam.

No No No and Hell No. Lumpy cams equals High RPM drag strip cams. What I am telling you is the more duration, higher lift cams do not make any power until 5000 and up RPM. Are you going to run this motor on the street at 5000k RPM?
Take of a plug wire or vacuum line and you will get lump. I am not a fan of Comp Cams, very hard on the valve train, and noisy as well.


Here is my suggestion
Have your 283 built with good internals, crank, rods, and pistons Find a set of Power Pack heads and have a mild port and polish done on them. Look for an Isky 270 mega cam for that motor. The LSA in that cam will give enough lump. Good headers ( I like hooker), dual exhaust. Edlebrock Air Gap manifold, and a 500-600 Holley 4160.

Next 700R4 is a good tranny but you will need a 2200-2800 stall or one from a late model Corvette. Have the tranny set up so when you are cruising it does not shift into higher gears so you "lug the motor",
several shops can do this for you.

Next is your rear gears. With this setup I would go with a 3:73 Eaton posi. Very stout, and good gears, with the 700R4 a very good combo street and highway.


You will be using premium pump gas, make sure your engine builder gets you into the 9.8 area for compression..

Also it is a myth for the 400 Chevy motor overheating. Have several friend who run these in AZ

LongBox55 comments, "Properly dressed up, most folks won't be able to tell the difference."

These days, you can buy a 12 volt alternator built inside an old Delco Remy generator wired to a modern electronic voltage regulator built inside an old points type voltage regulator. Cannot tell the difference.

However, with old trucks, you can tell this difference between a Ford, a GMC and a Chevy a mile out. Those modern trucks and cars out there today, I cannot tell which end is the front and which end is the rear; completely baffled.

Billyray

I agree that 400 c.i. blocks don't overheat. Yes, the cylinder walls are siamezed. But, most people don't realize that 400 blocks require 400 heads to match the special "steam" holes in the 400 block. If lyou don't have 400 heads, then simply drill out steam holes in each head to match the block. And by the way, years ago this is precisely what Chevy recommended in their own Goodwrench high performance guide, complete with instructions on where to drill the holes in non-400 heads. I ran a 400 in my early corvette for years without the slightest hint of overheating.

all great suggestions above, I do disagree with the comment on the stroked motors, if you have a 283 block that is from 59 on you have no problem putting in a 327 crank, we have built 2 of these at the engine shop in the last 2 months guys are using them for rock climbing competition, they have a good torque band and as far as over heating with a stroker motors and 400chevy's that is a myth, if you go the 283 stroker route turns it into a 316, we used crower cams and venolia pistons and as above dont go crazy on the cam if street is what it will be used for..

good luck

The math doesn't add up. A 327 crank (3.25" stroke) in a 283 (3.875" bore) makes a 307, not a 316. It takes a .060" overbore in a 283 block to make a 316 with a 327 crank.

I guess I should of been more clear, most blocks we see already had a rebuild on them, since they are over 40 years old, but Im sure there is still a few that havent, thanks for computating the math and clearing that up..

They are all on craigslist in cars with 16k actual miles. LOL

Tim K adds to reader interest, "...match the special 'steam' holes...."

A need for steam holes is evidence of an overheating problem. Those steam holes are added as an afterthought because of anticipated overheating.

400 ci blocks are plentiful but few people ever use those blocks. Almost all go with a 383 stroker to avoid overheating problems inherent to thin jacket 400 blocks.

Other similar evidence of this is steam holes for a 261 cubic inch inline Chevy six, a beefed up 235 engine. Those steam holes are there for a reason; overheating.

Physical science is also instructive on this. Radiator coolant is usually under pressure, 7 psi to 14 psi is typical. Significant heat is require to form a steam pocket within a liquid which is under pressure. This is the reason for those steam holes, to keep from blowing a head gasket or cracking a block; a pressure relief valve like on a steam pressure cooker.

Science related to thermodynamics is also instructive. A thicker cylinder wall retains heat better inside a cylinder allowing heat to be exhausted through an exhaust manifold. Thinner cylinder walls, just the opposite; more heat is transferred into the block and head coolant passages.

A nifty visual confirmation is comparing cast iron exhaust headers to thin steel tubular exhaust headers. A cast iron header (manifold) will almost never glow from heat. Thin steel tubular headers instantly begin to glow.

High performance headers, tube type, are often jet coated (ceramic) to better retain heat so an engine compartment is not fried. Ceramic spark plug covers are very popular for the same reason as are specialty wrapped spark plug wires; too prevent melting from red hot headers.

All a matter of simple science.

Billyray

7 psi of steam pressure will blow a head gasket - but 800 psi of combustion pressure won't?
The steam is being relieved from the water jacket... back into the water jacket. It's a closed system, and all water passages are connected to each other.
The surface area touching water of a thick cylinder wall and a thin cylinder wall are exactly the same. What's different? The extra wall thickness allows heat to be conducted faster within the casting.

Panic asks, "7 psi of steam pressure will blow a head gasket - but 800 psi of combustion pressure won't?"

Dynamics of this do not quite work that way. Pockets of super heated steam gradually erode the weakest points. This is the head gasket joint, head gasket material itself. Effect is much like the old fashion way of installing finished upholstery. This is to dump your upholstery material into a steamer, this softens the upholstery material which is then quickly slipped over a seat frame. This material cools and shrinks for a snug fit.

Contrasting this, steam within a head repeatedly softens head gasket material, including copper, slowing eating away at the integrity of the gasket through repeated expansion and contraction beyond tolerance limits. In time, a leak develops. This is your common blown head gasket; coolant and steam come out of your exhaust pipe.

Another factor is you are forgetting a liquid, such as mixed water and coolant, is highly compressible. Most of the pressure from a steam pocket is simply absorbed by the coolant compressing. Should pressure become high enough, a radiator safety valve will open releasing both pressure and coolant. This is the need for an overflow tank, beyond normal expansion of coolant.

You write, "It's a closed system...." Not quite. Closed until pressure exceeds the safety valve rating in a radiator cap. Same principle as freeze plugs which pop out under pressure from a 10% expansion of the _water_ part of coolant freezing.

Compare this to the inner workings of a cylinder and a piston. We all know the four strokes. Difference here is pressure is deliberately created and there is no liquid to absorb this pressure, just steel pounding out horsepower and torque. Good quality head gaskets have a copper ring or a steel ring around each cylinder opening to reinforce this area. This prevents compression from blowing through. Cylinders, pistons and head gaskets are designed to handle this pressure.

Water passages are not designed for high steam pressure. However, it is this slow erosion of a head gasket around water jackets which is the problem; a head gasket slowly weakens.

Yet another factor is where a steam pocket exists, a head and a block are super heated further causing gasket degrading. Steam does not conduct away heat, not like a liquid. Where this steam pocket exists, is much like have no coolant; the metal becomes super hot. Exasperating this is a steam pocket will block coolant flow like vapor lock in a fuel line. This further adds to overheating in specific areas.

A comparison is hot water sitting in your water heater. Calm and quiet when heat is not applied although water may be circulating, a valve open somewhere. When the gas fires up, your water heater takes to gurgling; pockets of steam. Enough steam will cause your spigot or shower to blow out pops and bursts. Home water heaters have safety pressure valves just like a radiator cap, and for the same reason.

All of this circles back to why some heads have steam holes. A manufacturer, such as GM, invests a lot of money into design, foundry work, casting molds, machine work and such. Designing a new engine costs millions. To save money, GM will use an existing engine model and make modifications which only require machine work, maybe drilling, to allow a change, such as more cubic inches, more horsepower, whatever. There is always drawbacks to changes like this. Clearly, steam holes are added to a basic head and block in anticipation of overheating problems. What is really needed is a redesigned head and block but this is too costly.

A classic example of this, a mistake which is truly beyond understanding, is the original GM production V-8 engine, the 265. Production of this engine only lasted two years, 1955 - 1956. This short of a lifespan is unheard of. Primary reason for this is lack of a facility for an oil filter. In 1957, GM introduced its 283 engine which has the oil filter facility we all know so well; bad location, hard to change but at least on a vertical axis. GM could not easily add an oil filter facility to a 265 so no choice but to redesign this engine; the 283.

Panic, addition of steam holes to the 400 small block and to the 261 inline six is a quick fix, an afterthought. This opened up a wider market by offering more power, but overheating was an inherent problem caused by cutting corners or, in this case, drilling holes. The 400 block did not work out so well, became an unpopular engine because of overheating. The 261 inline six became very popular simply because overheating has never been a problem for the 235 nor the 261; heavy metal quality production.

An odd problem with the 235 / 261 engine is both are known for running too cold, hard to warm up. This is a benefit and a factor in why those engines seem to last forever. Mechanics behind this is both inline six blocks are thick and well made. However, the 235 does have a longer life expectancy than a 261 because of a slightly lower operating temperature for the 235, but when a well tended engine lasts for a century, who cares about a five or ten year difference in life expectancy?

We do care when a steam holed engine blows a head gasket every five years or so, as with the 400 small block. Fix is very simple, build a 383, a highly popular engine for a clear reason.

Billyray

Sorry, water (and most liquids) is generally considered incompressible.
And if adding steam holes fixes the problem, quick or otherwise, then it's fixed. 400's are very popular with the mudding crowd around here...most cubes from a (light weight) screamin' small block. Any overheating is due to radiator plugging!
Too many variables to condemn an engine design because of a relatively few bad experiences. I've seen 350's & 383's blow up because the drivers didn't know how to use what they had, or the builder didn't pay attention to detail.

cm

Since RED65STEPSIDE asked about his 283, I would respond that he is probably on the right track. I don't know about the specific cam he has picked out. I would suggest that if you are going to build a 283...keep it simple.

Keep the carb on the smaller side, choose an RV cam, and bore as needed (don't bore it out just because). A stock HEI ignition would be fine. Run some 2 1/2" ram horns and a dual muffled exhaust. It will last a long time and run great.

If you want torque or horsepower, build a 350 block and stick your money into that instead. You can still find 350 blocks for $40-$150.

Sorry, wayyy too much nonsense to address directly.
When you say things like this: "a liquid, such as mixed water and coolant, is highly compressible" you've left the planet.

starfire4 writes, "water (and most liquids) is generally considered incompressible."

For trivia, if compressed enough, water can be turned to ice and will expand by 10%. Ice is often made by young students during lab using a simple piston, cylinder and heavy hammer.

Although extreme pressure is require, water can be compressed as much as 5%. Within an engine, .01% to .03% compression would not be all this uncommon, even if for brief moments of time.

However, in its gaseous state, water can be compressed by thousands of percent. This is why air compressors need to be drained of water on a periodic basis. Part of this is condensation inside a tank although the compressed air is warmed or even heated by the compression process. Part of this is simply squeezing moisture out of air through compression.

Steam is highly compressible. This term "compressible" is very relative to context of function. You are thinking within a context function of only liquid water.

starfire4 adds, "...if adding steam holes fixes the problem, quick or otherwise, then it's fixed."

You are assuming any given fix is a correct fix. If this could be true, we would not make so many mistakes when working on our vehicles -- best laid plans of mice and men.

A quote for you,

"...engineers at Fel-Pro have developed a solution to solve this overheating problem with some 400 engines. The procedure is designed to place more coolant around the adjacent exhaust ports to prevent creation of steam that hurts the cooling process...."

- John Lingenfelter, "John Lingenfelter on Modifying SB Chevy Engines", 1996

"...prevent creation of steam that hurts the cooling process...."

The mere presence of added steam holes in a 400 small block directly points to an overheating problem. This steam should not be generated in the first place; there should be no need for steam holes, if an engine is properly designed.

Billyray

Panic, there's an old saying here in Tennessee- - - -"Never get in a whizzing contest with a skunk!"

Jerry

300+ HP from a 283? Yup! GM did it in 1961. A factory 283 with 315 HP. They made 600 of em, most of which were installed in Corvettes. As I recall, it was a fuelie with aluminum heads and a special Dontov cam.

Good Luck

PS: Is a 283 still a 283 if its stroked? I'm thinking not.

GOOD LANDS!!!!! What a wonderfull responce I have got from all of you! I have been gone since I posted this request, and just now was able to come back & check it. I was expecting maybe 1 or 2 posts, but 3 PAGES! WOW!
I can not begin to thank you guys enough for the great info & help. It is very trully appreciated!
Thanks Guys!

OK Guys. Upon re-reading all of the past post's on this topic, here is some more info:
1) I was not wanting a "racing motor"
2) I do not want to change from the factory heads
3) The truck will be used for 'crusin, car shows, and will also have to pull a car dolly with a 5200 lb Isuzu Trooper on the dolly. (It's my off road toy on 33", fixing to go to 35" mud tires with a very soon to be turbo'd 3.2L v-6 )
Not really going to be much of a daily driver as I had orriginaly set out to build, since I started this restoration, I have been given a company truck to drive every day.
I insist on useing the 700R4. By the way: Someone said the 700R4 weighed 200+ lbs. That absolutly can not be tru, as I am 5'11" and only weigh 175 lbs, yet when I bought the 700R4 from the auto recycling place, I picked the transmission up all by myself and set in in the back of my 1 ton dodge dually. Yse, it was heavy, but I know if it was more than 150ish lbs, I could not have picked it up without help. But that's a mute point.
Maybe, just maybe he was referring to it with the torque converter & all fluid in it installed in the truck. I dont remember what the torque converter weighed, but it was not too terribally light itself as a remember! lol.

ANYWHHHOOOOOO, back on topic:
I, after reading the past posts, am now thinking very strongly of finding a good 350 motor instead. It will take a good deal of power to pull the 5500lbs behind the truck at 60 mph, and from what I am reading, it sounds like it is going to max out the 283 in dooing so.

So go with the 350???????????

Yes. A 350 would be the easiest/cheapest way to make HP and torque.

RED65STEPSIDE comments, "Someone said the 700R4 weighed 200+ lbs. That absolutly can not be tru...."

TH700R4 - Automatic Transmission Package
$2,900.00
* Complete GM TH700R4 Automatic Transmission Package
Part #TH700R4 (TH700R4)
Weight 250 lbs

Bowtie Truck Parts

Billyray

That is shipping weight including packaging

Superfly comments, "That is shipping weight including packaging"

Pallet, couple of straps and bubble wrap, what do you think, maybe 10 pounds?

Slice and dice this anyway you like, an automatic transmission like the 700-R4 is huge and heavy, way over 200 pounds.

Nothing wrong with an automatic trans, just doesn't seem fittin' to not have a tall stick shift in a truck. Maybe I've been rodeo riding too many years and have plumb lost my good sense.

Billyray

Over the years i have picked up and moved things that were too heavy for one man to do alone. After you know how heavy something is you won't attempt it, but ignorance is bliss sometimes, especially when you are left alone to a task you shouldn't be able to handle alone.

FriedGreenTmater quips, "After you know how heavy something is you won't attempt it...."

I don't mind rolling under a truck then bench pressing out an old three speed stick, even one with a tailhousing overdrive. Easy enough, well, easy enough when I was a young spry rooster.

Working with a big truck four speed, I get to looking for my roll around transmission jack and am very mindful of my fingers.

Looking up at an automatic transmission, I take to thinking about road kill possum.

Best toy I bought for myself, FriedGreenTmater, is a professional level car lift. Should have done this years back but I was young then, thought myself a Brahman bull. What a treat to be able to walk around under a truck on a car lift.

Here is photo of our car lift I installed then added homemade drive-on ramps. You should get one for yourself, you will like this:

Old Man Car Lift

Billyray

That is nice. Nice piece on it too. I have been considering a lift but haven't seen the stimulus yet.

This is one of the places I would stick a 455ci Buick. If not, perhaps a 383 crate motor.

Good luck

I vote for the 383 stroker, Throw a set of upgraded Vortec heads on her, Isky 270 Mega cam, Edlebrock RPM Airgap, Holley 750, Headers with true dual exhaust, Good HEI, and you will have a motor that will pull what ya got, yet still a cruiser. Make sure you get a 2200 stall and have the 700R4 set correctly and the TVS cable.

Keep us posted. The build I just gave you is mild and very streetable yet lots of power.

you can buy 300hp 350's in a crate.

I am with Jerry, doable in a 283, however way more expensive than needed. Street power and track power are two different things

my vote, just bolt in a bigger Gen 2 or 3 SBC and be done, or put in a Diesel.

you can get tired of a diesel after a while
ron

I beg to differ, I never get tired of a diesel. then again, I like all forms of Suck-Squish-Bang-Blow

I did run a 453 detroit in mine for 19 years. don't get me wromg , it was and si a good motor . it is just getting a new venue in a ford. the noise finally got me. my driving has gotten to the point that I didn't go far enough anymore to get it up to operating temp and that is no good for them. in all that time it was just changing filters and an oil cooler due to a leak. I put a 283 back in. I also took between 8 and 900 lbs off of the frt end. it came up 2 3/4" when I took the detroit out and only went back down 1/4" with the 283.
ron