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Apr 26th, 2026 | | AD Chevy Trucks  Over 6,000 pictures Brad Allen has an awesome collection of Chevrolet factory pictures that he has set up from film strips. Check them out!
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| | | | Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 283 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 283 | What was the difference between a normal 283 and a heavy duty 283, between the years 1955 and 1959? | | | | | Joined: Jul 2001 Posts: 3,887 Cruising in the Passing Lane | | Cruising in the Passing Lane Joined: Jul 2001 Posts: 3,887 | there was no 283 until mid-57, then the 3 different 283s weren't really much different, mostly the name  Bill | | | | | Joined: May 2006 Posts: 8,351 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: May 2006 Posts: 8,351 | If you're talking truck 283s, according to the manual, looks like compression ratio (8.5 on LD, 8.0 on HD), camshaft timing, and the oil pan (5 vs 6 quart capacity). It should be noted, there were no 283s in '55-56, and in '57 it was only available in 2 ton and larger in trucks, US pickups and 1.5 tons didn't get them until '58.
Bill Burmeister
| | | | | Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 283 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 283 | If you're talking truck 283s, according to the manual, looks like compression ratio (8.5 on LD, 8.0 on HD), camshaft timing, and the oil pan (5 vs 6 quart capacity). It should be noted, there were no 283s in '55-56, and in '57 it was only available in 2 ton and larger in trucks, US pickups and 1.5 tons didn't get them until '58. There was a quadjet carb available, did it matter which engine option or was the carb it's own option? Is interesting because there were 2 different engine colors, for the HD vs LD. | | | | | Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 326 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 326 | I don't think that the Quadrajet came out until the 60's. The 4 barrel on the 1957 283 was probably a Carter. There was also a dual 4 barrel and fuel injection option for the cars only.
SimS | | | | | Joined: Mar 2009 Posts: 788 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Mar 2009 Posts: 788 | the early 4 brl was a rochester 4gc
ron | | | | | Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 283 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 283 | the early 4 brl was a rochester 4gc
ron Was the 4 barrel a separate option or was it part of the HD engine? | | | | | Joined: Jul 2001 Posts: 3,887 Cruising in the Passing Lane | | Cruising in the Passing Lane Joined: Jul 2001 Posts: 3,887 | the Roch was optional on all V8s, car [4GC] and truck [4G] ... the shop manual is an excellent resource for anyone with an old truck curious about details, it covers all the bases Bill | | | | | Joined: Jul 2002 Posts: 165 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jul 2002 Posts: 165 | I beleive a 283 with 4 barrel came with a different cam and heads and distributor also. | | | | | Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 326 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 326 | I think the 4 barrel option was called "Power Pack". Jeez the 50+ year ago memories are fading fast. I think the heads were something different for sure. As a street racing kids in the 60's we were always looking at the casting marks in the front of the heads to determine the "hot setup". I think this was the case for cars. I don't know if the trucks got the "power pack" stuff.
SimS | | | | | Joined: May 2006 Posts: 8,351 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: May 2006 Posts: 8,351 | Depending on the year, the Power Pack option could be either a singe 4bbl or dual 4bbls, with special heads and camshaft. To my knowlege, there was no Power Pack type option for trucks, there was a 4bbl option on the Taskmaster 283, which would make it a Super Taskmaster. That engine was only found in 2 ton and larger trucks.
Bill Burmeister
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