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283 engine

11K views 25 replies 10 participants last post by  cobalt327 
#1 ·
Building a 1962 chev ss impala convertible, Currently has original 283 bored 040 with 461 fuelie heads, and power glide, Thinking i want more hp. Do i dump the 283 and go 350?? Wanting a stock look with a drop and some wheels, Also thinking 4-speed, is this 283 gonna be hot roddy enough? Not wanting a drag car but a little hot rod, I havent heard this run its been sitting a while and i just tore eng, doen to see what the bore was,
Any advice Thanks:)
 
#2 ·
I love the 283.Not a big horse power producer.It depends what you want though.For me and a nostalic Impala,I would use a saginaw 3 speed floor shift and a 260 horse 283. A 350 would out perform the 283 in every way and be cheaper.A 283 can make north of 360 horses but it would need some RRRRRs to make the power and torque would be nothing special
what do you want in your car? we will help with ideas
 
#3 ·
Thanks for reply, Not sure what im wanting, Do want the muncie 4-speed, The 283 is there and bored 040, ,cylinder walls are spotless, have the fuelie 461 heads,, iguess what im asking is this 283 gonna have any ump to it?? If i kept what cam would work?
 
#4 ·
You cam make over 400 hp from a 283. Do you want a radical,cantankerous,not so street friendly engine with rough idle,that performs like a daily driver 350/383? Do you like a 250/275 horse fun to drive,zippy 283 that sounds a lot tougher than it is? A 220 horse 283 that purrs,gets decent mileage and looks era correct?
or that 350/383 mentioned above?
 
#6 ·
461s on a 283 would be fine.make sure the chambers are 64cc. A little porting would not hurt.(little) nothing to not much on the intake side,leaning towards nothing.
What type of camshaft do you like using? what type of drive are you,generally speaking.

Quick recipe with out YET matching the parts,just a general recipe to start talking about,,,,
I would recommend or use,,, a 650 holley double pumper,or something similar size that you prefer(IE 650 edelbrock), performer intake, camshaft would be something like
110991-08 CL110991-08 275 275 221 221 .470 .470 108 104 Hyd. Hyd. 1
1700-5700 Good low & mid-range horsepower. Needs 4 barrel & headers.
this cam would let a 283 rev to 6400
9.2 ish:1 compression ratio,1 5/8 headers,roller rockers,1 5/8 long tube headers.
I would really like to see some improvements in rear gear ratio maybe 3.90 and a posi. a 4 speed with the lower 2.54 first gear.
lets start talking from here
 
#11 ·
Not here to argue with Fbird,but I disagree with using a short duration high lift cam and a lot of porting on the GM 461s. You do not need that much head flow and you do not want to open the intake runners. The 461s will flow 200 plus CFM on the intake side {plenty for a 283).I would use a lower lift cam,again,its a small engine does not need huge flow. I would use a little more duration( like I posted) to give the cylinders "time" to fill at higher RPMs. I would use a low intake center line cam,as most engine builders use in smaller engines.
porting the exhaust side is good in any GM head. If you decide on a roller cam(very good choice,but costs a little more) I would use similar specs,of course the lift will be slightly higher.
The 461s can be used with 2.02 valves.
If you decide at any time that you will rev the engine past 6500 rpm,then a rod upgrade is in order.

re disguising a 350 as a 283,,,not possible. You have to decide what engine and why you want it. A stockish 350/383 will get there and probably a lot quicker.
 
#12 ·
I reiterate,not here to argue.
I would not open the intake side,for velocity in port.235 cfm will support up to 500 plus horse power,Im thinking 260 plus horse power.That is why I would not port the intake side .If there was a problem on the intake side I would fix it,nothing else. 2.02 valves fit on a 283. 461s can be finished at or close to 64CCs .porting exhaust side is self explanatory. 112 lda? please explain how that would work on a 6500 RPM 283?

If I was building a 420 horse power 283,I would use heads that flow 240 cfm and still use an intake center line at 102-105.If I use a carb bigger than a 4777 ( 650 double pumper)I would use a 4777 with a base plate off a 4781 (850 double pumper base plate) If you look at my ideas you will see that I mostly recommend items that are high velocity (moderate/small ports,carb with small venturi,moderate lift cam, 2.02 valve with small ports and lower lift) the flow numbers are plenty to support 300 HP. If you have a 283 engine that make 250 plus horse power at 6500 rpm,you also get extremely responsive throttle and the lower ICL makes for the punchie power band that makes a small engine fun to drive. The idle would be a little lumpy but not obnoxious like some of the silly 300 duration hydraulic flat tappet cams.
I admit that no engine combo is perfect,but if I can borrow from the master,Mr Tech,combination combination
 
#14 ·
AP72 why dont you post a recipe for a 250 plus horse power 283? and explain the parts list.
anyone else that has a formula also jump in, there are many ways to skin a cat.
remember its a 3 inch stroke engine and a heavy car.Not a race car.
We all might learn something
 
#16 ·
Well im kinda confused in all the responses, Vinnie i think i like your thinking on the most part, Im gonna go with your liking, Maybe spell it all out on how you would do this,
Im gonna do the muncie 4-speed, I will gear it and posi, Just looking for a hot rod cruser, Didnt mention this thing has factory air, Kinda wanting to leave it intact and get cooling. Thanks for all the help from everone,
vinnie thanks somuch
 
#17 ·
Heres what I m using. Ive got 283 .030 over flatops with eyebrows Heads are basically stock with Scorpion 1.5 rockers, screw in studs and a nice 3 angle valve job. Cam is the 098 Chevrolet solid lifter cam profile from Lunati. Not sure if they call that the Fuelie cam or not. ARP bolts throughout. This motor's in a Jersey Skiff, 300-310 HP or so. Its what the rules require for the class.We run it 6500 rpm all day long.
 
#18 ·
kcsodafiz
looks like you have 2 helpers here ,now. We need to see where you want to be,not just a horse power number,but how you want the car to perform.remember a 283 is not a torquey engine andwill need to rev a little to feel the horse power. I started with a mild 283 and transmission/gear combo,did you like that? want more or less ,,,,something?
Richiehd is good and even if the 2 of us dont 100% agree,we will get you where you need to be.Hopefully Tech will get in here with some math help,,
 
#19 ·
Torque, torque, torque.

Unless you want to NEED 4:1-plus rear gears, build a 350-plud displacement engine or an LS. With the weight of that car you want torque at a reasonably low rpm, and a 283 is going to be down on low end torque (and basically torque everywhere- even at peak) compared to a 350-plus SBC or even a 4.8L LS and I don't care who tries to tell you different.

Now, if you can deal w/4:1-plus rear gears, then fine and dandy. But I guarantee you, you'll rue the day if you ever have to cover any real distance on the open road.
 
#20 ·
OK, if I didn't give a hoot about the fact that most everyone on this board was suggesting a mild 350.....and I just had to have a 283, this is what I might do with it. Damn the cost, full speed ahead.......
Check main bearing bores for being round and parallel. Correct as necessary.
Bore and hone cylinders for +0.060", using torque plates and the proper stone and procedures for the rings used.
Registering off main saddle, cut block decks for 9.002" block deck height.
Use these pistons....
KB Pistons for Automotive Applications
With these gaskets....
Fel-Pro Performance Head Gaskets Q1003 - SummitRacing.com
To bolt on these heads....
Trick Flow® Super 23® 175 Cylinder Heads for Small Block Chevrolet TFS-30310001 - SummitRacing.com

Rebuilt Chevy 5.7 SJ rods will work fine, or you could opt for some bulletproof hardware like these offerings from Scat....
Scat Pro Stock I-Beam Connecting Rods 2570020P - SummitRacing.com

Mount this carburetor.....
Summit Racing® Remanufactured Quadrajet Carburetors SUM-210216 - SummitRacing.com
(Chosen for the tiny little primary throttle bores)
Onto this spread-bore Weiand Street Warrior intake manifold....
Weiand Street Warrior intake Manifolds 8126 - SummitRacing.com
Power range, 1500 to 5500, matches the camshaft operating range....

Install this cam straight up on the marks.....
12-210-2 - HIGH Energy
Or this cam....
12-210-2 - HIGH Energy
Or this cam....
113941+crane+cam - JEGS High Performance....
Or this cam....
Melling 22203 hydraulic flat tappet
214/224, 288/298, 0.444"/0.466", 107/117/112, intake closes 34 @0.050"
Or any other cam that you like that has these kinds of numbers....
With these lifters....either original or V-Max. Call Rhoads and talk to them about the best choice for your combination. 520-229-9375....
Part Numbers

Use 1 5/8" long-tube headers with X or H pipe before the mufflers.
Use 14" x 3" or 4" air filter element.

Find true TDC #1 while you are reassembling the motor. Mark the damper if it is off or buy a rebuilt damper from these guys.....
Damper Doctor Online - Your source for Harmonic Balancers, Motor Mounts, & Drive Shaft Supports

Static compression ratio with 56cc heads, 6cc flat-tops, 5.8cc gaskets, 0cc piston deck height and 597.9 cc's in the cylinder will be 9.81:1. Dynamic compression ratio above 3500 rpm's will be 8.580:1 with the intake closing at 35 ABDC @0.050" tappet lift. Dynamic compression ratio between just above idle and 3500 rpm's will be roughly 8.81:1, factoring in a 10 point drop in duration and figuring that the intake valve will be closing closer to 30 degrees before the lifters pump up than the 35 degrees after the lifters pump up. Not trying to muddy up the water, just taking another route.

After reading DCR results from several board members lately, I think I have been leaving some on the table using 8.5 as a good figure off the KB calculator and that with the very tight 0.038" squish (piston pops out of the deck by 0.003" with a 0.041" gasket), this motor should run fine on pump gas. I have seen fellows running 8.9 on the KB calculator with no detonation on pump gas, but I have been reluctant up to this point to use a higher DCR than 8.5.
 
#21 ·
Tech,I really like the heads you posted.I would use a little more cam myself as I posted before.Not saying either of us is wrong,just thought longer legs would be nice to go with a little more gear. I chose the slightly lower icl and closer lda to get that little punch when the cam comes on from 3-6.
Different colour cat.
 
#22 ·
Tech,I really like the heads you postd.I would use a little more cam myself as I posted before.Not saying either of us is wrong,just thought longer legs would be nice to go with a little more gear. I chose the slightly lower icl and closer lda to get that little punch when the cam comes on from 3-6.
Different colour cat.
As you and I have agreed, there's more than one way to skin a cat.
 
#23 ·
To be fair, only two (me and da34guy) recommended a bigger engine. One other member added he used a 350 to look like a 283 but didn't make a recommendation to the OP to do the same thing, per se. This is a common tatic, even the post linked to below has a recommendation to use a 400 made to resemble a 283. :mwink:

Heck even a 327 (which was an option in '62 if originality is an issue) would be a step in the right direction as far as low end torque goes.

If it wasn't for the ~3750 lbs. curb weight, I might feel differently. If this was a Chevy II I wouldn't hesitate to use a 283.

Anyway, here's a thread w/a dynosim for a 525 hp 283: http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/283-performance-engine-build-173883-3.html
 
#24 ·
Is this 62 SS got a console shift pg.? If it does, why not leave it looking stock and replace the tranny with a updated tranny. No matter what motor you put into it, you would have more gears to work with and still have it look stock. I'm not sure if the 700 r4 tranny would fit because of it size, but a 200 4r would. That way you can run your low 4.10 gears and have 4th gear overdrive for the road. There is a company that makes new indicatior conversions for the old consols. If you change it to a muncie 4 speed, you have to change alot of things. Its sound like a good project. My best wishes on your project
 
#25 ·
Whatever you did, I would keep it looking stock anyhow with the intake-mount breather, etc., that rules out any block or heads after '68 whatever the size.

I think "built-283" just seems right in a car of that era. Maybe just use a Richmond 5-speed with it's low first gear, to get rolling w/ some revs, and keep a "normal" rear gear as you say you want a cruiser. (Downside being the Richmond shifter position is back a ways.)
 
#26 ·
A 283 could get by w/a T-5, for that matter. Small, light, plentiful, cheap, and has OD.

A .86:1 OD will pull a 4.11 down to a ~3.5:1. I wouldn't go much lower than that w/a 'cammed up' 283 else you might find it won't pull OD at a reasonable speed w/o lugging. If using an OD like .72:1 the rear gear needs to be correspondingly lower to match, like a 4.88 (gives about a 3.5:1 final).
 
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