Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

Comparatively the difference between the old power pack heads and the 305 heads is minimal. Combustion chamber on the 283 is 60cc compared to 58cc on the 305. Intake valve size is 1.72 on the 283 and 1.84 on the 305 heads.

IMHO you won't notice much difference between the two, and if you want it to look "period correct" you'll need to deal with the accessory holes in the front of the new heads. You'll also want to make sure you get don't get the vortec version of the 305's...requires a manifold and valve cover change.

With regard to compression ratio, there is a .2 difference upwards if you use the 305 heads due to the smaller combustion chamber, assuming that matters to you.

if it were me, I'd stick with the 283 heads and use the money you would spend on 305 heads for a set of headers or a new intake etc.

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

That's the SAME intake I ran & the Rochester 4-jet fits on it. Also a WCFB carter fits, but DON"T mess with those! If you find a 327 intake that has the secondary bores larger than the primary then that intake fits an AFB. I prolly still have a 4-jet up in the barn, intakes, heads, a 360 Offy intake & I know I have a 283 / pg from a '64 Impala.

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

This was actually going to be my next question...

...how much of a difference would it REALLY make? I think you answered it.

I think I'll look for a nice dual plane intake manifold and a 500 cfm carb, size up a nice cam to pull it all together and a proper converter for the TH400. The engine doesn't need to be nasty and I simply need to be able to depend on it.

Question. (on a tangent) Wasn't there a factory AC option in 1964 for the C10's and C20's? How did the compressor mount? Not sure I've seen the setup? Comments about the 305 heads having the accessory mounting holes made me think of that...

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

JFYI, that 283 I had was in a pink & white '57 Chevy 210 sedan & would pull from the time you touched the throttle pedal. I ran a set of 3.55 gears during the week & swapped them to 4.88s on Friday after school. That cam had just a taste of lumpy idle & didn't loose so much vacuum that you had to start monkeying with the power enrichment valve / spring combo in the carb.

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

NEAT!! I love that!

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

305 heads have hardened seats for unleaded fuel too....

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

That's true. However unless they are truck heads with replaceable seats then they are only induction hardened & after the 1st valve job the benefit is negated. And I don't know for sure if 305 heads were ever produced with replaceable seats or not. Anybody know? I built a little 305 from an '85 Caprice police car & it had some really nice heads on it, don't remember the casting number though. I used the old 327 / 300 hp cam in it. That's a great stock cam that don't lope.

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

Looking like $6 a seat installed for hardened seats, with the guy that will do the heads. Seems decent.

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

Scooter, not all 305 heads are created equal. Run a Google on 416 chevy heads. Those are the desirable 305 heads. They come off the H.O model. As for manifolds, I use a Performer e.ps, but it has no provision for the oil fill spout, like older Performers do. (Which is kind of a bummer)

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

i couldn't agree more ^^^^ if you are gonna do any towing with a 283 you will want to get as much low end TQ as you can ... 283 do not produce very much TQ so headers would be a big help and power pack heads are great heads for what you want . you could also get some 1.6 rockers roller tip . would be a good improvement .. i dont know if you know this or not but all of the early 283 engines came with Steel forged cranks thats why you heaar so many stories like the guy with the 57 never blowing it they were very strong just not much for TQ . but a well built 283 will motor past a 350 alot of times .. you will want a dual plane manifold too

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

the TH400 good trans but not for the 283 the 400 robs power go with either a powerglide or a TH 350

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

The EPS is available with the oil fill tube.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/edl-2703

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

I agree.....but I would not consider a powerglide. A TH350, 700R4 or a manual 4 or 5 speed

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

That's true I didn't think about the 700r4 ... but also there is a well built 2004r which I like for 2 reasons 1 they are the same size as in length as the TH350 . So most times a shortened drive shafts is not required.. and 2 is that the gears of of a 2004r are the same as a TH350 so it shifts much better in the proper RPMS range alot of 700r4s have a huge drop in gearing from either 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 3rd it's been a while so not sure . But I'm sure captain knows what I'm getting at lol

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

Well damn, looks like I might have a used eps for sale. Just kidding, I've already went pcv in the valve cover and all so I'm not turning back. .......yet.

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

OH! Okay! I didn't realize that. Glad someone spoke up about that. A friend of mine was going to give me one that he wasn't using. I will refocus on a short tail TH350. Plenty of those laying around for cheap! I've had good luck with them, as well.

I appreciate the heads up on that. 200-4R is a great trans worth considering as well, I agree. They are pretty strong and I like that they're shorter.

Thanks guys! This thread has been super beneficial! So now it's sounding like I should stick with the PP heads and just have the seats done, look for headers, definitely do a dual plane intake and I'll probably just spring for a nice little Edelbrock 500 CFM carb or maybe a Carter AFB 450, then select a cam and and torque converter that's appropriate for that bundle of goodies.

Good stuff guys!

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

I thought of another question... RADIATOR! I'm guessing the I6 radiator is going to be too small for the 283. I figured I would just look for a C10/C20 radiator intended for a stock 283/327 arrangement. Is there other radiator options, maybe from a Chevy II, or something similar that will bolt up and be obtainable without killing the wallet?

Intakes. I've just been looking at basic Edelbrock Performer 2101 intakes. Any other intakes to consider? Weiand? Something else? It's going to get painted and dressed to look stock (as much as possible), so I'm not worried too much about finish as I am just overall form and function.

Speaking of finish... does anyone have a paint code for the original 283 grey-blue paint color or something close?

HEADERS! Should I go full headers? If so, what would get the job done here? I'm liking this idea...

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

Scooter,

You should try and determine what your rear axle ratio is before plunking down money for a cam....unless you are considering the 200r4 trans. I suspect the axle ratio is 3.73. What are the RPM's of the 6 cylinder at 55 or 60MPH?

If your RPMS at 60 are 2500? then you might consider a cam that has a cruise range somewhere near that number, for the best power and economy, or starts to build power around 1500-1800 rpm.

Should you opt for an overdrive trans like the 200r4, then a smaller cam is in order. Something with a cruise range closer to 1800-2000 rpm.

Basically, you almost have to work backwards from the rear axle, trans, etc. and build the motor to that end. Too many guys have put a large cam in a small motor with 3.00 gears and then wonder why the truck is a dog off the line, and then runs a like a scalded ape from 2300 rpms on up. Torque is what you want for a street truck, especially with light towing in the mix. Just my opinion, not gospel.

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

You are correct and I should have thought of that. In fact I was thinking that there might even be some TH350's with a better gear set, but I'm not sure on that either. The 200-4r trans really isn't that much more. Only added oddness will be the TV cable, I suppose.

I have never driven the truck. It came to me with a questionable I6 and I had the 283 sitting there, so I decided to spend money on the 283 instead of the I6. The truck is a 1964 standard C10 1/2 ton short bed. No deluxe anything. I would assume 3.73:1.

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

Scooter, Edelbrock says the Performer eps offers 5 h.p and 9 ft.lb over the original. http://www.edelbrock.com/media/news/...ve/070908.html looks like the tube model came out later, maybe thats why I "missed the boat"

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

Let us know what cam you decided on. Crane suggested a nostalgia cam comparable to the 327/300 HP cam for my 283 build

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

im sorry i just noticed that you question about a radiator has not been addressed yet this will work for you https://www.speedcooling.com/1963_19..._Radiator.html

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

Interesting! I will check that out for sure! Thank you for the heads up!

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

Great! Thank you for the heads up!

Re: 283 and a Slight Hop Up
 

Whoa! OKAY! Now you're speaking my language! That's a good deal right there. Anyone used one of these?