Improving a 283

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by RustyPile

It was a common knowledge that 283 blocks made before 1959 could be bored .125" producing a 4" bore. The rules at the time were a "loose" weight per cubic inch limit. Actual displacement wasn't a factor, only the engine's designed displacement.. In the class I competed, stroking wasn't allowed.. The formula they used gave the 283, aka 301, a tremendous weight break over a 327. As I stated, it also allowed much larger valves.

I certainly remember the 301 craze, but wasn't sure which year blocks would work. In the late 60s I actually bought a 283 block that had been bored to 4". When I took it home and pressure washed it, I discovered a crack in the lifter valley, probably from someone running little to no antifreeze. I then took it back to the junkyard and got another 283 block.

I wanted to go to 4", just to say I had a 301, but the machinist talked me out of it, so it became a 292. With Power Pack heads and stock valves, a 301 probably wouldn't have worked any better. Wish I could remember all the parts, but I do recall it having domed pistons and some kind of Isky or Erson cam. Oh, and Hedman 4-into-2 headers!