305 parts on 283

[EmJay]

First post in this forum. Have to say, been a lurker here for a number of years.

On topic, I have a 283 v8 that I have mounted in a project of mine. It has the power pack heads on it, stock Chevy intake, roller rocker valve covers, HEI dizzy, and an Edelbrock 650 CFM 4bbl. It was in a beat to crap "drag car". Anyways It runs good, leaks very little oil, and exhaust sounded nice in the donor car. I like it. Not extreme power, but enough for my little Japanese truck and Dana 44 axles . If anyone is interested I can share build details in the appropriate section.

Anyways, a buddy of mine got a worn out 305 for free. He was going to build it up, but decided instead to scrap it out because he has too many other projects going on. It has an Edelbrock intake on it.

#1, would it be worth it for me to take the 305 heads on it and to put them on my 283 (at a later date)
#2, will the Edelbrock intake fit on my 283?
#3, is there a strong demand for the power pack heads in 2017?
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[Marv D]

#1 IMO if you have a boat,,, and need an anchor

#2 Yes, BUT, it eliminates the breather tube / oil fill If you have the 50's / 60's script rocker covers with no oil fill and no PCV ,, .............. You can plug the old road draft breather and go to a PCV and modern rocker covers. The very early covers were stagared bolts and wont fit the late heads.

#3 To restorers,, but otherwise the small valve small chamber small runner,,, is a 3/4 century old design that is BLOWN AWAY by modern heads. So for a power enthusiast,, NO, for a restorer building a 2x4 1955 chevy straight axle 283 / 4spd cruiser car... .YUP maybe but not a lot of $'s there.

[Tom]

What are roller rocker valve covers? Thats combining two different components....
Powerpack heads are not worth anything. Yes the intake will physically bolt up, and I have no idea if 305 heads are anything better. Probably but not by much would be my guess. 283's are cool, keep er running!

[EmJay]

#1, thanks for fast responses.
#2, sorry if I used wrong terminology. I'm more used to inline diesels and small J spec 4 cylinders. Second ever v8 I've ever owned, first one I've used in a swap and significantly worked on. For the valve covers, they are older, but taller Edelbrock covers I was told were commonly used for roller rockers. I will see if I can find a picture. Since Photobucket gave the finger to their users Ive had to learn new ways of sharing photos.
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[EmJay]

Hope these pictures help. My project is at my buddy's house because he has a flat driveway and mine resembles a cliff.

And yes, I know I need to shorten my cables.
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[AcampoDave]

Emjay, some 305 heads are better than others. Check the part # and run a google search. I use the ones ending in 416 on my 283 and they are a step up from power packs due to larger valves, hardened seats, and threaded accessory bosses. They have a small chamber like your power packs so the compression ratio stays about the same too. They have been known to crack so if your part # is a winner, get them checked before spending $ on them.

[EmJay]

Originally Posted by AcampoDave

Emjay, some 305 heads are better than others. Check the part # and run a google search. I use the ones ending in 416 on my 283 and they are a step up from power packs due to larger valves, hardened seats, and threaded accessory bosses. They have a small chamber like your power packs so the compression ratio stays about the same too. They have been known to crack so if your part # is a winner, get them checked before spending $ on them.

Good to know they are prone to cracking. According to my buddy, the motor ran hot a couple times. We worked it out that I'm going to buy the intake and get the heads thrown in for scrap metal.
For me, worst case is I give em to a friend to use as an anchor for his fishing boat, best case I get an easier setup for AC. For the time being I'm content running the power pack heads.
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[AcampoDave]

All right, I'm curious as to what part # you find on the heads. For no reason other than "inquiring minds want to know". Good luck with your project.

[GASoline71]

Those valve covers are just the Edelbrock 2 piece covers. Nothing special about them. Lots of them out there.

Gary

[EmJay]

#1, re: heads, when I get them, I'll let ya know. I may even post a pic or two.
#2, re: valve covers, good to know. At least they are pretty.
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[68gmsee]

EmJay, in case you weren't aware:

To include a pic on your post, upload it with the attachment paper clip. On the pop up window "browse" for your pic. If it is larger than the 100 KB you can resize it with a free program or app for your application. Just search for "photo resizer".

[EmJay]

Originally Posted by 68gmsee

EmJay, in case you weren't aware:

To include a pic on your post, upload it with the attachment paper clip. On the pop up window "browse" for your pic. If it is larger than the 100 KB you can resize it with a free program or app for your application. Just search for "photo resizer".

Did my photos not work? I apologize if they didn't.
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[68gmsee]

Originally Posted by EmJay

Did my photos not work? I apologize if they didn't.
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Yes, they did. I just mentioned it since you said photobucket had given us the finger and you had to find new ways to post pics. I didn't know if you were aware of this site's method.

[EmJay]

Let me know if I'm reading them wrong. Look like 416 heads? They seem pretty clean. Machine shop will tell me when I take em there, but there is no rush.
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[EmJay]

Originally Posted by EmJay

Let me know if I'm reading them wrong. Look like 416 heads? They seem pretty clean. Machine shop will tell me when I take em there, but there is no rush.
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Crappy internet connection at work didn't let me get photos. 4G LTE is so much better
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[Captainfab]

Yes those are 416 casting number heads. It is as simple as reading the complete casting number between the valve springs. Typically the last 3 numbers is the designation everyone goes by. Those should be a good set of heads for your 283 once they are rebuilt.

[AcampoDave]

Good score. Hope they check out clean for you.

[EmJay]

Me too. I'm not in a hurry for this yet. I'm not going to bother with swapping them until I can drive my truck. Current setup runs good, want a good baseline to compare against. Still too much to do on my build anyways, this is more of a future planning session.

Speaking of which, what's a good head gasket set to get for a 283 running 305 heads? Can I go to an O'Reillys and ask for a set from a 19xx Chevy ******? Or am I better off going to summit and getting a specific set?
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[AcampoDave]

I had troubles with Fel-Pro which struck me as odd because they've always worked well in the past. Then I took it to my machinist as i was questioning my own installation. Then, he had trouble with Fel-Pro same as me, so he installed Victor Reintz , performed a leak down test for confirmation, and all was a-o.k.. He and I were both left scratching our heads as to why, but since the problem was solved we both just kinda said " Whatever, I guess Victor Reitz head gaskets are better for putting 416 heads on a 283.." It still makes no sense to me., but like I said, "whatever" , the problem is solved. The part # for, the Victors was 95-3033VR.. However, that was for the full top end set I believe.