283 rebuild

[STL_66 Chevy]

i talked to a guy today about rebuilding my 283 for my 66.... his shop mainly does race engines and he wouldnt rebuild it to stock, but he said that he will rebuild it with a upgrade package that puts out 327hp for 2400.00. i was just wondering if you guys thought that was a fair price... that includes everything except the carb and ignition. i dont know too much about rebuilding engines and would like to keep my 283 rather than going to a 350 like everyone else (no offense!).... let me know what you guys think! thanks

[62 short step]

I think its a little steep, but thats me. I have a 283 in my truck also, and I love it. It could be a little stouter! Lets see what others think.

[jchav62]

It does seem a little steep at first, but if all you need to put on is a carb and distributor, that ain't all that bad... especially if he's souping it up a bit. Machine work isn't very cheap nowadays... in the long run, I say it's worth it....

[joe231]

327 hp for $2400 doesn't seem too bad, is there going to be a warranty? for that kinda money you should get at least a one year or 10,000 miles. imho

[62 short step]

Yea a warranty would sweetin the deal for sure!

[283 Man]

Sounds like pretty neat deal with warranty,I to have a 283 and I love it..

[STL_66 Chevy]

it slipped my mind to ask about a warranty! i was distracted by all the huge, shiny motors sitting around the shop!!! i will have to ask about it though before i do anything... also i was talking to him about carbs and he said that he wont use edlebrock! he said that no matter what jet kit you put in it always runs too rich... just one mans opinion but has anyone heard of this or have any experiences?
thanks for the responses....

[greg64]

Like some of you other guys, I have a 283 in my 64. It's fine for my needs (not building a drag racer). But, if you're going through the cost of a rebuild, something to consider is that you could build a stroker 383 for about the same cost as doing over your 283. But, the difference is that the 383 could easily build the same 327hp with even more torque in a more drivable package.

All I'm getting at is that if you're interested in more power anyway, the 383 is more bang for the same buck. If you're happy with your 283 and just want to freshen it up, that's good too.

[rcrahn]

We have a 1967 C20 that came with a 283. We have blown apart the truck (see Father & Son ROlling Chassis) and had the frame done by ChiefRocka.
I did look into rebuilding the 283. I contacted Chris at S&S Engine Manufacturing in Spokane,WA.
www.rebuilt-auto-engines.com
800.942.7800 ext 103
He quoted $1,128 for a rebuilt 283 with a $150 core charge. A 383 stroker is $1,717 with a $125 core charge. Engines have a 7 yr/70,000 mile warranty.

[62 short step]

Originally Posted by rcrahn

We have a 1967 C20 that came with a 283. We have blown apart the truck (see Father & Son ROlling Chassis) and had the frame done by ChiefRocka.
I did look into rebuilding the 283. I contacted Chris at S&S Engine Manufacturing in Spokane,WA.
www.rebuilt-auto-engines.com
800.942.7800 ext 103
He quoted $1,128 for a rebuilt 283 with a $150 core charge. A 383 stroker is $1,717 with a $125 core charge. Engines have a 7 yr/70,000 mile warranty.

Now that sounds like a deal to me!!

[STL_66 Chevy]

thanks rcrahn for the link.... that is a pretty good deal but i am going to have to do some research and see how much the rest of the tins, manifold,carb and all the other goodies would be... cause the 1200.00 price is just for a long block. but its still a good option! i would be fine with a stock rebuild but if i can get a little more HP for a reasonable price its not going to bother me a bit! thanks again!

[68c10owner]

you can get the GM 290hp 350 for about $1500. You can also get the vortec 330hp 350 for just over $2k. $2400 seems awful high to me whe you can get a stock gm 350 for half that. Plus any shop that won`t build a stock motor is one I would stay away from. Basicaly they are saying that there isn`t enough money in a stock build so may as well tell you that performance is all we build and charge you twice as much. 327hp from a 283 is great numbers but what about the torque? Going to need a pretty decent cam to get that much hp from the little motor. Just my opinion.

[greg64]

Originally Posted by 68c10owner

you can get the GM 290hp 350 for about $1500. You can also get the vortec 330hp 350 for just over $2k. $2400 seems awful high to me whe you can get a stock gm 350 for half that. Plus any shop that won`t build a stock motor is one I would stay away from. Basicaly they are saying that there isn`t enough money in a stock build so may as well tell you that performance is all we build and charge you twice as much. 327hp from a 283 is great numbers but what about the torque? Going to need a pretty decent cam to get that much hp from the little motor. Just my opinion.

The cam necessary to get 327hp from a 283 would be making over 400 hp on a 383. I'd be worried about the low-end grunt torque being pretty lack-luster on the 283. To me, the following crate engine (HT383) is the target to aim for in a truck:
http://www.gmperformanceparts.com/En...9101&engCat=sb

[rcrahn]

No problem. They can put an RV cam in the 283 for more torque.

[joe231]

Originally Posted by greg64

The cam necessary to get 327hp from a 283 would be making over 400 hp on a 383. I'd be worried about the low-end grunt torque being pretty lack-luster on the 283. To me, the following crate engine (HT383) is the target to aim for in a truck:
http://www.gmperformanceparts.com/En...9101&engCat=sb

BADASS!!!!
I WANT IT!!!!!

[68c10owner]

Originally Posted by rcrahn

No problem. They can put an RV cam in the 283 for more torque.

yeah but your not going to get 327hp from a 283 with a RV cam.

If you don`t want to go the 350 route then build a 327. Way more power than a 283 and still "different". They are my favorite engines and are fairly cheap to build depending on what you want from it. Hell I can get a good running 325-350hp 327 from a friend of mine for $600. You should be able to find a core 327 for $50-100. Machine work costs the same regardless of engine size. The rings and bearings pretty much cost the same and the 327 pistons aren`t too much more than a 283 set.

[rcrahn]

The HT383 is also a great motor but that is a completely different league. Alot more money. But there is huge upside potential for upgrading over time as documented in articles like in Hot Rod.
http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/e..._up/index.html

[greg64]

I'm not really suggesting buying the HT383, unless you want to spend that much money. But, it would be pretty easy to replicate the HT383 with a 350 block, 383 crank, Vortec heads and the HT383's cam.

I use the engine more for a target of what I would consider an ideal truck motor.

Of course, I'm not really listening to my own ideas, because I'm currently working on a 292.

[STL_66 Chevy]

you guys have my head spinning now! 283?350?383?......
there are sooooo many choices and not enough cash... you know how it is! i have alot of research to do! but your info is definitely helpful! what i need more than anything is to get a reliable motor that is going to get my 66 rolling again.
keep it coming though.... thanks again!

[68c10owner]

Originally Posted by STL_66 Chevy

you guys have my head spinning now! 283?350?383?......
there are sooooo many choices and not enough cash... you know how it is! i have alot of research to do! but your info is definitely helpful! what i need more than anything is to get a reliable motor that is going to get my 66 rolling again.
keep it coming though.... thanks again!

ok, what exaclty are your intensions for the motor? Just daily driver? some pefromance, maybe a little bracket racing? IMHO the Gm 260-290hp motors are the best bang for your buck. i actaully would go with the 260hp version and then swap in a more modern cam that might push the numbers to about 300 or so. The 290hp motor uses the L82 cam which is almsot 40yrs old. Plus the crate motors come with a warranty.

[greg64]

Also, if you're not hung up on keeping the 283, you'll be able to recover some $ by selling it to someone who has to have a 283 for their resto. I'd agree that those 350 290hp GM crates are a great deal.

Another option is the 350 GM short-block then add Vortec heads and manifold. Not much more, but with a good cam will easily outpower the 290hp version.

[kevindtimm]

330 HP, 380 ft/lbs (try to get that with a 283!) $2800:

http://www.sdparts.com/catalog/crate...0HOEngine.aspx

[ValveTubeHead]

If you curious, here's a photojournal of my recent GMPP 290hp crate motor swap. My 283 was original and a bit tuckered out. I quickly came to the conclusion that the crate was a fast and (too)easy way out of my dilemma...lean on time, wanting reliable and conservative power #s...a little more pep.

click on the 2008-0227 Crate Engine arrives folder

[billydonn]

That's too much money and not enough information about what the guy would actually do to your engine. He may be doing things that are impractical for your street engine needs... to much compression and cam for example. A nice forged crank and set of rods is one thing... other stuff is another. I would get a 350 or a milder 283 or 327.

[Billla]

There are a couple of "fundamental truths" here:

- You can't overhaul it (right) for less than the price of one of the GM crates. Folks will say you can, but after doing 150+ SBC overhauls it's just not the case. The corners you cut on a "shadetree" overhaul cut miles off the life of the engine.

- Start with what you WANT in terms of power, driveability, etc. and how much you're (really) willing to spend. I agree that a 327 HP 283 is a pretty darn warm engine and likely wouldn't be much fun in your truck.

Might want to move this over to the Engines forum