Glenn's 67 BB Vert

What horse power did the 283 made in 63 have-single 4 barrell carb-seems that is the block i have in the 58 vette -by the casting numbers that is?/ thanks in advance--glenn

62fuelie

The 283 was only offered in passenger cars and trucks in 63. I believe most applications were 2 barrel setups, rated around 195-200 hp (gross). The full size Chevy 283 application might have had a 4 bbl, but it was a pretty tame engine. If memory serves, there were some later 283 applications with 4 bbls and a little extra hp when they started offering them in Chevy II's and Chevelles.

To estimate the hp of your engine, one would need to know the head casting number, type piston, ie flat top or domed (approximate compression ratio), and cam. Very likely, all this has been changed from the original engine configuration, so a little detective work may be in order.

rongold

If your 63 283 is bone stock and someone transplanted a 4 barrel on it, you can consider it to be 220 or 230 horsepoweer. The older 57-60 full sized Chevrolets were available with that engine and dual exhaust, called the "power-pack", and were rated at 220 Hp. In the 57-61 Corvettes, that was the base engine, and was rated at 230 Hp. Why the 10 Hp difference between passenger and Corvette, I have no idea.

SWCDuke

According to the NCRS Spec Guide the base 283 4-bbl. Corvette engine was 220 HP in '57, then went to 230 for '58-'61.

SAE Gross ratings include the installed vehicle exhaust manifold (but not the rest of the exhaust system or air cleaner), so the difference between the pass. car rating and Corvette may be the exhaust manifolds, but that doesn't explain the '57 Corvette rating. AFAIK the '57 Corvette engines used the same basic 2" "ram horn" manifolds - as later years up to 1962, when the 2.5" versions were used on some configurations.

An analagous situation exists with the '70 LT-1. The HP rating for the Camaro version was 360 versus 370 for the Corvette due to the Camaro's less efficient exhaust manifolds.

Duke

Glenn's 67 BB Vert

Thanks for the input--this is the engine i got with the car--made june 18 63 is all with an old rodchester carb and cast manifold--may have been in anything as theis 58 had the fi origionally --Guess when i get it more along i'll see what condition it's in and how it works--Down the road some tho- -glenn

67L36Driver

Glenn's 58 vette:
In the bad old days ('60s-'70s) it was sort of common to replace a vet motor with a junk yard replacement. This was done for various reasons, the most common ones being that the original blew up, wore out or they wanted the 340 horse for their shoebox '55. They weren't collectable back then and it was the most expedient thing to do.
It's possible that more than one C1 or C2 owner has discovered that thier wiz bang 'Vet Engine' is in reality a tired 307" smogger from a wrecked Bscayne.

Glenn's 67 BB Vert

Yea i remember those days too --at least this is a 283 but the guy i bought it from advertised it as a 327 but everyone makes mistakes--if it's rebuilt like he said it'll work for a while or longer--ok for now that is-i can't wait to drive it --maybe next year?? -Glenn

Seaside63

I have heard there is enough meat in the 283 blocks to bore them to 4.000 and swap the crank to make an easy 327 out of them.

K2

The early small journal 327 crank in 283 block was a common trick in those days but not all 283 blocks would accept the 327 crank without considerable grinding and associated danger of hitting water. 62 and later 283 blocks had counterweight clearance reliefs cast in and allowed for installation of small journal 327 crank without modification. Basicly Chevy's 307 was this very combination only with a large journal crank and used beefier 3/8" rod bolts for a stronger lower end. In stock form chevy's 307 was not very impressive. It had potential for hot rodding but why when you could jump up to 327 and 350 in 67.

Looking at my old 62-68 Motor's Manual it only lists one 283 for 63. It was a 2 barrel version and was rated at 195 hp@ 4800 rpm. Don't discard it just because it doesn't have the corvette stamping. There is no significant difference in the blocks of the corvette vs passenger car version. The thing that made it a corvette engine was the combination of heads, pistons, cam,& intake.

The 283 is a great little engine. Best wishes and have fun