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Old 02-11-2011, 09:46 PM   #19
Winola73
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Midwest
Posts: 262
Re: 283 with camel hump heads

Quote:
Originally Posted by pedro6371 View Post
Is it anybody done this I have a 283 block ready to rebuild got it for free and I just bought a set of double hump heads really cheap screw in studs and 2.02 1.60 I like to know if any of you guys done this before any info I'll be nice thanks btw the block it's out of a 61 chevy truck STD bore and steel crank.
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Thousands, no, make that hundreds of thousands of 283's were built with those heads but most had big ass cams and pistons with domes like a small mountain for 11 to 1 or better compression, didn't start making power until about 6500 and were in a nice light car with 4.56 or lower gears. $100 for good '462 heads was a good buy but on a basically stock 283 the old Power Pak heads or 305 heads would work a LOT better below 6,000 RPM and if your stock factory hydraulic cammed truck 283 will turn 6,000 for very long then you need a new tach 'cause yours is lying to you.

Just because it's cheap and that's the way we used to do it doesn't make it right. I look back at what we thought was the hot setup 35 years ago and just shake my head. With the larger runners in the '462s and 2.02/1.60 valves you're losing a ton of mixture velocity with the small cubes of the 283. It just can't move that much air. I have a copy of a very intersting test Car Craft did years ago on a 283 in a '66 Chevelle. They started with a set of '461 Double Humps on it with 1.94/1.50 valves. Then they swapped in a Performer cam and put on a set of 283 Power Pak heads with some mild port work and a 3 angle valve job on the 1.72/1.50 heads. It not only picked up several MPG's and had better off idle response but it was about a full second quicker in the 1/4. I have a scan of it on a PDF file if anyone would like to see it. I've seen similar results first hand over the years as well.

Put a roller cam 350 short block under those heads with the HT383/Ramjet roller cam and you'll have a real sweet combo. Don't get too excited about your 283 having a steel crank, 99.99% of 283's came with forged steel cranks. I've been playing with SBC's since 1972 and have seen the insides of hundreds of 283's and have yet to see one with a cast iron crank. They're out there but I've never personally seen one.

Last edited by Winola73; 02-11-2011 at 09:48 PM.
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