What is the max bore on a 1964 283

10

Asked by Belairman Jan 18, 2014 at 10:10 PM about the 1964 Chevrolet Bel Air

Question type: Car Customization

I have a 1964 belair with a stock 283 in it and i was wondering what is the max bore you
could go (safely)

8 Answers

44,685

the 283 and early 327 block (68 and earlier i think) were the same cast. the 283 is a 3.875 bore and a 3.000 stroke. the small journal cranks were used in 327s (either 67 and earlier or 68 and earlier). the crank that i used is from a 67 camaro with a factory 327 small journal block. i had to pay extra for the machine shop to bore this over because i had to take so much metal out of the bore. but it was in fact a 283 with a 3.875 bore that was bored to a 4.000.

8 people found this helpful.
44,685

Safely with no overheating concerns you can go .60 over no problem.

4 people found this helpful.
44,685

Mine was to the extreme though. 60 over is in the middle.

2 people found this helpful.
50,715

You have water jackets around the cylinders. 0.050 is the safest, and you need to always keep an eye on the water temp gauge. 0.040 over is ideal for a max build without worries. 0.060 is the extreme, not the middle. Some dragster people have gone 0.070 to 0.0.80 over, but they didn't care about the engine or heat issues. Remember, the more horses in the motor, the more heat it produces. A well respected/qualified engine builder that has worked with the Chevy small blocks will tell you just how far you can go, and the issues with going too far. If I want longevity and no overheating issues, I'd stay at 0.040 over. I did on my Corvette, and no issues, BUT more HP, more gas consumed and more heat produced. The cam will contribute to it also. If you go with high compression pistons and heads, you need some stability in the cylinder walls to keep them retaining their shape and not blowing out the cylinders into the water jacket. If money is an issue, keep it safe. If not, check the crate motors that already have the work done. Sometimes it is less expensive to crate than build from scratch. Keep the old one for s spare and rebuild on you own. If the crate engine works out great, you can recoup your money by selling the old motor. Also you need to consider, how old the engine is. I had over 320,000 miles on my Corvette original 350/350 engine. When I had it built, I had three major cracks that could not be fixed inside the engine. It would not be guaranteed on the build, and was told it could explode at any given moment. Ordered a blank 350 bored 0.040 over and went from there.

2 people found this helpful.
44,685

This is true on engines newer than 1968.But his is a 64 283. There have been some bored over .100 with no heat issues but remember we a speaking of a 283 engine only. Not a 350 and pre 1968. After 68 I agree with you 100%

10

early blocks have a thicker bore wall. to make sure you need to sonic test the block. thats the only way to know for sure before you go beyond an 040 over bore

1 people found this helpful.

Big over bores do not add HP. The cylinder walls warp under extreme power and leak compression causing lost power. Don't bore more than the minimum you need.

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