64 chevy II 283 4" bore?

[doc396]

i parted out a 64 chevy II 4 door with a 283 3 speed stick. the car had set for years and the motor was locked up (it ran when it was parked). i have it on a engine stand and have been spraying it down with wd-40 from time to time. it has the very small harmonic balancer which i "think" that means it has a steel crank. i have heard that this block can be bored to 4", thus a 302. does anyone know if this is true? that seems like quite a bit. doc

 

[CDNpontiac409guy]

Quick note... I did this once... needed to partially fill the water jacket because the cylinder went paper thin at the bottom in a couple spots. Then spent 10 hours clearancing the block so the 327 crank would fit.

AAAH yes !
GREAT idea

 

[chevymusclecars]

The block will bore to four inches, if there is much core shift you might get some chipping at the bottom of the cylinders but round the edges and they work fine.

Bill

 

[dq409]

I just read where you can pour Coke into the cylinder holes to free stuck pistons.
The phosphoric acid eats the crude to free the pistons,,,dq

 

[oldskydog]

I'll have to try that on the 67 Nova when I get it home. It has original pop up pistons that look to be in pretty good shape but I'm sure they are stuck. Hate to destroy them gettting them out.

 

[Bungy]

I have heard that those 283s from the mid sixes should go .125 over but I would have the block sonic checked first. All 283s have a steel crank. You will probably have to rebalance it if going with 4 inch pistons.

 

[doc396]

from what i have read in colvins book, 283 engines came with nodular cast and forged steel cranks in 283's. the 64 block i have #3790721 (chevyII only) was used in 65 and early 66 for the 327 as well. doc

 

[oldskydog]

I seem to remember that they started putting cast cranks in the 283 in 64.

 

[region rat]

Doc, I wouldn't try to go 4" . Cheaper to find a 4 " bore block. 350's are so cheap, but if you want to use what you have, I'd just bore the minimum. Thin walls flex and loose power. Bob

 

[Bungy]

I was..... wrong?:eek: I was sure they all had steel cranks but after checking my sources it turns out they started using the nodular iron cranks in 64. But not very many. Most will be found in 66 and 67 283s. Not a big fan of the colvin books but in this case he was right. But like I said, the odds are, yours probably has the forged steel crank. Its easy to tell the difference if you can see the crank. Look at the parting lines. If its wide its a forged crank, if its a thin parting line its cast.

 

[doc396]

don't fell to bad bungy, we all get bit now and then. i thought you might have been refering to the small journal 327, as a i am "pretty sure" they were all forged steel. anyway i had a 69 Z/28 for many years and i loved the way it preformed and sounded. i would like to duplicate that and find a nice plain jane chevy II for this engine. with the lighter weight crank,rods it may even prefrom better? well thats down the road, i am going to try the coca cola to free up the pistons. thanks for all the replies guys doc

 

[dq409]

anyway i had a 69 Z/28 for many years and i loved the way it preformed and sounded. doc

Doc,, If you REALLY want that sound and performance go with a 377 !!!

400 block and 350 crank !!! Spins like a 302 pulls like BBC !!

OR,,, go one step farther and do a 400 block and I think a 327 crank,,, 348 !!!

 

[doc396]

you are probably right. but you know what they say " two hands in the bush are better than.......? or something like that doc

 

[wrench]

Don't forget the ding-dong test.

 

[doc396]

ding-dong test???? doc

 

[wrench]

ding-dong test???? doc

Stand a known steel crank on end next to a known iron crank.

Tap them each with a 9/16" wrench (or whatever size is handy).

The steel crank has a higher pitch (ding) and the iron has a lower pitch (dong).

And you thought it had something to do with Hostess Snack Foods, didn't ya?

 

[Bob Core]

I always thought it was easy to recognize a forged crank visually:

Forged on the left; cast on the right. If it has a thin parting line and crisp numbers and other characters, it's cast. Forged cranks have thick parting lines and not-so-clear numbers.

I don't expect that this is news to too many people here, though.

 

[doc396]

hey wrench, thats kinda like the old "ting-thud" method. an old mechanic showed me a lesson in drum brake return springs years ago. drop it on the floor, if it tings or pings its good. if you drop it and it thuds, no good. come to think of it, he taught me alot over the years. he's past on now, sometimes i wish i could give him a call and ask him some obscure question and he would probably know the answer . doc

 

[region rat]

Doc, A lot of truth in what you said about the "old Mechanic" Teaching you stuff.. Every day there's less of the old guys around. We need to take more time to listen to them while they're here. Before we kmow it, we're gonna be the old guys. Thanks for the insight. Bob

 

[oldskydog]

I just read where you can pour Coke into the cylinder holes to free stuck pistons.
The phosphoric acid eats the crude to free the pistons,,,dq

This myth is busted. I filled the cylinders with Coke Classic and let them soak for 4 days and it did nothing but make a mess. I finally got the pistons out by soaking them with PB Blaster and using a wood block. They all came out without damage and appear to be useable. Fortunately there was no ridge in the cylinders and only light surface rust.