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265 to 283

9K views 36 replies 21 participants last post by  timmck1793 
#1 ·
Found a 57 chevy 265 from a truck.....have some good std bore 283 pistons and `62 327 rods,along with a NOS 283 crank....thinking of using my friends Boreing Bar and punching the block for the 283 pistons.....I also have a used set of Crower full roller rockers,a 375hp 327 cam,and a set of 53cc 305 H.o. heads(with guide plates and Mallory studs)....an offenhauser dual 4....using some 58 vette wcfb carbs.....this will be an extreme budget build ,as almost everything is very nice clean,low-mileage,parts....and I have gaskets,bearings,and rings already.....(did buy a spin-on oil filter adapter,that uses a Ford filter).....most $$ spent will be for a Pertronics II, to convert a Standard chevy dizzy.

any thoughts here??? I think it should run good ?????

tranny will be a 700R4 with a 3:55 geared posi

this will be installed in my familys 150 57 2dr sedan (grandma got it brand new....with a 6 banger,powerglide,power steering and brakes,outside visor,and dual spots)
 
#4 ·
I read somewhere that the 57 265 and 283 were the same casting and same block.....that they bored 265`s to 283`s.....it wasn't till 58 the actual 283 block was born,is my understanding....I do know for a fact my grandfather bored 57 265`s to 283`s and never had a problem.......my buddy says his sonic tester will allow me to see if the walls are rusted too much to bore?!?!?
I dunno???? he is the one with a Boreing Bar
 
#5 ·
Agree wouldn't bore out all the way to 283 . Just maybe if you don't you can bore again IF you have to and don't find another usable block. Mike
 
#10 ·
Good combo

Go ahead and bore it to 3 and 7/8. the block more than likely will be plenty thick. Your combo will like high RPM. It will need a stick trans and low rear gears. If you go automatic and tall rear gears it will be a dog. With the 305 heads compression will be pretty high. But the cam will bleed some of the compression ratio off. your two fours will not be too much carb. factory 265,s with less cam and not as good of cyl heads used the same dual carbs.
 
#11 ·
Go ahead and bore it to 3 and 7/8. the block more than likely will be plenty thick. Your combo will like high RPM. It will need a stick trans and low rear gears. If you go automatic and tall rear gears it will be a dog. With the 305 heads compression will be pretty high. But the cam will bleed some of the compression ratio off. your two fours will not be too much carb. factory 265,s with less cam and not as good of cyl heads used the same dual carbs.
NEVER planned for tall highway gears...I also have a set of 3:73`s,ands some 4:11`s.....I thought maybe tryin` the 3:55`s 1st,and if I didn't like them I`d step up to the lower ratios.....since the car was an auto from the very beginning,thats what I wanted to stay with
 
#12 ·
after tearing down the motor.....the poor thing had a lot of problems....2 pistons had broken rings....4 pistons were .030,and the other bank was .040.....2 pistons had SEVERE pitting from detonation??.....one cylinder head was cracked,and the other had burned exhaust valves......cam lobes were VERY worn,as were the "dished" lifters....crank had been turned .020,and rods were .010 under......HOWEVER the block was very very nice with a lil cylinder taper,and a few ring scars from the broken rings

After sonic testing I was informed there was plenty of "meat" for the overbore,and as of 15 minutes ago the entire left bank had been bored with NO problems !!!!!!!:dancing::dancing::dancing::dancing::dancing::dancing2::dancing2::dancing2::cheers::cheers::beer::04::04:
 
#15 ·
I have a 57 265 block also. Standard bore, but it will become a .030 over 265; I already have a NOS set of forged Thompson pistons, aftermarket rods, a good 265 crank, and a fully rebuilt pair of 5306 56 Power Pack heads with all new valves, guides, screw-in studs (not shouldered), and updated to 1.84 intake valves. Have't selected the cam yet. The BEST thing about a 57 265/283; they have the provision for a block BLOCK MOUNTED STARTER MOTOR; something the 55-56 265's did not have and could't be updated to without some serious alterations to the block (only seen it done once; block is machined, a steel block then machined to fit, bolted to block, and holes for starter drilled/tapped!-it's really involved/complicated). It'll be my Pseudo-Junior stocker engine with factory 2 X 4's, and and a beefed aluminum Powerglide and 4500 stall converter to 4.88 Positraction gearing (have 4.56 and 5.13 Posi's also). I have a trans-brake for the Glide, but i'm not sure I'll use it. My rearend has been updated with billet caps (those were a hard-to-find score!), so it "may" survive the race Glide. Good your 283 is now on it's way to completion. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
 
#24 ·
Hey Elk Slayer, take all the advise you can from Butch. He has been a good bit of my inspiration to build my 265 (although I am a procrastinator and taking to much time !). My 265 is a 56 block, already balanced with a good bit of quality machine work, 327 rods, .060 over, small domed pistons. I bought the short block finished for $400 ! It will be running mildly ported L98 alum. heads, 1.94/1.5 valves , screw in studs and guide plates, 218/228 @ .050, .503/.503 lift hydraulic roller cam, 112 LSA, will be about 10.2:1 comp., Weiand Xcelerator manifold with a 650 Holley. I can't wait to see how it sounds and runs !
 
#21 ·
Butch.....yea, its a great block to rebuild....and I for another like the starter holes in the block....and the oiling is also better in the 57 block than the earlier 265`s........sounds like your building a beefy lil 265 there,,,,,have a lot of fun with it..........are you running it at S.I.R. ?
 
#26 ·
got my lil 283 up and running last night....after breaking in the cam fo 20 min. or so......it runs l;ike a DREAM....I sure am glad I went this route...
After using all my used good parts,cashing in favors from friends....and scrounging parts....AND buying some new parts
pertronics,,,,dual 4 rebuild kits and jets/metering rods....new timing chain,water pump,and fuel pump.....I have a grand total of $489 into my rebuild....I think NOT too bad.....:sign0020:
 
#29 ·
So, what I'm hearing is, a 57 "265" taken to the 283 standard bore is of really no concern. What I'd like to know is, can that 57 "265" block be taken all the way to a 4 inch bore? Basically, the 57 "265" has REALLY thick cylinder walls to start with? I'm guessing the OP had the rotating assembly balanced, or was it just assembled "as is"? That was't mentioned. I have't begun the actual machining/balancing part of my 265 Minnie-Mouse", but all the parts are sitting on the shelf. I was recently given a "built" 283 from a friends' son. It's a .060 over block; forged, small domed, full skirted, pistons; the 265/283/early 327 "lighter" rods; and the rotating assembly had been balanced. The heads were LARGE chambered "Power-Pack" heads (70+ CC chambers), probably off of a truck motor, and they had to have killed the C.R. The really odd thing about the heads, was someone had ground the pyramid off the rectangle, and then used bondo to make a single hump at one END of the rectangle (this was only done on the end of the head facing forward (?????); not to look like Canadian Power Pack heads, but like double hump heads with one hump missing. They also ground the casting numbers off (?????). Really odd situation, and I've never seen anything like it before. They sort of looked like a small hump, double hump head, with one hump missing. The guy I got it from had no idea if it's history, and was going to toss it in the scrap trailer if I did't take it. I gave the heads away, along with another pair of early 350 heads. Not too sure what I'm going to do with the "292" just yet. My machinist thinks I'm nuts for playing around with these small CID engines, even though he just finished my 454 to 468 short block.
I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Looking at this info for a possible re-build of a 265 I just removed.

So if these blocks are the same casting, does that also mean that the cylinder walls are the same thickness? (Much cheaper/easier for me to get 283 pistons than 265.)

Edit: Just saw the section this is posted to. Defo not high performance ... I just want a plain stocker – like an old uncle's car!
 
#34 ·
John, building your own engine is a pretty enjoyable experience and one you should not shy away from. Take your time taking the motor apart and keep track of where everything goes. For the block, the easiest way to sort out how far you can bore that block is to simply have it sonic checked. Theoretically, it can be bored to 283 but in reality, core shift and water jacket corrosion all these years may have thinned out the cylinders in general or in certain spots. A sonic check will tell you how thick the walls are and thus, what you want to bore the cylinders out to, i.e., 265 plus something, or 283.

Its the same with the crank and rods. The rods get rebuilt at the machine shop, the crank gets turned and balanced (I always balance), and drill the snout for a balancer bolt (makes installing the balancer way easier). Cam, lifters, oil pump, pickup, putting it all together is enjoyable.

And the truth is, once your motor fires up for the first time, and the cam breaks in, its hard to wipe the smile from your face. so I would say get the block sonic tested and magnafluxed for cracks, then you can start the adventure!
 
#35 ·
... its hard to wipe the smile from your face.
Ja ... I have been talking with my mechanic about making this a Friday project over a number of weeks. Would be great to get my hands oily over this one!
 
#36 ·
I know this is an old thread, but I just read and re-read all the postings. I love reading about experiences and what some members are doing or have done with the 265. Last year, I had a '57 265 built at my local machine shop and it was dynoed for adjustment and break in purposes only. It was so sweet to hear that little mouse motor run. Worth whatever the cost was to me. The motor is presently home in my garage and just waiting on me to drop it in my '55 vert. I'm really looking forward to that but haven't acted on it yet because I'm trying to register the car first, which I'm hoping is at the end of this month. Then, it's all ahead full, Carmine.
 
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