1957 – 1958 saw the use of the New 283 engine in Chevy‘s including the Corvette.
The Corvette was fitted with the Rochester RamJet and RAM’s horn intake as the RPO Code 579D. But recently during some research I read that there was another modification.
It was called the Air Box Option, RPO 579E and it was perhaps the first production cold air induction system(at least for Chevy).
It consisted of a plenum box mounted on the fender well of the driver’s side. The box was fitted to an opening in the bulkhead next to the radiator with an air filter inside. The duck work ran to the fuelies injection unit.
Records indicate that there were only 43 produced in 1957.
So far my writings are about engines have been ones I owned and the 283 was the engine in my very first car. It was a 1966 Chevy Impala. It was a gift to me for my 1976 high school graduation. The car was restored by my father, who was a master auto body man. The car was a convertible with A/C and glass rear window. It sported an automatic Powerglide transmission.
The 283 was a simple engine and of course the engine bay of the ’66 Impala could hold a family of four, with lots of room to work in there. Oh…those were the days…a piece of cardboard on the ground and 3 bolts later you’d have the starter out. I wish I could find a picture, I know there were some taken, polaroids back then, but they’ve disappeared over the years, much like the car.
So what’s the history of the 283 and what was it used in. Well those answers are coming up as well as two special uses of the 283, one in the past and one modified restro-mod use…(yeah…someone mod’ed a 283..very cool, but that is later).
As with most engines the 283 wasn’t drawn up on the design boards and produced. It was a result of Chevrolet’s desire to increase performance of a power plant they already had on the shelf. The 265 cubic inch small block underwent transformation that resulted in a new engine in 1957.
The modifications made to the 265 to create the 283 were increased bore from 3.75” to 3.875″, the main bearing was given 2.30” journals and 2.00” connecting rods. The base configuration (with a two barrel carb) for the 265 produced 165 hp, the 283 made 185. Twenty more horsepower doesn’t seem much but toss on a 4 barrel and the 283 takes off at 220 hp which tops the 265 similarly configuration producing 185-195 hp.
Chevy's 283
1957 was a good year for Chevy. Bill “Grumpy Jenkings took a 283 fitted with a dual carb set up and achieved 270 hp. It was also the first year for Chevy’s Rochester Ram Jet and what better engine to use than the new 283. This combination took the 283 in to the history books by producing horsepower that equaled the displacement – 283 c.i.d. and 283 hp.
And that is what led to the installation of the 283 in Chevy sports car platform, the Corvette.
As part of the mods and upgrades for my 70 Mustang, I plan on replacing all the carpet. Before I do that however, I’m going to lay down some heat and sound proofing (but that is another post).
As I start project planning, I’m looking around for parts and materials, as well as any helpful hints. (If you have any at any time, drop me a comment.) Although certain portions of the restro-mod will have to be done together, like carb and intake or heads and cam (yes I’m all four will be done at the same time), many can be accomplished separately, like adding the heat/sound proofing and the carpeting, before upholstery of the seats. In the Mustang getting the seats out are easy enough (keep in mind my goal is to not have the car tied up too long between stages) so replacing the seats after the carpet installation, isn’t a problem.
As a reminder, the mods will be done in adherence to budget, time and events. So there maybe a need to move between different phases to accommodate either 3 of those factors.
O.K., so where was I, oh yeah..carpet shopping.
As I looking on-line for the best place for ordering carpeting, began to notice a lot of choices. I start thinking “I’m going to have call up on deck my personal award-winning interior designer (that would be my wife – by profession…no not wife by profession although I’m sure thinks it’s her 3rd career, but Interior Designer by profession). Here is a little bit of what I found:
Plush Cut Pile
Ultra-Plush Cut Pile
Neon Cut Pile
100% Nylon Loop
I’m thinking, “holy cow!!!…What the heck is this?!! Ultra-Plush Cut Pile? I’m not building a ’60 Love Van!!! Oh it gets better..yeah.. you guessed it samples!!!!!
Misty Gray
BuckSkin
My favorite - Cinnabar
Oh..come on!!! Cinnabar!!!! Really!!?? Um..yup. Oh and there were many more, like Medium Gray and Silver Mist and Nutmeg and Fire Thorn!!!! I’m not kidding.
So I’m looking round to make sure know one’s looking over my shoulder (as I’m doing this over my lunch at work..on my personal smart phone…just in case “they” are reading!!!) All the time I thinking…”It’s black..all I know is that it’s black!”
Who knew that there was that much to look at? Not this Average Guy.
Luckily I found this snippet on one site and it all became clear:
Plush Cut Pile
Our nylon cut pile is constructed from 100% first quality yarn and is similar to what is found in most cars since 1974. It is tufted on a 1/8 gauge machine with 14 ounces of yarn per square yard. It is dyed using the finest dyes available and tested for ozone humidity fading & light fastness.
Ultra-Plush Cut Pile
This carpet is a super plush upgrade to our standard Cut Pile. A 100% nylon cut pile manufactured with over 40% more nylon fiber than our standard cut pile. It is dyed using the finest dyes available and tested for ozone humidity fading & light fastness.
Ok..still not sure here!!!
Neon Cut Pile
Our Neon Cut Pile colors are a great look if you want to make a statement! Although these are not stock colors, they would be appropriate for all applications. There is an additional 15% charge for all applications made with Neon Cut Pile.
What…not stock colors!!!??!!! What? Are you sure that is color
wasn’t stock? It’s Pink!!!!
And the clouds parted and it all became clear. The very last one was this:
100% Nylon Loop
A 100% nylon loop. This material is appropriate for pre-1975 applications only, and was the original type construction used in 1969-1973 Mustangs.
Well, I don’t know about every car guy, but I do know what I like.
Some of my favorites are abandon car art, but I enjoy a lot of other subject matters as well.
If you look to the right of this post you’ll see one of my favorites. My old 1984 C4 red Corvette, closely following what would be my future car(unbeknownst to me at the time) a black C6 Corvette. I have one other favorite and that’s a rendering of the interior of my 1970 Mustang.
My 1970 Mustang
I’ve known this starving artist (he’s not really starving, my wife won’t allow that) his entire life. Ryan has a great eye for car art. (Shameless plug. This image and the image of the Corvettes, nicely framed, make great gifts, tis the season.)
While tooling a round a little town in Southern Arizona this past Black Friday (Nov 26), I happened to meet an artist named Scott Taft and had to purchase a picture of 1959 Chevy that he had transferred to metal. You can see his work at http://www.fanartreview.com/sctaft.
One other web site I ran across was this one, it’s got a little more bling, but some very nicely done pieces. It’s called Car Art Work and you can see their offerings @ www.carartwork.biz.
Car Art Work
Just for the record I don’t receive any money, free stuff or benefit in any way (other than a big thank from my son if one of his images sell) for mentioning these artists or companies. This just stuff I like.
Just recently I started comparing technology in cars that we own. A couple of months ago I purchased a 07 Corvette that has a lot more technology then the 84 Corvette I owned and a lot more than my 70 Mustang. We have also owned two newer vehicles a 2008 Lexus GS350 and now a 2011 Lexus RX 350. I’m not going to compare the technology between the two Corvettes nor would there be any reason to compare the Corvettes to the Mustang.
But what I have compared is the level of technology between U.S. cars and the two Lexus (Toyota) vehicles we’ve owned.
First up is the 2008 Lexus GS350. We purchase the car in late 2007, which, as far as a technology time line would be concerned, is smack in the middle of digital music, video and touch technology era. To better frame the time line 3 years ago while attending the Fords on 4th Ave Car Show, here in Tucson, I meet up with a couple of Microsoft guys (one of them I knew from a previous contract I worked) doing the first demo of Sync in a Lincoln. They gave me quick demo and it was excellent technology which is now about 3 years old. Yet this luxury Toyota only managed to have a horribly located, headphone port to headphone port connection for your IPOD or MP3 player. Compare this with the technology in my 2007 Corvette, it at least plays MP3 formatted CDs as well as standard CDs.
Next is the 2011 Lexus RX350, three years further into the mobile data revolution and it still seems lacking in technology. The GS350 had a touch screen information center, the RX350 does not. What replaced that is a joy stick/mouse type device.
From my wife's Rx
It seems a like a step backward. It’s much easier for you to touch the screen while driving. The RX’s device requires the moving around of a cursor, centering it on an icon and clicking the mouse-like buttons. ( Don’t get me started on distracted driving, phone calls vs. eating McDonald’s fries.) The RX is limited to a USB connection for music and that is it. Sure it has options for satellite and blue tooth (as did the GS) , but techno-backtracking from a touch screen is a bit odd and no music storage is nearly pre-historic.
Just comparing technologies for music availability the U.S. cars are ahead. Take the 2011 Buick Lucerne, it has a 60 Gig hard drive for storing music. This particular car can even record radio station you are on for playback. Ford has a host of technology to store music and using Microsoft’s Sync technology, their Fords and Lincolns brands (the dash of the new Lincoln MKX will blow you away) are far superior to the what I’ve found in the Japanese cars. Even a tone-downed Chevy Cobalt has tire air pressure sensors.
While we were test driving the RX a week ago, I asked the salesman about the missing technology and he agreed that Lexus does in fact lag behind in offering this type of technology.
Don’t you think that’s odd? Are American car manufacturers that advanced? Are our car companies just toss in everything, even the kitchen sink to sell cars? Hey..neither of those are a bad thing!!! I’m sold! Besides it a lot easier to eat fries while driving if you have a touch screen to change your music!!!
Your thoughts?
Thanks for reading and drop me a comment.
Tim
Comment from Bill
This reminds me of a co-worker who bought a new Chrysler minivan recently. He was excited to tell me about how big the harddrive was, the DVD system, the ‘info-tainment’ bus, the ability of the ‘my gig’ to link to the satiellite,and on and on. I asked what engine he had-he paused- gave me a dazed look-and said he didn’t really know?
I think Lexus does what US car manufacturers used to do; they build a car that will travel 100K miles with just a few oil changes and one set of tires, and a resale value that is 65% of the orignal sales price 10 years later. The lag of technology does not errode the MSRP sticker prices Lexus still demands for their products while Government Motors still discounts their Buicks $5,000 off MSRP to gain a sale. Then five years later that Buick has a market value of $2,200, and the poor upside down owner is looking for his own ‘bail out’.
Me personally, I’d like to see any car manufacturer ‘de-content’ their cars a bit. It not only reduces the sales price, the weight of the car (some cars have six miles of wire in them now days), but actually increases reliability (less to fail) and performance. That original formula of the Boss 302, or Plymouth Roadrunner where you got roll down windows, a bench seat, and for a few dollars you could get a tach, AC, or tinted glass as the only options is my dream come true. Don’t forget a LARGE V8 powering the rear wheels STANDARD! I’d buy a new 2011 car tomorrow if I could get a taxi cab interior with a 300HP V8 for under $25,000. I looked at the 2011 Boss 302, but it still is techno-overloaded for me to call it a true muscle car.
Can you tell now why I replaced our grocery-getter-always-repair-proned Impala with a Grand Marquis? It is (or was-Ford stopped production in September) the closest car out there that meets my formula: no navigation-no harddrive-no MP3-no Sirius-no 8 speed automatic. Bench seat-4.6l police V8-4 speed automatic-RWD; thanks, thats all I need! I’m used to the blue hair jokes and still happy with my taxi cab, hopefully for the next 20 years and 200K miles.
I have often wondered if Dodge introduced a Challenger with Hemi V8, roll up windows, AM FM radio, and the minimum government mandated equipment for around $25,000 if they would sell, or does our generation require several thousand microprocessors to be interested in their cars?
When I began the restoration of my ’70 Mustang I knew that I wanted to replace the 250 straight six, with 175k miles on it, soon. I had several option, buy a new engine, buying rebuild or buying used. I chose to buy a re-manufactured long block and add my own components.
The option of buying a used engine and rebuilding myself wasn’t an option (average guy, average space and average tools) but I would have enjoyed it.
If you are going to purchase a used engine, dragging out of a junk can save you even more. But you’ve got to check it out before getting it home.
Here are a few tips that you can follow help prevent getting something home that the only real use it can server is to fill a corner the garage.
Now you aren’t going to be able to tear the engine down right there and look over all the parts but you could do the following checks.
1. If the engine still has the spark plugs, pull them a look them over. If they appear to have oil on them you might be looking at ring or value job being necessary (you might want to do that anyway). Likewise if they have water on them you may be looking at a head gasket problems or worse.
Fouled plugs
2. Most likely you are going to be able to pull the heads but you can remove the value covers. Look at for large mounts of sludge build up. That indicates other issues as well.
Sludge Build up
3. If you can drop the oil pan, check the contents for water or coolant contamination. You can also inspect the oil pump. Issues there indicate that there may be damage to pistons and crankshaft.
Oil Pan Gunk
Currently I’m looking for a used manual 4 speed for my ’70 Mustang. Now I don’t have any tips for that yet but I’ll let you know.
As with every car show there are some very good paint jobs. There are the cars that have a traditionally paint with flawless surfaces and deep ” you could shave in them” in them shine.
Then there are unique paint schemes, ghost flames or custom air brushed images.
Here are a few from a recent car show I attended.
Check out this custom Ford pick up.
Two Tone Black and Yellow...that's not all
Check out the bed!!!!
That is some great air brushing!!!
Check out this VW Bus.
Front view
Side View
And for really interesting paint jobs. Stop by the Bike section of the show.
Ghost Rider Bike
Even if you don’t like the paint you’ve got to appreciated the effort that goes into the work. Nothing but pure art.
Got a kool paint job on your ride? Drop me a pick.
