265 or 283?

[Deleted]

Here is a question for all you motor heads. Is there any difference in appearance between the Chevy 265 and 283 V8 engines? Can it be easily determined just by looking at the engine? I've looked at several photos and images I found by searching the Internet and I'm just not seeing any outward differences.

The reason I'm asking is that early this morning I went through all the parts & pieces I got in the '57 Nomad kit I bought that ended up NOT being a S/I kit like it was supposed to be and I finally found every piece of the engine. So if nothing else I have a complete SBC motor I can use in something down the road, like maybe a gasser. The box has no indication on it as to which motor it is. It simply says, "Chevy V8 motor". There is no question its a small block, but the '57 Nomad offered either the 265 or 283 as engine options so I'm not sure which motor it is. From appearances it looks like I could call it either one and it could then be whatever I called it.

Anybody know for sure?

[70sprostockfan]

I'm sure that there are small inconspicuous differences in the 2 but the basic small block chevy at least during the fifties looked basically the same with a few changes to the accessories attached to it. I believe 1963 they went to a spin on oil filter in place of the old cartridge type and started using an alternator in place of the generator which was some of the more noticeable changes. But to answer your question I don't know of any outward differences between a 57 265 and a 57 283. Maybe carburation.

[41chevy]

265 had no oil filter or oil filter boss. The filter was an accessory and bolted to the intake.

[gloozalot]

Paul is telling you right, Steve. Now I can tell you what you told me in another conversation---you are going to way too much trouble worrying about the size of a small block chevy model car engine. You could call it anything from a 265 to a 400 and about a dozen in between. In a model it can be what you want it to be. If you do a replica, ya best find the right parts like the oil filter, exhaust manifolds and air filter set ups or Paul and myself, along with a bunch of others will call ya on it. Just for grins, tell em it's a Ron Hutter 427 Small Block with a Flat Plane Crankshaft.

[david]

Hey gloozalot, I use Eno Puedam 402 Small Blocks in most everything!  Old man Puedam is a little eccentric at times but he builds some good lookin' motors! 

[Deleted]

Thanks, Paul. Now I know.

George, you're 110% correct. I did tell you I wasn't concerned about that much detail, and I'm really not. What happened was that I just wondered what motor it was "supposed to be" in that kit. When I saw that the details on the box only identified it as a V8 I got curious and decided to do a quick 'Net search to find out. Then all the images and photos I found didn't really help. In other words, I got a burr under my saddle and couldn't get it out. LOL!

[biggary]

I was told back in the day that the only sure fire way to tell a 265 from a 283 was an extra piece of casting that the 283 had that the 265 did not. If you wanted to pass your 283 as 265, you just ground of that piece of the block casting. That was one way to tell.

[Deleted]

Thanks, Gary. Yep, everything I've found tells me there is really no way to distinguish one from the other at kit scale. It's just a SBC and can pass as either one.