Warm Up Question

Here are some photos. @kschachn @Chris142 @PimTac
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Here are more of the interior buttons. The only one I don't know the function of is the silver one under water temp guage. Can't push or pull it. Seems like it will break when twisted.
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I'd ditch that little 1 barrel and old heavy iron intake manifold. A budget aluminum dual plane intake and 600 carb would wake that engine up A LOT and drive better to boot. A 500 2 bbl would be a good upgrade also.

This is your choke...

choke placement 283.jpg


Inside the engine bay, this is the choke linkage coming from that knob in circled in the dash above. It goes to that lever which controls that valve at the top of the carb. When you pull the choke, it closes that valve, allowing engine vacuum (while cranking) to pull fuel into the engine to help it start.

choke placement 283 2.jpg
 
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I'd ditch that little 1 barrel and old heavy iron intake manifold. A budget aluminum dual plane intake and 600 carb would wake that engine up A LOT and drive better to boot. A 500 2 bbl would be a good upgrade also.

This is your choke...

View attachment 127485
Thanks for the info, I thought that was the heater because it says fan :)

Do you mind putting links to those parts wanna make sure I don't get the wrong thing.
 
Yep! Pull the choke out to start it when cold, and gradually ease it in as the vehicle warms up. The pulled choke may also bump up the idle speed a bit. You’ll get a feel for it, and … once I gave up on trying to make the auto choke work, the cable-pull was far more reliable.

that looks like it may be a 2 barrel… I can’t quite tell and it’s been a long time since I worked on one. Name plate up top says xxxxx… 2 jet Rochester.
 

That manifold, yes. That would be a good improvement over the stock iron intake.

I've never liked carter style carbs such as the Edelbrock 1406. The Summit carb would be my preference. However, I'd recommend this carb below. It's a 600 CFM 4160 style like the Summit you linked, but will hook right up to your manual choke. The Summit carb has an electric choke, which there's nothing wrong with that, but it would be an extra step for you to setup.


I would also pair it with this carb spacer. The 4-hole spacer essentially extends the venturi which improves the metering signal at low rpm. Being phenolic plastic, it also creates a barrier between the carb and the intake heat to help prevent fuel percolation and vapor lock.


Don't forget the manifold gaskets.


You'll also need a different air filter to fit the 5-1/8" 4 barrel.

 
That manifold, yes. That would be a good improvement over the stock iron intake.

I've never liked carter style carbs such as the Edelbrock 1406. The Summit carb would be my preference. However, I'd recommend this carb below. It's a 600 CFM 4160 style like the Summit you linked, but will hook right up to your manual choke. The Summit carb has an electric choke, which there's nothing wrong with that, but it would be an extra step for you to setup.


I would also pair it with this carb spacer. The 4-hole spacer essentially extends the venturi which improves the metering signal at low rpm. Being phenolic plastic, it also creates a barrier between the carb and the intake heat to help prevent fuel percolation and vapor lock.


Don't forget the manifold gaskets.


You'll also need a different air filter to fit the 5-1/8" 4 barrel.

Thanks for the links!

Would the truck have a lot more power? Is it worth the money?
 
The silver-ish canister on the side of the distributor is your vacuum spark advance. Where is that hooked up to? It should go to a port on the manifold.

vacuum advance canister 283.jpg
 
Thanks for the links!

Would the truck have a lot more power? Is it worth the money?

When that engine was new, it made 195 HP @ 4800 rpm and 285 TQ @ 2400 rpm. That's with the factory 2 barrel. Given the age and mileage, it's making less than that now. The power improvement won't be mind boggling, but will be noticeable. You're unlikely to see much low end torque increase, maybe 5-6 lb-ft. The biggest difference would be >3000 rpm, likely seeing 15-20 hp increase at 4500-5000 rpm.

Whether it's worth it kinda depends. Considering the rpm you cruise at, I would say so, but you may feel differently.
 
When that engine was new, it made 195 HP @ 4800 rpm and 285 TQ @ 2400 rpm. That's with the factory 2 barrel. Given the age and mileage, it's making less than that now. The power improvement won't be mind boggling, but will be noticeable. You're unlikely to see much low end torque increase, maybe 5-6 lb-ft. The biggest difference would be >3000 rpm, likely seeing 15-20 hp increase at 4500-5000 rpm.

Whether it's worth it kinda depends. Considering the rpm you cruise at, I would say so, but you may feel differently.
The motor runs well for cruising. When pushing it to higher RPMs it is not super excited. After Redline Fuel System Cleaner it revs better.

Probably time for a rebuild. What else should be changed on a budget.
 
I'd ditch that little 1 barrel and old heavy iron intake manifold. A budget aluminum dual plane intake and 600 carb would wake that engine up A LOT and drive better to boot. A 500 2 bbl would be a good upgrade also.

This is your choke...

View attachment 127485

Inside the engine bay, this is the choke linkage coming from that knob in circled in the dash above. It goes to that lever which controls that valve at the top of the carb. When you pull the choke, it closes that valve, allowing engine vacuum (while cranking) to pull fuel into the engine to help it start.

View attachment 127486
That is not the choke as I recall. The choke is the third from the left pullout on the left side (it goes headlights, wiper / washer, choke) and someone has altered it in the truck's life, the knob is not stock, not a big deal just an observation. The OP should be able to follow the choke cable back from the carb to the firewall then under the dash to the correct knob to verify 100%. This is a manual choke equipped Rochester 2 bbls.

The procedure is: you pull the correct knob out (check which knob is the actual choke knob as discussed above), start the engine. Once the engine catches, you need to ever so slightly push the knob back in a small amount, you will get used to exactly how much eventually. Otherwise the engine will load up with fuel. Once the engine warms up a bit you can start pushing it all the way in. If you flood the truck, open the choke fully (meaning push the knob all the way into the dash), open the throttle and crank to clear it. When I drive manual choked cars, I try and get the choke off as soon as possible but without sacrificing cold drivability.
 
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My Chevy 283 likes to be warmed up or she stalls at the stop sign down the road.

How long should I be letting her idle in the driveway? It seems to take a good 10 minutes at idle before I can drive and the motor isn't unpredictable.

I know many say to start driving a car right away because it warms up faster. With an old motor what should I be doing? This is my first carburated car and I assume letting it idle to get some heat is better.
Makes more sense to fix your choke pull off issue on your 283 instead of warming up wastefully in the driveway.
 
That is not the choke as I recall. The choke is the third from the left pullout on the left side (it goes headlights, wiper / washer, choke) and someone has altered it in the truck's life, the knob is not stock, not a big deal just an observation.


I think this is right. That center knob if you look closely says AIR and FAN on the outer ring. I can’t read the rest. Did this knob control the air intake from the cowl vent?

As mentioned it should be easy to trace the cable from the carburetor choke back to the firewall and find the knob which I suspect is that third one from the left as @marc1 suggested.
 
It appears to have a pertronix electronic points replacement on the distributer. An Edelbrock performer intake and 600 Holley would wake that thing up. But the 2 bbl is fine if you are fine with it.
 
Is the air cleaner housing removed from this, or is it gone altogether? I recall there being a heat riser and some tubing going up to the snorkel on at least some carb setups, that way some preheated air could start getting into the carb and helping with running after cold start. Often removed ’cuz it didn’t look cool and obviously stole horsepower. :)

You can figure out which knob is choke real quick. Take note of the choke setting on the carb, then go into the cab and pull each one, one at a time, until it moves. Looks like a rod setup so you might be able to just move it from the carb side and then look to see what moved in the cab.
 
Yes, follow that spring like cable from the top of the carb to inside. The carb end of the choke cable doesn't look set up properly. If this is with the knob in, someone has cut the wire off too short for it to be properly adjusted. If the knob can't be pulled out even with the far end of the cable disconnected, the cable and knob assembly needs to be replaced. This is a push-pull mechanism, do not twist the knob.
 
I'd suggest mashing the peddle to the floor upon first start, and for a good 5 minutes...that'll get things hot and ready! They call it red line for a reason: get the engine Red Hot Fast!
 
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