Engine: 1965 Studebaker 283 engine

[mrjazzmillcreek]

My 65 283 engine has been at my rebuilders since Dec 012. He has now taken very sick and his wife wants his customers engines removed. My prblem is that my heads have been removed from the block.I know what my block looks like but not my heADS,IT IS STANDING UP WITH about a dozen other heads. Does anyone know what the head numbers on a 65 283 should be so I can figure out which are mine .

[Gunslinger]

I don't know about the casting numbers on the heads might be...they might have been used on many year engines...but aren't most Mckinnon built engines painted black rather than Chevy orange? That could be a help.

[sweetolbob]

Hope this will help. The problem is generally SBC casting numbers span a few years. But casting #'s with valve size and ccs may narrow them down.

If they are gone, a set of rebuilt heads of proper vintage are not hard to find nor expensive.

http://outintheshop.com/faq/casting/heads.html

Bob

[Gunslinger]

If they can't be identified, it sounds like the perfect opportunity to install a pair of aluminum, high flow heads...or at least a pair of high-po cast iron heads.

[Jerry Forrester]

There is a date code cast into each head. Find it and match it up to the one on the block. They should match up within a couple months.

[mrjazzmillcreek]

Thanks for your help,I may now be able to narrow it down

[wittsend]

When I sold my 283 I listed it for sale with the following numbers:
Engine numbers:
Block 3849852
Heads 3785886 (last number is hard to read, may be 8)
Intake 3840905 (last number is hard to read, may be 6)

My car is a '64 but had a "Chevybaker transplant". So, I'm not sure if the engine year was '65 or '66. However, it was a McKinnon engine for sure. The heads definitely should have "Canada" cast into them. And I recall the head number was very obscure and I found hardly anything on the internet. But, what I did find always related to the Canadian origin. If your engine was swapped with a typical SBC this won't help much. But, it is something to start with. Hope it helps.

Tom

[t walgamuth]

Sounds like you have all the facts presented above to identify them if they are original to the engine. On the other hand, if none of that works and you cannot tell them apart, it should not matter which ones you take if they have not been worked on yet.

Good luck!

[Warren Webb]

I just looked at the heads on the engine I took out of my 66 Daytona. They have a single triangular point on the ends. The left head has a "7" cast between the #1&3 and the right head has a "0" between the 6&8. Those are the only markings I can see without disassembling them. I looked at the Cruiser's engine but other than the triangular mark I cant see the others due to the ignition guides & shielding.

[Swifster]

Not to beat a dead horse, but not every 283 came from the McKinnon engine plant. Some came from Flint. The head casting number sounds right. But Chevy used those heads for the 195HP engine from 1962 until 1967. There are a lot of those heads out there.

When I sold my 283 I listed it for sale with the following numbers:
Engine numbers:
Block 3849852
Heads 3785886 (last number is hard to read, may be 8)
Intake 3840905 (last number is hard to read, may be 6)

My car is a '64 but had a "Chevybaker transplant". So, I'm not sure if the engine year was '65 or '66. However, it was a McKinnon engine for sure. The heads definitely should have "Canada" cast into them. And I recall the head number was very obscure and I found hardly anything on the internet. But, what I did find always related to the Canadian origin. If your engine was swapped with a typical SBC this won't help much. But, it is something to start with. Hope it helps.

Tom

[Jerry Forrester]

The head casting number and the date code will be found between the intake valve springs between numbers 5 & 7 cylinders for the driver side head and between numbers 2 & 4 cylinders on the passenger head.
Date codes start with a letter, that's the month then you have two numbers, that's the day of the month, finally, there's one number, that's the year.
On a 1965 Chevy SB engine if you have 'A015' that would be January 1st, 1965. Unless you have staggered valve cover bolt holes, then it would be January 1st, 1955.
Is this as clear as mud? <G>

I just looked at the heads on the engine I took out of my 66 Daytona. They have a single triangular point on the ends. The left head has a "7" cast between the #1&3 and the right head has a "0" between the 6&8. Those are the only markings I can see without disassembling them. I looked at the Cruiser's engine but other than the triangular mark I cant see the others due to the ignition guides & shielding.

[wittsend]

Not to beat a dead horse, but not every 283 came from the McKinnon engine plant. Some came from Flint. The head casting number sounds right. But Chevy used those heads for the 195HP engine from 1962 until 1967. There are a lot of those heads out there.

I'm no expert (nor trying to be argumentative) but I again looked on the internet for the 3785886 heads and found only two references. One was an engine with two different heads and the other was someone unsure if they were reading the number correctly. I found a significant number of head reference number charts, but no 3785886 heads. If there is something out there with more information on that specific head number I'd appreciate knowing where it is. Curiosity has the best of me (even though I no longer have the engine) after I search for hours and found so little.

Thanks, Tom

[Jerry Forrester]

http://www.gearheadgeek.com/ghgj/index.php/49-54-data/general-chevy-data/chevy-head-casting-s

No heads with that number to be found.

I'm no expert (nor trying to be argumentative) but I again looked on the internet for the 3785886 heads and found only two references. One was an engine with two different heads and the other was someone unsure if they were reading the number correctly. I found a significant number of head reference number charts, but no 3785886 heads. If there is something out there with more information on that specific head number I'd appreciate knowing where it is. Curiosity has the best of me (even though I no longer have the engine) after I search for hours and found so little.

Thanks, Tom

[avanti1982]

the only cast# i found were 3795896 1.72 1.5 1963-1967 283 327 heads in the small-block id guide by powerpro

When I sold my 283 I listed it for sale with the following numbers:
Engine numbers:
Block 3849852
Heads 3785886 (last number is hard to read, may be 8)
Intake 3840905 (last number is hard to read, may be 6)

My car is a '64 but had a "Chevybaker transplant". So, I'm not sure if the engine year was '65 or '66. However, it was a McKinnon engine for sure. The heads definitely should have "Canada" cast into them. And I recall the head number was very obscure and I found hardly anything on the internet. But, what I did find always related to the Canadian origin. If your engine was swapped with a typical SBC this won't help much. But, it is something to start with. Hope it helps.

Tom

[swvalcon]

Fine a set of heads off a late 80-90's 305 and use those. Cheap and cost less to redo than your 283 heads.