273 Freshen...pic

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Rob R

Rob R

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While I'm waiting for the sun to come out for more than two days at a time so I can paint the house.I figured I'd freshen up a friends 273 during the down time...
I figured a quick port of the heads ,slide in one of the many new small block cams I've acquired over the years. Then apply some of the go fast knowledge picked up over the years to turn out a nice little 273 that will light the tires up from a roll...
The original 920 castings flowed [email protected] now flow without a 1.88 valve and a valve job 220 cfm.I'll finish them up after the hardened seats go in and the valves are back cut and a nice full radius valve job.
The deck needs to be cut and new ARP wave loc bolts installed in the rods.
The pistons will be reused as there is only a 1000 miles on them so I'll hone with a tq plate and make sure the clearances are all in check.
I had a custom solid lifter cam ground with a generous lobe and split duration to help with the WEAK ex port.
The end result should be a ferocious little 273 ci in bullet...
I'll post up pictures as the work proceeds I hope to have it back together in a week...as long as the weather keeps me inside...

Getting ready to check the piston to valve clearance...

273-1.jpg

273-3.jpg

273port.jpg
 
Looks great! This will be a fun post to follow. There's no reason why a 273 can't be a screamer with some head work, the right compression, and the right cam. (not too big) toolmanmike
 
toolmanmike said:
Looks great! This will be a fun post to follow. There's no reason why a 273 can't be a screamer with some head work, the right compression, and the right cam. (not too big) toolmanmike
Click to expand...

I have my orginal 273 in the garage that has 11:1 compression, 340 cam and solid lifters. That little red engine was a screamer and used to eat 350 Novas and Camaros and spit them out constantly. A well tweaked 273 is an awesome smallblock!
 
He'll be More than happy with his little bullet...the heads are about 80% finished,I'm hoping for 240 plus cfm after the new valves and seats go in then I'll tweak them a bit more...and yes Dave they are as hard as glass...hardest cast iron heads I've ever touched with a grinder...Too much time...Way Way too much time...but in for a penny in for a pound.
Two more days should get them to were I want them... Final CR will be 9.87 ...I'd like to close the valves a little harder but he wants to drive this car everyday...:wack: Some guys...They want everything :toothy10:
 
Looking good Rob. And yes, Mr. XS sounds a little demanding at times lol..

Burr, burr, burr.. dang it. Burr, burr, burr :)

Grant
 
Block is finally hot tanked and ready for surfacing and a hone..While I was waiting for parts to come in I ported the intake.I figure the little 273 needs all the help it can get :)

Clean Block
273clean.jpg

273clean2.jpg


Cleaned up intake

intake273.jpg

intakeport.jpg
 
I know someone with a 340 that might need some freshening sometime.Now who could that be? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..........

<---------------------------8)
 
Dave you don't need to freshen your 340...all you need is a little cyl head and a different camshaft.
Some port work like Vic's 273 and it'll be a whole different animal :burnout:...
Wait and see how hard Vic's car runs...everyone will say it's a stroker :scratch:

273head.jpg
 
looks good.
jmo I would clean up the chamber edge right around the closed side around the exhaust valve, not too much but enough to make it smooth trans and not jagged.
 
1wild&crazyguy said:
looks good.
jmo I would clean up the chamber edge right around the closed side around the exhaust valve, not too much but enough to make it smooth trans and not jagged.
Click to expand...

Wild...

The new seats aren't in yet and that's just a start on the chambers.The heads have to be surfaced and the chamber edge will be right up to the new intake seat so there will be no step or ruff edges in the finished chamber.The heads are far from finished...I took them to what I would call 80%...I will post the finished pictures of everything...the difference from what you see now to when I'm 100% finished will be signifacant...


I've known Vic for ever...and the stories that we CAN'T tell are many and those that we can would be presumed to be BS...

How about someone we knew who cut a perfectly good factory 383 Dart in half so he could store it in his mom's garage...:shock:
 
Rob R said:
Wild...

The new seats aren't in yet and that's just a start on the chambers.The heads have to be surfaced and the chamber edge will be right up to the new intake seat so there will be no step or ruff edges in the finished chamber.The heads are far from finished...I took them to what I would call 80%...I will post the finished pictures of everything...the difference from what you see now to when I'm 100% finished will be signifacant...


I've known Vic for ever...and the stories that we CAN'T tell are many and those that we can would be presumed to be BS...

How about someone we knew who cut a perfectly good factory 383 Dart in half so he could store it in his mom's garage...:shock:
Click to expand...

Are you serious Rob? Tell me this was in the early 70's and the guy was just partying too much and lost his mind for the moment. The thought of that hurts!
 
Fot those of you that haven't read the post, here goes:

We've all done some dumb things but this one brings stupidity to a new level. This is so unbelievable that I wouldn't tell this story if I didn't have a witness. (Rob R) There was a guy we knew that drank & toked way too much. He had an ugly Lime Green 68 383 4speed Dart GTS. It was really quick but kinda beat. This was over 30yrs ago, it was just an abused musclecar then.

Winter was coming & his mom told him she needed the garage for her Toyota. One evening we went over to his place & there, in his garage was his mom's Toyota. Leaning up against one wall was the font half of his car & of course leaning against the other wall was the back half.

Apparently, in a stoned & drunken stupor he & 2 of his buddies cut the car in half with his torches.(sawsalls weren't around then) According to him, in the spring they were going to just weld it back together.

I never saw the car again & lost track of the guy. I often wonder what ever happened to him & his car.
 
Richard the guy who owned the 383 Dart was by my shop that spring and told me with a straight face that he consciously cut the car in half...No Drugs...No Booze affected his decision and he was going to put it back together. Like it was No problem or big deal...
He was defiantly different...
The stories I could tell about his escapades are way out there...if you hadn't met him or didn't know him you would say they were BS..
 
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