Technical The dreaded what's a 327 worth thread...

Regardless of the rebuild story, the engine is a core unless you hear it run. Think about it: The guy wants to sell the car. Why would he pull the engine when a complete running car is worth more and easier to sell? Probably because he and his father already tried to make it run, and it wouldn't. $200-$250 seems fair.

 

Are you planning to overhaul the engine before putting it in your car? He's a neighbor you say, if so and if possible make some kind of deal that has you giving him some $, then tearing it down for inspection and magnaflux before agreeing on the final figure. On the other hand if you just want to just plug and play, well, it's a pig in a poke.

Keep in mind that's an old engine and heads, besides making power they also make cracks. The heads are notorious for this as are the blocks especially around the petcocks on each side of the block.

 

Good advice above! The old 461 and 462 heads seem to have minimal value any more--lots around for very little money.

 

A cracked block can turn a "good deal" into an expensive doorstop, 327's that have been run hard are known to crack in the main web area.
Years ago (when they were priced within reason), I bought a bare 66 Nova 327 block for $200, I told the seller I planned to Magnuflux the block and I asked him if it was cracked would he give me my money back if cracked, I'm glad I did as it had a crack in a main web.
I asked the guy that magged it if there was only one crack and he replied " I stopped looking after the first one", this was when it only cost $30 to mag a block.
I got lucky because the seller even reimbursed me for the mag check.

 

That line....Under a tarp out in the snow.... is enough to loose my interest.
Means the guy had no interest in preserving or saving it. Just wanted it out of the way and gone.
If it's free, take it.
I just sold my 74 Corvette 350 long block ( yes it really did come out of a real Corvette) sitting in my heated garage for 11 years.
Dry, oiled it up and I turned it over once a year. It was an original 54,000 mile engine.
I just had too many projects waiting for me.
I took a $150 bill for it.
Seems like your $500 could be spent wiser.


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Denny, I bet a lot of them were cracked , we didn't know it and ran the crap out of them anyway. Lippy

 

Roger that!

 

A "buck" is $1.00, not 2. Just sayin...

Back to the engine, in a car? Start the bitch up, make an offer. Unless you know the guy really well it's a toss of the bones.

 

yep, too many unanswered questions - your call. years ago had a '67 Chevy Nova SS (wish still had it) with tired 350. in those days there were advertising mailers as part of junk mail. one ad had '65 327 completely rebuilt $300. went there to buy. to top it all off he had the receipts for the work done by a top engine building shop. blueprinted to the '65 Corvette 365 HP motor specs with all new valves, etc. right place at the right time.

 

And for me (an old tightwad W/mold in the wallet) Can't find a running 283
even if it smoked (wouldn't kick her out a bed over such a little thing like that )
a little i'd take it...lol

P.S. Should say for a REASONABLE price not over inflated , you know
50.00 - 100.00 Bucks

 

Are you sure she's not just accidentally grabbing the flashlight from the nightstand?

At least she could use that to find her way to the kitchen and make herself a sandwich...

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They are getting far and few between and never thought I would see that day. But unless you can fire it up and hear it consider it a core and price accordingly.

 

I paid 300 for mine ,even though he said it was rebuilt I took it apart and went through it, cleaning and replacing a bunch of parts. Good luck.

 

I dont usually like to give engine advice... but I am chiming in on this one because 327 SJ is my all time favorite engine and I have had many and rebuilt many. I have two fresh ones on engine stands right now that I wonder what I will ever do with them?
I recently bought a complete 327 and I paid $75 for it. It had a cracked block so I only ended up with lots of correct 327 parts. That is not that big of a deal for most guys. I just like having those parts. A couple of things to remember and some have been said already. 1ouble hump heads are NOT hard to find and they usually are costly to repair because they are so old the valve guides are in need of work and usually the valves have been faced so many times they have no margin left. Unless you can do that work yourself you are better off buying aftermarket heads that have all new parts. By the way, in my opinion you do NOT need harden seats. Those who have the equipment to do that work will tell you you do need it! I have read many articles to the contrary and my own engine experience supports that. I have never had a hammered-out exhaust seat on any of the SBC heads I have rebuilt. 2: Most guys do not realize that 327 pistons cost considerably more than 350 pistons just because of the supply and demand aspect. Price some 327 forged pistons and some 350 forged pistons if you don't believe me. 3: 327 SJ engines ARE getting hard to find because many were swapped out in favor of the 350 engine.
With all that being said and knowing that you will FOR SURE find some issues you are not counting on when you take it apart... I would not pay any more than $300 for it. I would only pay more if I heard it run and maybe did a compression test on it, OR if it were a 1962 block.

 

To me, $500 is a bargain if you can hear it run or if you can pull the heads off and really have a look at it. Maybe it's different in other parts of the country, but the 327 is still a sought-after engine around here and you'd have a tough time finding a complete core for $300, even if you knew it needed a full rebuild.

We are rounding the corner now on the SBC being a nostalgia engine and no longer dirt cheap/common, certainly on the early engines. Flatheads went through the same thing.

 

funny....it was about a year ago......the need for a true 327 was needed for a resto build....as we went thru what I had in stock....there was a sleave needed for one cylinder... so no go there.....and the thrust wear on the rear main of another was maybe .020....gee....at least I ended up with the double humps....was moving after selling my shop and scarped those blocks....have one complete - I just hope's rebuild able......a good one's hard to find !

 

Last year I paid $300.00 for the same engine from a neighbor with an engine stand. it was rebuilt too!

 

Sounds like $300 is the price from "a guy" and $4000 is the price if you get it from an engine shop..
Roll the dice -


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I just bought a complete '65 283 fan to 3 -speed tailshaft, air cleaner to pan for $100 from a truck under a tarp. I assume a 327 is worth twice as much easy.

A bunch of the value will boil down to location... here in the flyover country, they are still out there if you dig a bit. And we're cheap!

 

Wonder what kind of car he drove.....

 

I don't buy stuff like this from friends or neighbors. What if it is a POS and not worth $50?

 

I don't know, but I bet it had a tilt column.

 

YEah, I don't know where these guys are finding engines for 3 bills, not around So Cal. 5 bills for a complete semi-fresh 327 is very much a market price. You would be hard pressed to find one for much less, easier to find them for a whole lot more.

 

The last 4" bore, LJ block I got was FREE! An all Ford guy gave it to me because he hates SBC's.

Then I put over 400 bucks into machine work and about 3 grand in new parts. All for the sake of the venerable SBC. But, now I have exactly what I want. If it's what you want, it doesn't matter how much.

 

Redlands, Ca is where I found mine.

 

I realize Craigslist may not be THE best place to pick up an engine, but just for a quick comparison, check it out: https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/search/pta?query=327+engine

 

My thoughts on camel-hump heads:
I had a 327 rebuilt by a very reputable shop in 2015. I used 461 heads a got from a friend for free. I was willing to spent a couple of hundred dollars for a set until these came available. I spent over $500 on these heads to rebuild them, which included port-matching to the intake and mild porting.
Are they as good as new, aftermarket heads....probably not. Did I pay more for less horsepower, probably. But they are real-live, original Chevrolet 327 high-performance heads, with the correct camel-hump casting markings and no accessory holes. This completes the awesome vintage 327 I wanted. It runs great and I have no regrets.

 

This URL for small block casting numbers might help in the negotiation.
http://outintheshop.com/faq/casting/castings2.html

 

Thank you all for all the advise. I'm really looking forward to spring so I can get a good look at this thing. I'll report back the details. All the talk of early SBCs getting scarce has me kinda itching to start a 265-283-327 hoard. They still turn up around here from time to time. I know the camel hump heads are not as good as new stuff, but they are key for that early look.