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Hot Rods Engine choice for my '57 Chevy Gasser?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by HotRod28AR, Sep 13, 2010.

  1. Swapping my engine out this winter, but not quite sure what I should go after for the new mill. It currently has an old truck sbc that runs like a pig, but ran a 750hp 427 BBC when it raced (best ET of 10.90 @131mph!). I was thinking I could find another nasty 427, or go a little more vintage and consider 394 Olds or 421 Pontiac? Dual quads or multi 2bbls? I know where there is a factory high hp 425 Buick Wildcat also. I *might* be able to get a complete vintage Cragar 4-71 supercharger setup from a friend, including the Cragar intake, GMC blower, and Cragar offset/drop carb plentum for keeping the blower under the hood, but this is for a SBC, which I could also stick with... Any ideas or thoughts? I wanna do something unique, vintage and fast for sure.
    -Dean
     

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  2. Abomb
    Joined: Oct 14, 2006
    Posts: 1,659

    Abomb
    Member

    I can't think of a better place for a high winding ( small journal 283 / 301 / 327 / 331 ) SBC than a tri 5 chevy gasser.....maybe not "unique", but definatley correct.
     
    283john likes this.
  3. '46SuperDeluxe
    Joined: Apr 26, 2009
    Posts: 255

    '46SuperDeluxe
    Member
    from Clovis, CA

    Why would you want to put anything other than a Chevy in that '57? Those engines are cool and all that, but why? Blown SBC...very cool...427-454 w/ tunnel ram and quads...also cool...Blown BBC ...Killer! Not at all unique...but hey it's a '57, not some cobbled together wannabe stab at it. It would be very traditional...but this is just my 2 cents
     
  4. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,942

    squirrel
    Member

    4-71 blown 301 would be neato, it has to stick out of the hood.

    Kinda depends on the rest of the car, how old does it look?
     

  5. Deuces
    Joined: Nov 3, 2009
    Posts: 23,753

    Deuces

    A Hilborn injected 327... That be my choice er .02 cents worth...
     
    3banjos likes this.
  6. jcmarz
    Joined: Jan 10, 2010
    Posts: 4,631

    jcmarz
    Member
    from Chino, Ca

    Dual quad 327 or why not drop in a dual quad 409. I heard some company is reproducing 409 engines.
     
    uncleandy 65 likes this.
  7. AA/Fuel34fordpu
    Joined: Mar 15, 2005
    Posts: 1,266

    AA/Fuel34fordpu
    Member

    You can build a 502-540 for as much as you can build a 427. We do it around here all the time. A blown 540 would be BOSS!!!!
     
  8. Injected 331
     
  9. H3O
    Joined: Jul 12, 2008
    Posts: 597

    H3O
    Member

    I'd do hilborn injected 301, maybe with a 6-71 too!!! that thing would scream!!!!
     
  10. THE_DUDE
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 2,601

    THE_DUDE
    Member

    Run an inline 6 in that bastard
     
    6-bangertim likes this.
  11. Deuces
    Joined: Nov 3, 2009
    Posts: 23,753

    Deuces

    That's funny... :D
     
  12. nocoastsaint
    Joined: Jan 5, 2006
    Posts: 413

    nocoastsaint
    Member

    It would really come down to how you are going to use it. Not going to the street much? Mechanical injection and a blower. Feel like driving it from one end of the country to the other? Carb'd LS and something with overdrive. Want to just tear up the street and make people in 'Crossovers' piss themselves? 502 with fenderwell headers.
     
    Just Gary likes this.
  13. Definitely going to be a street driven car, but I don't mind a radical ride one bit. Would love to do injection but I'm afraid to go that route only to find out it's unstreetable after spending the money. The car raced in the late 70's-80's, but I've made it look early-mid 60's.
    -Dean
     
    Arominus likes this.
  14. low budget
    Joined: Nov 15, 2006
    Posts: 5,566

    low budget
    Member
    from Central Ky

    That may have been a joke but that could be very interesting if its built rite, and would be something diffrent;)..........built internals with a 4 barrel or old type injection with a header etc.etc.
     
    Finn Jensen likes this.
  15. Flathead.....



    .....nah just kiddin'. Go back to the 427 BBC. Blown if you want to spend the dough.
     
    jimmy six likes this.
  16. VooDoo Child 56
    Joined: Mar 5, 2010
    Posts: 49

    VooDoo Child 56
    Member
    from Jersey

    Since any SBC LOOKS like any other SBC go with at least a 350 but more like 383, 400, 427 and make look like era you are shooting for.
     
    Just Gary likes this.
  17. redsdad
    Joined: Oct 5, 2009
    Posts: 252

    redsdad
    Member

  18. ^I always forget about the 409. Such a cool motor.
     
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  19. 409 with 2 4's or a FI 327, think vette. As also mentioned, 383 that looks like an early 60's engine. I have even seen vortec heads with the "old style" valve cover and intake pattern.
     
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  20. bluemeanie
    Joined: Apr 7, 2007
    Posts: 68

    bluemeanie
    Member

    I second an injected 331
     
    Deuces likes this.
  21. low budget
    Joined: Nov 15, 2006
    Posts: 5,566

    low budget
    Member
    from Central Ky

  22. heath brinkley
    Joined: Sep 8, 2010
    Posts: 24

    heath brinkley
    Member

    good advice your gettin' here. ONLY a Chevy in that Chevy, small or big. If you want unique, a 348/409 stroked with dual 4's.
     
  23. JeffreyJames
    Joined: Jun 13, 2007
    Posts: 16,628

    JeffreyJames
    Member
    from SUGAR CITY

    301 Chevy.
     
    Deuces likes this.
  24. Larry T
    Joined: Nov 24, 2004
    Posts: 7,875

    Larry T
    Member

    If it were me, i'd go with the biggest smallblock or big block (whichever I wanted) I could build unless I was building a class engine with a cubic inch rule. There's no replacement for displacement.
    You can build a 406 that looks enough like a 265 that's been hotrodded than not many folks can tell the difference. Or a 502 that looks like a 396.
    If the little engines could outrun the big ones, tell me why ALL dragstrips in the 60's had a P&G for checking cubic inches. And why there were a lot of winners disquafied for having an oversized engine.
    Larry T
     
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  25. theHIGHLANDER
    Joined: Jun 3, 2005
    Posts: 10,245

    theHIGHLANDER
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Cubic inches or not, a SBC with 8 stacks is the way. You can do it electronic for street use and the parts are reasonbly easy to conceal. Only the most dedicated and interested folks would notice, like me, and I for one wouldn't mind seeing few wires between the stacks in the name of getting out to be seen. As far as performance, well there's electronic injection cars running in the 6's. Might add a couple hundy to the get up over mechanical but then again mechanical pumps, especially period correct ones, are bringing decent dough these days so maybe not. Just some random thoughts from a similar dream floatin around in my head (hate those fuckin dreams!).
     
  26. Ya....what he said!:D
     
    Deuces likes this.
  27. ^Speaking of DQ's... My old man used to race a '68 Firebird that had a crate aluminum block 427 (which would normally land him in another class). He had it painted up like a cast iron block and was slipping by the inspection every weekend until somebody tried to stick a magnet to it...oops.

    So that week he pulled the motor and painted it with paint that he mixed with steel shavings. Rolled up to the same inspector the next week and he said, "This is an aluminum block. I know it. And he stuck the magnet to it." LOL
     
    draggin49, Deuces and StarDiero75 like this.
  28. BadgeZ28
    Joined: Oct 28, 2009
    Posts: 1,165

    BadgeZ28
    Member
    from Oregon

    How deep are your pockets? How fast do you want to go? Here is my take on it. The early Chevys are a heavy car. I doubt you will want to cut it up and add to much Fiberglass replacement parts? My choice would be a 468 big block. They are common (454 with clean up bore). Speed parts are reasonable. You don't need to rev it to 7k to make power. Forget the blower. Blowers are cool but require a whole lot of extra care and attention to fuel delivery, timing retard, air/fuel ratio, etc. If you choose an old school motor, be prepared to spend a ton to make it competitive.
     
  29. Think the 55 is a small block car, I think a 302, or 400!
     
  30. budd
    Joined: Oct 31, 2006
    Posts: 3,478

    budd
    Member

    a 350 with a 180 degree crank and hilborn injection on alcohol.
     

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