Hmmm...well, if you have an actual LT-1 350 its the last of the really good smallblocks and not the garden variety smogger 350's so commonly swapped in the later 70's. I'd grab one of those over a 327 too! Keep in mind though...ALL 350's now are "LT-1" or "Corvette" engines...no matter what they were originally pulled from. LOL
Been there and done that in my circle track days. Local track had a 355 cubic inch limit but didn't specify how you had to get there. Large journal 327 crank with bearing spacers in a 400 block .030 over comes out to about 353 IIRC. Revs like a chainsaw.
I used an 010 4 bolt block, stock 4 in. bore, 327 large journal crank, 5.7 rods, NOS 10.25 TRW pistons, 350H.P. cam, roller chain and gears, 186 casting 2.02 heads and 750 Holley on a Holley Street Dominator intake. Makes a nice little Street Engine!
In 1974 I went to the Chevy Shop in Chicago, they stocked OEM Chevy parts, speed equipment and did machine work. Remembering how a friends L-79 Nova ran I was looking for a new 327/350 short block, but it was out of stock. Bob, the owner, told me that he didn’t have any ‘70 LT-1 short blocks in stock either but Nickey Chevrolet did. He said go to Nickey and buy one, always go for the cubes and never look back unless you are building for a specific class. I would build a small journal 327 if I could find one locally but I see no advantage to de-stroking a 350 with a 307 crank.
My old Faded Memories Ply/Willys coupe ran a .060 over 350 4 bolt block with an Eagle crank and rods with 12.5 to 1 forged pistons. Crane solid roller and a tunnel ram. It turned 8200 rpms every pass for 2 seasons with a bearing check and new valve springs in the off season. What's the issue . We turned a large journal 302 with aluminum rods 8800 and replaced the rods after 150 passes. Then sold the rods to bracket racers. Sent from my SM-A505U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
if ur looking for a longer lasting engine the 327 has a lower piston speed and at the end of the day will rev pretty good to
Pretty interesting video. I know in theory you can always build more HP and Torque with bigger CID and stroke. At some point you have to make the call on how much is enough. The 327 isn’t something magical, it’s just a good all around combination. The 327 gets decent mileage, makes plenty of power and is super reliable. That’s why I always default to them.
I am working on installing 283 and have the parts for a 327 just have to wait to get the tree to grow some more green to get it to the machine shop!
Da Grump talks about his small blocks - Probably not all of his secrets and most of the stuff was already known, but good basic info. Yea, I've opened this one up a time or two since it was new.
The Jalopy Journal
