Since it's been produced for 8 years only what do you think of the chevy 327? I have a chance to buy a running one for cheap but I'm not familiar with this engine, is it reliable? I wanna use it for my model A, let me know what you think about it. I have no serial numbers for now but I'm going back on monday to check this out. Should I simply run a 350 or 327 will be good as well? thanks
Chevy 327 engines are some of the best ever produced. They've powered everything from boats, hot rods, sprint cars, pickups with campers, and drag race race cars. I was in awe, reading Hot Rod Magazine in the sixties, when they described getting 1 horsepower per cubic inch out of the 327. I've seen them with multiple carburetors, blowers, fuel injection, and turbo chargers. I've owned several, matter-of-fact still have one under the tarp waiting for a home. They are exact exterior dimensions as the 283 and 350 . Interchange ability is fantastic. I'd say "GO FOR IT". Have fun and keep us posted.
A 327 is a great motor, same bore as a 350 with a shorter stroke. In a light waight car would be fun. All the same bolt ons as any sbc. Cost a little more to rebuild then a 350. Jeff
I raced dirt track race cars in the 60s and 70s.. I built a .040 over 327 in 1971 and raced it 2 seasons and then set it "under the bench" for a while. One day I pulled it out, changed the cam and carb and installed it in my '57 Nomad.. That was about 1972-3.. Know what?? That little 327 and the Nomad are still good friends today and running strong.. Buy the engine, and when you get it home, do a compression check and maybe pull the pan and take a look at the lower end bearings.. If all looks good, put it in your model A and run it like you stole it.. RustyPile..
Great little engine. Had one in my '72 Vega that originally came out of an '67 Impala. It was backed up by a reverse shift Powerglide. The thing had a very nice top end. Never did completely wind her out.
the 327 is a great motor, they made a large jounal and small journal version, for building one for power id look for the large journal one, they seem to be the stonger one.
Let's face it, it was one of the most dependable that chevy made. I agree with Rusty Pile do a compression check, if all 8 are close and great,put that baby in the model A..LOL
Have 2. dependable, run cool, high revin and cheap. Great for a model A or 32 because they don"t make tons of torque.
I have a rebuilt 327 out of a 63 corvette. It's home will be my 46' Harvester I'm building. Plan on mating it to a 700R4. The early 327's were the small journal. When I picked up the motor and asked a few questions, it seemed like most liked the small journal over the large. Can someone who is very familiar with these motors explain the difference and why one is better than the other. Sorry to hijack the thread. I'm sure this will be usefull info to you as well. Here is the info I have on my motor. I plan to change the intake to maybe an RPM Air Gap with a 600 Holly carb. Should I leave the Fireball cam or change it too? Any other thoughts? Info on my 63' small journal 327: Block was bored to .060” over with new TRW pop up pistons with molly rings. Double roller timing chain turns a new Crane Fireball cam with advertised duration of 286°. Block also has new cam bearings and freeze plugs. Crank was turned to .020”-.020” with new Clevite rod and main bearings New high volume oil pump with hypo intermediate shaft. Heads are 71' over the counter/dealer angle plug Fuely Double hump with stainless 2.02” intakes and 1.60” exvalves. Heads are street ported (reworked bowls and gasket matched). Heads have screw in studs with CompCam guide plates with Hypo 3/8” pushrods. Heads just redone with new guide bushings, perfect circle seals and perfect 3 angle valve job with LTI springs. Valve covers are genuine Corvette highly polished. Intake is Offenhauser 360° equa-flow manifold that is gasket matched to heads.
I am a Ford guy but owned and raced many SBC in my teen years along with Mopars . The 283 & 327 were the best engines GM ever made . They were hard to break and we use to run them out to 7000+ rpms with no problems . The 327 was a step up from the 283 , more as a performance upgrade for the sb . They Vette 327 was the good one with the solid lifter cam . You can get 365 HP from them easily . The 350 will give you a lot more power to work with but that 327 in a 2 ton car will move very nicely with a good cam and a 4 bbl carb . I really did like the 327 and there is a lot to be done with them . Upgrade the heads with the "double hump" heads that have the bigger valves and you will really enjoy that great little torque monster on the street . Now with that being dropped into a 2500 lb car , you will really enjoy the power you will get from the 327 . I would also find a good rebuild Quadrajet to set on top to keep that nostalgia look and the carb is really a good one no matter what people say about them . I had them back in the early 70's and I could chirp all 4 gears in my 66 Chevelle wagon with a 4.11 rear and Muncie 4 speed ! So take that as you want to but go and buy the engine as long as it runs . You can bore them out with out any problems because there is more meat in those blocks than you will ever need . The 327 is also getting very hard to find now so if I was a Chevy guy , I would be loading that engine up right now ! Just my Ford opinion ! Retro Jim
Back in '72 I was young and single...bought a 64 'vette that had a 327, 4 speed, 4.10 posi. The seller said it was a later 60's 350 HP engine [car had had 13 engines that he knew about including a big block at some time in it's life] and knew nothing more. When I stripped out a float bowl on the 780 holley, I found a buddy with a good used 950 cfm 3 barrel. That car screamed! I never lost a street race with it. Closest race was against a buddy's hotrod 1970 duster with 340, 4 speed. Super great engines for a light car with gears. BTW....the small journal is generally prefered for a hotrod engine because it has less area on the main bearings and journals...less parasitic drag is the thinking. Also, the smaller journal means less crankshaft speed at the same rpm as a big journal....again less drag
might be a tight fit in a Model A. i had a 350 in my Model A, i ended up having to cut my firewall to clear the distributor. 327 might be a bit smaller tho.
Got one in my 48 chevy truck... 63 300 H.P. with tunnelram and two fours. Had a lot of em' over the yrs....best engine chevy ever made. JMO. Go for it.
I think its a good choice. IMO though if you want a traditional car, make sure you pick the right dress up items, especially if the engine is exposed. I love the stock Chevy stuff myself, but there is an abundance of traditional aftermarket stuff out there too for SBC's. My 327 is built pretty much like a 300 HP '62 version with the 461 1.94" heads. The only difference is that it has the WCFB carb and intake on it instead of the AFB. This kinda makes it a cross between a 250 and 300 HP engine. If you build it like a '62 you can still run the generator and have it look right. I believe '63 is when the alternator came out. From a power standpoint its hard to beat a SBC for the great packaging (especially in a Model A engine compartment) and the relatively low weight it provides. I built my engine mild because of the rest of the driveline (old closed driveline Ford stuff). It still really scoots!!!
Probably why many prefer the small journal over the large. The small journals mostly had steel crankshafts. It was thought that a small journal 327 had less bearing surface and would rev quicker. They are good engines. I built a 69 large journal 327 with a stock bore& pistons a 30/30 cam and 57 fuelie heads & Edelbrock C3B intake. I used the 57 heads because I wanted to use My old stagger bolt finned valve covers. Its going in my 55 2 dr wagon.OldWolf
Pull the trigger. Ihave a 283 and a 327 an you can t beat either one. Looked for a 327 for awhile to find a nice one for my roadster. Grab it while you can.
I like them real well. When I was a kid I always had 283s because everyone was swapping 327s in and I could get everyone's cast off 283 cheap or free. They are as dependable as any other small block and can be made to run real quick. The 350 is really just a stroked 327 it came about in the search for more low end torque.
all good info on the early Gen I 327. I assume you are not talking about the late model 327.(metric) arguably the best small block made in my humble opinion
327's are said to have an "optimal" bore to stroke ratio. I did'nt actually plan it this way, but I have a .040 over, 340 HP short block, with ported/polished 461X casting heads that I ran in my FED years ago; I also have a 4 bolt 350 block that a forged large journal crank is going in, along with aftermarket rods and GM's 1/4" popup pistons, and another set of 461 heads; then there's the 327 that's in my second 56 Sedan Delivery I just bought, but I have no idea what it is, other than it has camel hump heads, a mild cam, and will pull 7K RPM's easily. I guess I must like 327's. Butch/56sedandelivery. Oh, and to Deuces, I'm in agreement, lose the Offy Dual Port. That was an attempt to combine low-high RPM with mileage. That combo, with the 292 Turbo heads will hold that 327 back. Get an old Edelbrock CB4 or CB3, they're cheap AND traditional.
Thanks a lot for all the infos! I called the guy today to fix the appointment for tomorrow and now he's telling me all the 350s he has are running good but the 327 has overheated a lot... He would sell it for 150$...
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