Hot Rods Period correct 327 build

Ok. I'll do that tomorrow. i got the number off the heads on the 305 engine and they are 434 heads. Are these any good?

 

Just remember that NOT all camel hump heads had 2.02 intake valves, some only had 1.94s.....make sure you check. Cheaper and easier route is to slap on some good flowing GM Vortec heads..... but if you want a certain look.

I've picked up 327s with 300-350HP with good 150+ compression for $300-500 sometimes with a trans attached, there are plenty of them out there, everyone is switching to LS for that "ugly-doesn't-even-help" look......(and I know you are going to say you can get more HP and better MPG out of an LS and better reliability...blah blah blah)

 

434 305 heads only have a 1.72" intake valve as compared to either 1.94" or 2.02" that a 327's of the caliber you want to build. The math say's no.

 

Hey thanks man! Good luck with the project!! Hopefully I can get some video or pictures of mine soon!

 

I think I might have a few of those older how to hop your Chevy V8 books from the time before they were called small blocks or had two journal sizes. They may not be in great shape anymore but might be goo reading on what they put on one back then.

I'm going to say this, don't get in a blooming rush on the 327. Build the car, put the little V8 that you bought that was wrong in but don't spend any extra on the engine except for absolutely needed things like gaskets and spark plugs. Get the car running and driving and get the rest done and when you find a deal on the 327 that has what you need to be right for what you want buy it, prep it an swap them out and sell the little engine as a runner to someone who needs a running V8 to drive to work. It doesn't take long to pull one engine out of these rigs and put a same physically on the outside engine back in and go again.

My old 57 Chevy panel truck came with a 327 that had 12.5 Jahn's pistons, Engle solid lifter cam, 202 heads and a Corvette dual 4 intake. It would have been totally period correct for your gasser but did take the best premium gas you could find in Central Texas in 1975, and drank lots of it. Truck would pull the front wheels on a hard launch and ran city block street races even up with 750 Hondas. The solid lifters were a pain in the butt as I had to adjust them more often than I liked but there may have been some parts in there that weren't primo when I bought the truck for 400 and loaded it on the trailer.
Thing is that what I am saying right now is don't get in a rush to buy an engine unless you can document that it is the exact engine you are looking for. There are enough old early 60's Chevy's rusting away in your neck of the woods that have a 327 in them that waiting for the right one makes sense.
Meanwhile I'll see if any of those old books I have survived the mess in the shed they are in.

 

I think it is great that you are interested in the hobby. I purchased my 59 when I was 17. Honestly, the best advice I can give you is get a small block chevy engine that is currently running. Restoring/modifying an old truck or car is enough work without worrying about a engine build. That way you can build the 327 of your dreams while you are driving your cool old pickup and swap it out later. There are plenty of running 305s, 307s, even 350s that are being yanked out for engine swaps that you should be able to get your hands on.

The first time I built my truck I made a few mistakes and bought an engine (235 inline 6) that was wore out/not running and needed a rebuild. The second engine I got was a rebuilt and running 261. Even with a running engine it took me a few years to get my truck on the road by the time I did the brakes, fixed the steering, did some bodywork, wired it, ect.

I understand the desire for a 327. When I was planning out the parts for the second rebuild of my truck, I decided early on that I wanted a 327 for the same reasons you do ( something different, oil fill tube, finned corvette valve covers, ect.). I made sure I printed off a piece of paper with casting numbers when I went to look at engines. I looked at a couple of engines that the seller claimed was a 327 that wasn't. Having the casting numbers right in front of me made it easier to be educated about what I was looking at. I eventually found a small journal 1965 block with the 1.94/1.5 Camel Hump heads for a reasonable price.

The casting number you posted doesn't seem to show up in any of the lists I've seen. First let's figure out what you have, post up a pic of the casting number and date code located on the drivers side rear of the block.

 

Tom posted "got numbers off the back of the block right on top of where the trans bolts up and it was 355900 i think. I googled it quick and the similar ones to the casting number is a 262 in 1975 novas and monzas and a 305 in 76-79." There's not many 355 prefix's and only one 900 number that's close that starts 355. Sometimes casting number are hard to read. Logic say's GM #355909 fit's the bill as Tom described.

 

Tom. A very inspirational man that loved figuring things out his own way. He once was rejected by his peers during a presentation. Except for Albert Einstein who found him truly great.

 

Thanks for all the advice. As much as i don't want to wait it out and find a good deal on a 327, i know it is the smart thing to do. This will also give me time to save up for a nice 4 speed instead of just slapping an old worn out 3 speed. If i do find a really good 327 for say somewhere in the $300-$500 range should i pick it up?

 

If everything checks out Tom there's no reason not to. These guy's here have posted some solid info about the 327. I suggest continuing researching the engine you wanna build as far as what the part's really look like, the specs and correct #'s. Good luck on your journey.

 

Thanks for all the help guys, I really appreciate the knowledge you guys are sharing.

 

If you are going to run a hydraulic cam run a 350 horse cam (L-79), Run the cam straight up and set your preload @ 1/4 turn past no lash.

I haven't seen your intake but by the mid to late '60s Holley Dual feed carbs were popular, your other options would be a single line Holley 600 vac secondary and a Carter AFB for a performance oriented pickup truck.

If the previous owner gave you an edelbrock streetmaster give it to someone you don't like. They are junk.

 

Tom, this has worked well for me over the years, (not trying to father you here).
You seem to be smart and respectful, I think it will serve you well in other areas of life too.
At least twice I've bought engines (one bare block) that ultimately were cracked but you generally don't find this out until they are completely disassembled and Magnafluxed.
In the case of the bare block; it was an early Nova 327, pretty hard to find even in 1985.
Not to mention expensive, $200 then, $2000 today.
The part that will serve you well is to treat the seller respectful and show interest in anything else you may find interesting to talk to him about, this is free knowledge.
I was able to get the seller of my block to agree to a (full) refund if the block was found to be cracked, (it was), apparently he was significantly impressed with me because he even reimbursed the $30 Magnuflux fee.
It won't always work out this way but never hurts to ask.

 

Being respectful has always been a big thing for me. I've had people be complete a**holes when i've tried to sell stuff before and it just annoys me so i make sure not to do it to other people. The 350 block i have came from my grandpa who bought it years ago under the impression from the seller that it was in perfect condition and it turns out it has a chunk missing.

 

Tom ,having my opinion will just confuse things so i'll leave it at this. Do not put out any of your hard earned money until you are certain of what you are buying . Some people lie when they sell things , some people just don't know better . Check and double check to make sure it what its supposed to be. Having a garage full of unuseable parts will kill your spirit pretty quick.

 

This post is kinda nostalgic for me. In the not so distant past (like early mid 90') I had an o.t. 67 chevy truck that was my Papa's new. Stock was a 2bl 283 power glide. With help from dad and friends we changed it to a re ringed, re bearing poor man's 69 LT1 and 4spd. Even at 4400 pounds we had a lot of fun in the Newhall/Saugus area back in high school. Do yourself a favor and run the solid ! It was a fun learning curve and raised a lot of eyebrows. If the 30/30 scares you, you can always run the 098/097 283HP-360hp cam for starters. Mine had the factory off road Z28 solid cam with factory Z28 springs, 2.02/1.60 camel backs, old Stealth intake, small Q Jet and junk yard headers. In fact all of it came either from the scrap yard in San Fernando or the Pomona swap meet. It was cheap, fun and very fast for the high school parking lot of that era! I vote go solid! You can always change it when you grow up!!!!!! I haven't teach that point yet!

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