Tips for making my 327 SBC look traditional/be reliable

I have a 37 ford bobber truck in progress. I just picked up a 327 with a bad smoking habit, im going to go through it, but i'm not sure what i need to make it appear traditional while making it more reliable for daily use.

I have found some cool threads on dressing an engine to look old school, but nothing on old school cam grinds and old 4 bbl performance carbs, maybe i'm just blind?

I will be using the stock intake and ramhorn exhaust manifolds. Stock heads and bottom end, also. With some machine work and some good new rings i think i will be about 10:1 or so. As far as carburator and camshaft go, though, I have not a clue what to run. I would like it to sound a little choppy but not too gnarly. NEEDS TO BE A DAILY DRIVER AND RELIABLE!!!

Also, has anyone got any advice for converting an old ignition to hei, what brand is best? (petroniks and accel are the only ones i could find)


Thanks to anyone who helps!

 

Camshaft choice would be the GM pt# 3863151 L-79 327/350 hp...
Hope I got that part number correct!!..

 

you could prob pick up an HEI dist at a yard cheap and do the petronix rebuild kit thing on it.

 

A 327 is traditional. You don't have to do anything to it other than rebuild/paint it. Keep the gay billet off of it as well as the HEI's. Stock points distributor (points or pertronix), stock or finned aluminum valve covers, stock 4GC and a GENERATOR! Simple, reliable.

 

Yeah, leave it mostly stock, they were great engines when they were new. i'd run points, they don't cost much and they work fine, you just have to check them every 10k miles or so. Either run a stock cam, that GM high perf cam, or a modern one. Beware that folks have been having some trouble with flat tappet cams lately, so you might want to keep the lift numbers kind of low, to avoid trouble. And run the valve springs that the cam grinder recommends.

 

A lot of guys ran the factory aluminum Corvette valve covers on them in their day, since they looked good and cost 1/2 of what most aftermarket covers cost at the time.

 

oil fill tube finned valve covers facotry breather..

watch your oil and cam lobe wipeouts, use a high szinc oil

 

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ACC-2010/?rtype=4
this is the HEI i was talking about. not a new HEI but a kit to eliminate the points within a points distributor, maintaining the look but at the same time increasing reliability. I was only curious if anyone had used one of these, if so, with what luck?

 

as far as valve covers and such i'm going to remain stock. mostly wondering about what carb to use, the engine was free to me from my grandpa, but no carb. he kept it for the new motor.

btw, whats billet?

 

I have the Stock Valve Covers & Stock engine except for the Distributor
which is a OEM Duel Point Tack Drive with a 12 degrees curve
from a early Corvette, Needle Bearing
I used the Dist. on my Race Car back in the Day
never had a Problem
Just my 3 cents

 

The Carb that is on mine is a Stock AFB 4 barrel

 

what HP is your Engine..?
mine is a 327/300hp 63 Vintage

 

Depends on what intake it's got. Over the years, 327s used just about every style four barrel that there was.

 

Small journal 327, .030" over, 2 WCFB's on a '56 Vette manifold, Schneider solid lifter cam, 2 1/2" ram horns, camel hump heads, Vette distributor.
Super reliable, starts instantly, 900 rpm idle.

 

Oh baby! That's pretty!!

 

Billet=machined aluminum (for the most part). I have THREE, 327's! Use Chevrolet script valve covers, or the "box top" 327 covers used on the perf motors (some were even chromed from the factory). Several stock intakes; cast iron to use a Carter WCFB or Rochester 4-Jet, cast iron that used either a Holley or Carter AFB, or aluminum intakes using either a Carter AFB or Holley. What heads are on this engine? Power packs (with the rectangle and triangle) or Double hump/camel hump/fuelie heads (with the rectangle-2 humps)? Rams horn exhaust manifolds, and a points distributor (you can convert to incognito electronic). Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

its a 1964 300 hp, would the same set up as far as intake and carbs work for mine, or would it overfuel? if i was to get that setup, what cam grind would you recommend? what is the cfm rating on those WCFB carbs, and what is the availability?

 

heads are the power packs, and i have the cool box top valve covers.

 

If you have too big of carbs, it doesn't "overfuel" the engine. Rather, it "overairs" it, and makes it bog and run lean until you get the rpm up. But those little dual quads work good on a 283, they're not too big for a 327

 

That's Correct!

What heads, what year block, what stock intake manifold do you have. Better ask Grampa and then post the answers. You'll get a more precise recipie to prepare the engine. There are a few variables without that info. Sounds like Grampa is pretty cool.

overspray

 

I will run out to the farm and check all numbers and photograph the intake. and in reference to how cool gramps is, way cooler than i will ever be!

 

It's a 250 HP with powerpack heads. A 300HP would have the "camel hump" heads. A 250HP would have the small 4BBl intake for a Rochester 4jet. The 300HP would have a square port intake for a small Holley or an AFB. Basically the short block is the same for both engines.

 

I think you're already on the way to being cool and following a good example.

 

i'll go get the numbers and take some pictures. i'll let you guys give me the details then, cuz i'm just not knowledgable enough about these things.

 

Try get a picture of the casting number of the intake on the back in front of the distributor, and maybe the head casting numbers and marks on the front--oh and might as well double check the block casting number on the back in front of the bell housing, drivers side.

 

Vertex Mag would be cool...and HOT...

 

block number was GM 3789817 and the heads are the rectangle with the triangle on top. the intake i have from another 327 has a rochester 4 bbl on it. are they good carbs? and will the heads i have work? i have a set of "camel humps" but they are off of the motor that froze and cracked in the water jackets.

 

I used the mallory points conversion (if you look at the accel one in summit and jegs they look identical) on my BBC and it worked just fine. I am using the crane one also, just make sure you read and follow the instructions some take different ohm coils.

 

What transmission ? and gears ? That'll help with the cam selection. I'd stay away from the 151 cam if you're running an auto trans. Try the 268H from Comp. Nice idle and works decent with a stock converter and 3.36 gears in my car.

 

intake casting is 3844459 and the carb is a q-jet but i cant find numbers on it.