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possible 327 build

3K views 26 replies 10 participants last post by  yevgenievich 
#1 ·
I am possibly going to rebuild a 327 sbc. Being 67 i think it is small journal so not sure if it's even worth building. Is it better to get fastburn heads and stroker kit or get newer 350 with one piece rear main to build if 327 indeed is small journal?
i am on tight budget so low buck performance and as much reliability as possible is what i'm going for.
thnx for any help
 
#2 ·
Absolutely NOTHING wrong with a small jrnl. 327!!! probably a forged crank.....build it!! you'll be glad you did. Now....since it is that old and most likely been gone through before, take it to a GOOD machine shop and have them check the block, crank and rods to see if it is in fact rebuildable. If it is consider yourself lucky and build it according to the application you will be using it.
 
#4 ·
A stroker kit would just be a 350 . And no this would not be the best bang for your buck because they don't make small journal stroker kits.

Do a solid stock rebuild of the bottom end. Then get a good set of heads with the money you didn't spend on the stroker kit. Camshafts can be had very cheaply, find a used carb and intake and get a decent distributor and you will have plenty of power on a tight budget.
 
#5 · (Edited)
yevgenievich said:
is there a sure way to tell without opening it up if it is small journal? I think they switched to larger in the middle of 67. Also would a stroker kit and vortec heads with mild cam be the best for performance upgrades?
You'll have to at least drop the oilpan or look at the rear crank flange if possible to tell which crank you have.
http://www.chevytech.com/2c50o4.html
Depends on what/how much performance you want/need.
More Info.
http://www.chevytech.com/2c50.html
Clickable Part Info.
http://www.chevytech.com/2c000.html
 
#6 ·
Getting a 5.7 (350) roller/Vortec engine from a salvage yard and adding a good intake and distributor might be the best way to go.

New blocks usually have little wear, you'd have good heads, roller cam for later upgrades. Reasonable power and efficiency for less than a grand, maybe.
 
#7 ·
if you are on a budget then just rebuild the engine you already have. sure a 350 or 383 will make more power but that will cost more money.

what car is this going in? what gear ratio?, what transmission? Is this a daily driver? mpg important?

do you have a complete 327? intake, carb, ignition, timing chain, pulleys, brackets, balancer, flywheel, ect?? If your engine is not complete, those little things add up quickly. So, it is much cheaper to start out with a complete engine.
 
#9 ·
Check the back of the block, near the distributor hole. If there is another hole about the size of the distributor hole, or if the intake is off you can look at the rear of the lifter vally for a metal can that is stuck into a hole against the rear wall. If present, it's most likely a small journal block.
 
#11 ·
Yes, get it running first. It may not need a rebuild.

If the engine already runs well. Then the biggest bang for the buck would be some more gears in the transmission and differential. A 2 spd 327 car will be school bus slow.

Get a th350 transmission, 2500 stall, and a 3.55 gear.

Or use a wide ratio 4 spd with a 3.08 or 2.73 gear

or a close ratio with a 3.73 or 4.11 gear with 10:1 cr and a 230 degree cam.

Furthermore, headers and dual exhaust are key to cheap and reliable HP.
 
#12 ·
i did found the stroker kit from spedomotive:
http://www.speedomotive.com/ps-30-8-327-small-journal-383-cid-kit.aspx
Not sure if it's worth the price.
For time being i guess like recommended i first will make sure engine is rebuildable.
What's the tool called to prime the oil? This will be first start in a while for this motor. Supposed to be running when parked. It does turn so it's not locked up.
I can't get a good look behind it to see if there is another hole on the block. I will get some pictures posted as i have some question regarding some wires and hoses that been messed up.
Thanks for all the help
 
#13 ·
A 383 with a 2 speed will be slower than a 327 with a 3 speed or 4 speed. Try spending your money on a transmission first. If the motor ran ok before it was shut off, it can be put back into good running condition for very little money. Might only need gaskets and a valve job.

That 383 kit would make too much compression ratio for 64cc heads. You will need D-shaped dishes pistons. Don't forget the cost for a 383 balancer and flywheel (they are different than a 327 or 350). If you plan on a mild cam for good street manors and good mpg then build a 9:1 cr engine.
 
#14 ·
I started on cleaning some stuff up and it looks like car used to have a manual.
Also i took some pictures of the motor and it's missing some kind of linkage for the carb. Also there are two hoses from the valve cover breather holes but both just hang in the engine bay not connected to anything. Where should they go? If the block is rebuildable i probably will do just a simple rebuild with a cam and maybe better heads.



 
#15 ·
You don't have a glide that is a turbo 350 kickdown cable hooked to the carb.The hose from the drivers side valve coverf is the pcv valve , hook it to the large blocked vac port on the front of the carb.The hose on the other side would go to the air cleaner to provide filtered air for the pcv system.
 
#16 · (Edited)
barnym17 said:
You don't have a glide that is a turbo 350 kickdown cable hooked to the carb.The hose from the drivers side valve coverf is the pcv valve , hook it to the large blocked vac port on the front of the carb.The hose on the other side would go to the air cleaner to provide filtered air for the pcv system.
that's good news, thanks for clarification. I've been told that trans was original and i thought powerglide was stock in base model. After i found a hole for manual trans it was obvious that it was swapped at one point of time. Thanks for clarification on where those hoses go.
EDIT: this is my first carburated car so i have a lot of things to learn
 
#18 · (Edited)
i took one of the valve covers off today just to check for any obvious issues in the top end and found one of the rockers extremely loose. I tightened it to around where others were. Also i took the spark plugs out and found one of them to be very weird.
Here is one side, they look like normal used plugs with carbon build up.
Now on the other side it got me thinking.
Here is a close up of the weird one

The question is what is that and why was it used?
Also one of the new spark plugs i put in hits the header, are there super short plugs i can buy somewhere or do i have to bend one of the primaries?
 
#22 ·
actually i pulled the carburetor off and found some rust in the intake. I was going to go ahead and take the intake off but can't figure out on how to take the distributor off. I found one bolt that i think is holding it but it's right under it and i can't get access to it with a wrench or rachet.


 
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