Hey I had a '64 sort bed fleetside. In fact the 327 I mentioned early was dropped oin to it. It was a great running truck. I put in behind the 327 a Muncie M-22 4 speed "rock-crusher". (or was it a M-21, my memory is fading) Good luck with your project.

 

Thanks, Yea it was a nice truck. Had some rust and whatnot but besides that it was rock solid. It had a 235 straight 6 in it with 120k miles. We were crusin down the highway doing about 65mph and heard a loud bang. We had it towed home and found out it threw a rod. We then began the restoration process. Cab off the frame, had it all cleaned up and before we could finish it we moved and were forced to give it away. I'll always kick my self for that. Lol

 

As has been said, the 327 is not a truck or rock crawler engine. It's better suited for the Nova or El Camino. Camel heads have larger valves and can be polished and ported for more HP. But again as said.....there are better heads out there.

 

Stop, you all are killing me. I had to sell my '66 Nova 2dr HT because of my X.

And I miss that car.



On a lighter note. Any one looking for a 1965 SJ 327 block with NO numbers stamped in it? I believe it is correct for..... Dang now I need to go look into what it will fit into. Need to get the casting numbers off of it. It is a dealer/factory warranty replacement block, so no numbers were stamped into the pad.

 

You'll probably need the block cleanes and check as well as the crank checked anyway. If a shop thinks they're gonna get some of your business on the build, they'll probably let you sit in from time to time and watch the work being done.

 

Heres two pictures after I got my block back.
I think it was around $300.00 to get it dipped,bored, honed and cam bearings pressed in.

We didn't have the tool to press the cam bearing in so we figured we'd just spare us the hassle and let them do it





Nothin to look at right now.
But tryn to save $$$ for the heads I want but kinda hard now that I got the cummins

 

I don't know if you are familiar with Excel or MSWord, but do a spread sheet even if it is just pencil and paper. Go to local auto machine shops and get a price list. Write down what you need or want and it's cost and add it all up. It adds fast!! It is a good way to start as you add or subtract things you need or will do later and it helps stay in budget. I do these all the time. Every cost goes in ...nuts bolts, tools everything, after all it come out of the same pocket.

Funny thing about 1/2 way thru the projects these usually go in the trash as I've created a "black hole" or money pit.

I have an extensive cost to complete on my current project as well as a cost of operation for my truck. The truck is into the 4th decimal place for cost per mile for example. Surprisingly the streetrod project is still well under budget even though I tossed the spread sheet a couple times. But I keep coming back and re-examining things and I can see ways to save.

As for yours, A 327 is/was a cool motor in its day. The 350 reigns king to day with the 383 and 400 SBC close behind. 350 stuff is so readily available that it would be hard not to recommend selling the 327 and go with the 350. Actually you can buy a brand new 350 long block for well under 2500 right from the hotrod GM dealers and performance shop if you shop around.. It's not a real killer but you could get 300 hp with out breaking the bank. Also has 2yr warr.

 

One thing to keep in mind if you are planning to reuse the camelhump heads is that they were originally made to run on leaded gasoline. They more than likely do not have hardened valve seats. If you run pump gas it can and probably will wear the seats out quickly. I think a later set of heads with the hardened seats will be your best bet. The old heads are probably still worth something if they are in good shape. A lot of the circle track guys still use them here for stock classes.

David

 

You're right, it's not a truck motor. But is the 1960 Chevy 1/2 in question being built for truck duty or play? I built mine for play. Never hauled anything 'cept a cooler full of beer and a few little hotties on the weekend. So in this case a 327 would be OK. Maybe not the best or newest technology, but for this purpose, why not?

 

K, thanks for not taking offense.

If you end up using the 327, you need to be aware of the 11/32" rod bolts that were on the small journal engines. They were marginal at stock RPM and horsepower levels and disastrous at elevated levels. Make SURE you get the best ARP rod bolts you can afford when you have the rods reconditioned. We tried to upgrade the old rods to the large journal 3/8" bolts, and scattered a few engines before we figured out the SJ rods did not have enough meat. The SJ rods are fine at the 300 Hp/62-6500 RPM level when properly prepared, but you want to make sure you use the lightest piston that you can afford.

One of the keys here is you are trying to learn with an engine that is just different enough from the mainstream books information ( like the rod issues ) to get you in trouble, yet hasn't been hotrodded in large enough numbers for many to remember all the old school tricks.

You may want to look to Ebay for an old copy of Grumpys book on the SBC.
I have one packed away somewhere, it is very technical, but could help point out the differences between old tech and what you would read today.

 

As said the 327 was a good choice in it's day. Today I'd have to choose a 350 CU engine, just for versitility and part availability. The 327 is a good hot rod truck engine, just not a grinder. My buddy had one in a 68 Chevy....fun to play with, even with a 3 speed manuel tranny. But it was no match for my little 307 in a 70 GMC P/U for hauling loads.

 

The Pistons should be marked with a small .030 if they are oversized for overbore. But to be sure I would get a bore gauge. These small blocks are fun to rebuild. Find a good machine shop and get in their hair. Get quality internals and take your time. Then put it in a '71 El Camino. God, I miss that car. Have fun! Kurt

 

Well it looks like I may have a project truck lined up for me. I went over to my neighbors house who live a mile behind me to cut her grass and help her take care of her horses and whatnot.

Well as I was cutting her grass around the barn in the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of a truck. I went over there to check it out and to my surprise it was a Jeep. A 71' Jeep Custom Cab w/ a 350 in it & it's 4x4. It was an old fire truck for our township of Avon(only 1500 or so people). Their isn't a bed on it but instead a fire rack, it's got a large water tank, the reel with the hose is still on it and some other attachements. The body looks to be in great shape, only seen two minor rust areas, and a small dent on top of the roof.

I have no idea how many were issued to our town(can't be more then 5 trucks). I guess I can contact city hall and see if they know anything about it. On the back of the truck where the firefighters stand it still has two names on a platform where "Tim" and "Earl" were supposed to stand

I guess the township gave the truck to this ladys husband before he passed away, it's just sitting there waiting for some TLC. I think it would be a great little project, it would be cool to drive it through our town fair each year.

 

The one thing that is being overlooked in this thread is the fact that the small block Chevy V8 is the cheapest V8 to build. And the only difference between the 327 and the 350 is the stroke. Put a 350 crank in your 327 block and you have a 350. What you have is a good engine to learn on.

Check this out for a little info, http://www.nastyz28.com/sbchevy/sblock.html. It is a decent site for some info on the small block.

 

Phloop, you need a custom crank to fit the 327's small journals.

The only 327 LJ was the 1969 327/210 Hp. 2 barrel engine, an oddity at best.