i will start off by saying that this forum is far superior than any other out there.....

i own a 68SS that has a 327 in it (second one) and want to pull 400HP plus out of my car. i have heard you can not destroy or go wrong with this engine; so i am very content on keeping it. i would be willing to drop the dough in the rebuild vs. going with a crate. i just don't have the knowledge nor experience in piecing everything together. i would obviously be taking it to my local machine shop and sit down with these guys and tell them what i am trying to accomplish.

on the other hand with the crate you at least know everything is balanced,blueprinted and ready to go and with a reasonable warranty.

my dilemma would be if i go with the rebuild (leaning more toward) i need to know what all component's i would need to make this all chime and get what I'm looking for!!!

thanks in advance for any advice

400hp can be done with a 327 but it will be in the upper rpm range.Not where most people drive a street engine.A 383or other stroker will make that power at a lower rpm and make more torque.Which makes a street can fun.

Brian - First, welcome to Team Camaro!

One of the great things here is the amount of info available via search. I typed in "327 build" and got 16 pages of threads, including some with the kind of info you are looking for like these:

https://www.camaros.net/forums/showth...ight=build+327

https://www.camaros.net/forums/showth...ight=build+327

https://www.camaros.net/forums/showth...ight=build+327

https://www.camaros.net/forums/showth...ight=build+327

Rebuild vs. crate come up quite a bit too. A lot of it comes down to how much you want to do yourself, local machine shop rates, warranties, etc. I've been through and around Bossier City when I worked out at the Army Ammo Plant, but wasn't there long enough to get into the local gearhead scene, so I don't know what shops down there charge. Typically these days though, it seems you can get better over the counter heads cheaper than redoing 40 year old double humps.

Check out the linked threads, and maybe psot some more info about your intentions for the car and the rest of the combo. Most of us here are big fans of making sure a package works as a whole vs. throwing a big cam in and big set of heads on and calling it good!

It's hard to beat a GMPP crate motor warranty. That ZZ383 looks appealing in the right circumstances.
For me, my next engine will be a Dart Little M 427.

I chose to rebuild my 327 and wish that I would have gone with a crate. The Reason... I wish I had a 350 Ramjet EFI ! Or maybe an LSx engine ? You can always build the 327, if you change your mind... down the road. Just pull it... oil it up... Bag it... and set it in the corner.

I absolutely love my crate,I have a tremec behind it and driving it is some of the most fun you can have with your cloths on...and with a warranty too!

Brian,

Welcome to Team Camaro. As you will find out, this is an invaluable site and I have no doubt you will get the answers you are looking for from this site. If you do your homework here, you will get a combination that you will be happy with.

Here's my $.02 from your original question. You mention that you've heard you can't go wrong with the 327. The 327 is near and dear to many of the chevy breathren. It was one of the first hi-po bowtie's. You probably can't go wrong with it, but there are probably better ways to make more power for the same money. You do understand that your 327 block can be either a 327, a 350, or a 383, depending on the crankshaft that you put into it? My point is you say your set on a 327, are you just set on keeping that same engine block, or do you want a true 327 cubic inch motor?

Like Eric mentioned, use the search feature. It's awesome and many of your questions can probably be answered by doing a search. But don't be afraid to ask either, most everyone here is glad to answer and this site runs the gamit from extreme novices to shop owners, builders, racers. There truely isn't a dumb question, folks are very respectful and helpful here.

Eric,
great links that you have provided. at this point i am trying to absorb as much information without getting more confused than when i started.

currently i have i have a 10 bolt with what i believe are 3.08 and power glide tranny...i have been looking for a 12 bolt posi with 3.55 or 3.73..and i am leaning to wards going with a th350 tranny

the only known modifications i could tell you about the engine are: weiand intake and Holley 4bl., i also have hooker competition headers. now from there, I'm not really sure, but i want this thing to grab some asphalt and scream.

LS427SS(anyone have a 380+hp 327??) thread had allot of solid information on his specs. thats what I'm looking for; someone who can brake everything down in layman's terms for me and say;" you need this,this and this" to achieve your goal...this site is quick to respond and jumps right to it....awesome

thank again

Jon,

i am not sold on keeping the 327ci, if i can get more from what i currently have by putting new crankshaft, cam, heads, pistons, rockers etc. i am defiantly willing to do so. my thing is durability/dependable and if taking this engine out and dropping 6k or so on a crate; then i am not opposed!! i just want this this car to pull around 400hp maybe a 12 flat car and still be street drivable.

currently i have a power glide, 10 bolt with 3.08; and looking to change that to a th350 with 12 bolt posi 3.73..

thanks for the reassurance on asking these elementary questions...after hearing you guys speak in morose code; sometimes i think wtf is this thread about!!

thanks again- this site rocks!!

Brian, big decision, eh?
Where are you with this hobby, and where do you want to be?
Is your pleasure in having, driving, and showing your Camaro, or does it also include working on it?
Myself, I take a great deal of pleasure in working on my car, in doing things better than I have in the past, and in learning new things. Last night, I degreed a cam for the first time in my life, it was kinda fun.

I've had my numbers matching 327 apart 3 times over the past 4 years, and she keeps getting better and better. At 383 cubes, with a new hydraulic roller cam, alluminum heads, and EFI going in this winter, I hope for 500 HP at the crank, in a smooth streetable package.

There's a lot to be said in getting a turn key engine on a truck, too. Just be careful, and do your research on your vendor. It's hard to go wrong with a GMPP engine, but some of the others give you more for your money, others, a lot less than they promise.

Jim,

yes i do enjoy working, driving and showing my car. i am just scratching the surface on the knowledge piece of the engine though. i would love to know how everything operates and works off the other component's; i guess thats where hours of reading, research and inquiring come into play.

i have some basic knowledge but when it comes down to dissecting everything out, I'm no expert! i just don't want to sink money and time in doing something myself and totally screwing it up (i want everything to be in sync)no pun intended. then my money/time is not well spent with something that doesn't work properly!

thanks for any info,
Brian

The 2 biggest tricks with building an engine are coming up with a good "combination" and keeping it clean. Basic teardown and assembly is not hard and doesn't need to many special tools. A good local machinist will be a big help, as will this forum.

Re-Build that "little" thing.
IMHO most crates suck, and having/building your motor you really can do it cheaper and know exactly you or the shop is putting into it.
Or if you have the money ditch sbc all together and go to LSX series....

We had one in a little Nova road racer. You can read about the build here:

http://www.geocities.com/pcwright77/durango.html

We used a 2-bbl carb (per the rules) and still ended up with 380+ hp. Using a 4-bbl carb will add a few more.

Here's an article from Chevy High Performance on what your looking for.




http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/te...mer/index.html