327?

[86MonteLS]

Well guys.. my 262 V6 has about seen the end of the line and I rather drop a V8 in instead of rebuilding it...

What are your opinions on a 327?? I don't want to put a 305 in just because they don't have much power potential compared to a 350, but I also don't want to put a 350 in just because I see them in all the guys driving around my town.

I figured a 327 would make plenty of power and also get a little better as mileage than a 350

And I know somebody will comment and say "There is no replacement for displacement" which I understand, just merely wanted your opinions on a 327

 

[kyhunter89]

decent higher winding motors. Just gear it right.

 

[R/T kota]

Decent engine but if you want to make any power out of them, you got to make them rev. Then like the last poster said, need to gear it right so now your revving higher at cruising speeds.
They do sound cool at 8000 rpm though.

 

[Vern]

Naturally when you rev it harder & gear it harder to get the power & acceleration back from the lost displacement you give away most of the mileage that you saved from the reduced pumping loses. I get 17mpg with my 509ci and only got 18mpg with my 307. Same car, transmission, carberator, converter, less gear & taller tires for lower rpm cruising. More compression and efficiency in this build than the factory 307. Oh yea mid 12s at a 110mph in the quarter is more fun than the 7 day notice I needed to pass somebody with the 307. More rpm does not help longevity either.

"I also don't want to put a 350 in just because I see them in all the gays driveing around my town." Externally the chevy 327 in no different than the chevy 350. You could dress either as old school or however you want but its hard to make it stand out and be or look different when its the same thing under your hood as everyone else in the hood.

You want to stand out get some respect and attention be known do an old school 409. Too expensive do a big block. Bang for the buck it beats the small block in all the comparisons I have seen over the years. Say you set a goal of 400HP. It may take a little more time to locate and acquire the parts but you will make the power easier and for about the same money and can get about the same mileage with say a 396 as say a 327. The reason I say that is in order to go as quick the 327 will require more stall more gear more cam and turn more rpm by the time you get the same car to the same performance you are useing about the same fuel.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

A 327 is a good engine, but I see no point to running it over a 350 unless you want to throw some revs. A SBC looks like a SBC, no matter what the displacement. The 327 has a better rod-stroke ratio than a 350, but this is of little consequence in a daily driver. I used a 350 BECAUSE everyone else does, since it made it cheaper to build, cheaper to benchmark, and cheaper to get used parts for. I dressed it up in black paint with 305 valve covers, and a Z-28 air cleaner off a HO 305 car to make it look original. Also, if you plan on a 327, the heads for most of them will not have the proper 3 bolt holes in the ends for a later model accessory drive setup. That means you will need to either swap heads or have the holes drilled. The 327 also uses a "stovepipe" for the oil fill, which means you either need the manifold that is drilled for it ( most aftermarket ones have the boss there, but undrilled), or a set of later valve covers with the oil fill cap in them. After all that, it will look like a 305 or 350. Most people who see a SBC powered anything are unimpressed anyhow, so I would just run what is cheapest. If you want to stand out, run a Cad 472 or 500, or a real oddball like a Nissan Skyline GTR's RB26DETT twin turbo inline six backed by the RB25DET Skyline GTS-T's transmission. THAT would be original and also capable of a ridiculous amount of power ( They don't call that engine "Godzilla" for nothing!)

Now if I were building an engine with economy in mind, I would probably destroke a 350 or a 400 with a 3 inch crank, and add longer rods. (302ci with a 350 block, I am guessing 320 with a 400 block's bore) Then I would add a set of small turbos to it and an engine management system to match. This would give a great rev range with decent torque due to the longer rods, and detonation resistance due to a slower piston speed. In theory at least.

 

[kyhunter89]

Now thats a real 327 a destroked 400 block.

 

[Wolf001]

Wow, you people are lucky to have that much knowledge over cars!!!!

 

[86MonteLS]

thanks for the input guys...i will probably go motor shopping during the middle of summer so i can save some more money

 

[andrewmp6]

Why not make a 302 out of that 327 and yes gm did have a 302 was used in the early camaros.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Depending on the year of 327, you can make a 302 using a 283 crank, just like Vince Piggins did in the 60's when he designed the Z-28.