350 sb VS 327

[Rico400]

well i got a 68 chevy lwb and i was wondering if i should dump a brand new 350 crate motor in it or keep the 327.

The 327 has bad rings so imma need to take it out, probably hone the cylinder to do the rings going out. Then possibly more things im not sure i havent taken it apart yet. We have had it estimated and its pretty much as much as dumping in a brand new 350 into the truck.

So im not sure what to do, people say i should rebuild the 327, others say get a new 350 smallblack. What do u guys think?

I ONLY WANT INPUT FROM PEOPLE THAT KOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT AND HAVE EXPERIANCE WITH THESE ENGINES

[Guy400]

I would go with a 350 in a truck just for the simple torque advantage. You don't need the revving ability of the 327 for hauling. You should also be able to rebuild that engine for less than a crate motor. Buy a good, used 350 crank and have it turned. Align hone the block and have it bored. Buy a piston/ring kit and you're basically back in business.

[stalefish_132]

Me personally, I would rebuild the 327 and do it up really nice. if you could get your hands on a 283 crank, custom length rods and pistons you could have one mean 302:macho
i'd rather have an engine that i built myslef and saved some green rather than somthnig someone else built.
its really up to you in the end but the 327's are a very good engine to start with;)

[Guy400]

Originally posted by stalefish_132
Me personally, I would rebuild the 327 and do it up really nice. if you could get your hands on a 283 crank, custom length rods and pistons you could have one mean 302:macho
i'd rather have an engine that i built myslef and saved some green rather than somthnig someone else built.
its really up to you in the end but the 327's are a very good engine to start with;) As a former drag racer that ran 327's I do agree that they're a great motor for a street/strip car but they're not a truck engine.

[sakirocket28]

Go with the crate 350. like you said, by the time you get the 327 in running order you oculd have got the crate 350; plus i personally would go with a 350 cause of the broad aftermarket parts range for em.

[stalefish_132]

what is it that doesn't make them a great truck engine? GM put high comp. 327's in 3 ton trucks for many years, there are lots of thigns that can effect the power out put and you can build them for pretty much whatever you want power wise weather it be low end torque or high reving horse power.

[Rastus]

Ideally you would want a 350 due to the higher torque.
Would the 327 work? Yes, but you wouldn't have as much grunt power for towing, hauling, etc. How much of a gain it would be I'm not real sure of.

Pretty well any part that works on a 350 will work on a 327, unless you're talking about certain bottom end parts that would either not clear or give you a bad combo. You'd be surprised what kind of deals you can find on small chevy parts sometimes. :)

I agree with Guy, rebuild the motor you have now. You will end up doing it cheaper and most likely work less while learning something along the way. :)

[JJs450r]

383 stroke or 454 let er drinks some gas

[ilpadrino113]

It all depends on what you want the truck to end up being in the long run. A mean high horsepower street fighter and i'd go with the 350 and stroke it. A tow and work orriented rig i would also go with a 350. A street rod for poundin the pavement on weekends and runnin light to light and rippin through the back roads i'd rebuild the 327

[ninja]

350

[HB416EX]

3 cylinder from a Geo Metro

[Toadz400]

Originally posted by HB416EX
3 cylinder from a Geo Metro

Dude, he didn't say he wanted THAT much more power.:eek2:

How much can you get a new 350 crate engine for? If you can get it for extremely cheap (which is what it sounds like) then I would go that route.

But I would think the cheaper route would be to convert the 327 to a 350 by changing out the crank and rebuild/replace everything else and have it balanced.

[Rico400]

well i think imma go with a 350, i forgot what it cost exactlly but its not to much.

And i dont know what the priced my dad to get everything changed and rebuilt, but he says after everything is said and done the 350 is cheeper dont ask me why, i think its cuz of the cylinder damage and it will need to be honed out a little bit.



and yes i would love a 454, but i dont want to put one in from the junkyard and i dont got the cash to buy a new one. If one happened to be on mydoor step or, if they accidently send me a 454 instead of a 350. i will put it in, cost of gas isnt that big of a deal. ill make it up when by racings ricers all day. lol

[Toadz400]

Originally posted by Rico400
well i think imma go with a 350, i forgot what it cost exactlly but its not to much.

And i dont know what the priced my dad to get everything changed and rebuilt, but he says after everything is said and done the 350 is cheeper dont ask me why, i think its cuz of the cylinder damage and it will need to be honed out a little bit.



and yes i would love a 454, but i dont want to put one in from the junkyard and i dont got the cash to buy a new one. If one happened to be on mydoor step or, if they accidently send me a 454 instead of a 350. i will put it in, cost of gas isnt that big of a deal. ill make it up when by racings ricers all day. lol

It doesn't THAT much to get your cylinder honed. Well, anyway sounds like your mind is set on the 350.

What are you going to do with the 327?

[Hornbreaker]

Put the 350 in, all the acc. & brackits will fit the new engine. Then sell the 327 to off set the cost of the 350. You should get a very good buck for the 327. Remember the old engine is a 68 which was a good motor for a number of years. Just my .02 in.

[Toadz400]

Originally posted by Hornbreaker
Put the 350 in, all the acc. & brackits will fit the new engine. Then sell the 327 to off set the cost of the 350. You should get a very good buck for the 327. Remember the old engine is a 68 which was a good motor for a number of years. Just my .02 in.

He's not going to get a lot for it if it's in bad running condition. Sounds like it needs a lot of work.

[red2004 TRX450R]

the 350 and 327 use the same bore the 327 has a shorter stroke.

the 327 will rev quicker due to less rotating mass and can rev higher because of less mass!!

as to HP and torque it depends how it was built. I beat a lot of 350's with my 327 .
my dads drag car pulled the front wheels with his 327 and his 350.
I would have the 327 checked over by a good machine shop to see how bad it is, if it just needs bored or a crank turned you can get it back together for a couple hundred bucks..
most of them have forged cranks too!!
and it has the kool factor of being a 327!!
what is it out of?

my 327 is out of a 64 impala it was rebult in the late 70's and ran in dad's drag car for about 100 passes then it sat in the garage till 2003 with i put it in my truck! it is a stock crank (knife edged and balanced) and stock rods (shoot peened) with forged pistons. and it runs over 7500 RPM's when he ran it it was over 500hp now its like 400HP with different heads, cam intake, etc....
if you did not live so far away i would trade you for fresh 300HP 350 I slapped together!

sorry for the rambling what were we talking about :rolleyes:

[Rico400]

Originally posted by red2004 TRX450R
the 350 and 327 use the same bore the 327 has a shorter stroke.

the 327 will rev quicker due to less rotating mass and can rev higher because of less mass!!

as to HP and torque it depends how it was built. I beat a lot of 350's with my 327 .
my dads drag car pulled the front wheels with his 327 and his 350.
I would have the 327 checked over by a good machine shop to see how bad it is, if it just needs bored or a crank turned you can get it back together for a couple hundred bucks..
most of them have forged cranks too!!
and it has the kool factor of being a 327!!
what is it out of?

my 327 is out of a 64 impala it was rebult in the late 70's and ran in dad's drag car for about 100 passes then it sat in the garage till 2003 with i put it in my truck! it is a stock crank (knife edged and balanced) and stock rods (shoot peened) with forged pistons. and it runs over 7500 RPM's when he ran it it was over 500hp now its like 400HP with different heads, cam intake, etc....
if you did not live so far away i would trade you for fresh 300HP 350 I slapped together!

sorry for the rambling what were we talking about :rolleyes:


hell if u can tell me how to get 400-500 hp outa it then ill keep it and build the nuts out of it. lol, i didnt think i could get that much out of it you dont got to tell me any top secrets if u dont want to, but it would be kool to see if i could get that much hp, is that at the rear wheels?

[Guy400]

Originally posted by Rico400
hell if u can tell me how to get 400-500 hp outa it then ill keep it and build the nuts out of it. I had 540hp at the crank in my 327. The 3 best things to do to get to 400+hp is: heads, heads and heads. Don't skimp out and short cut when it comes to your heads. It'll be absolutely worth every penny you put in to them. I was running Dart heads on mine that were fully ported, polished, Manley Pro Flo valves, full roller Harland Sharp rockers, stud girdle, etc., etc. I was running Keith Black domes and a stock bottom end:scary: Of course it was fully balanced, the crank was knife-edged and the rods were polished and balanced end-to-end. ARP fasteners were used everywhere. Then I had a very aggressive cam in it and 8000+ RPM was a positive as well:macho

[Rico400]

hey thxx, ill talk to pops about it and see what he says. i should have a jeep wrangler by like febuary, so then i can probably take the engine out and get this thing rebuilt and start building the nuts out of it.

[Hornbreaker]

toadz! Are you afraid of a little work or you just don't want to get dirty? That block and heads BEAR are worth a good buck. Go ask any car restorer!

[Toadz400]

Originally posted by Hornbreaker
toadz! Are you afraid of a little work or you just don't want to get dirty? That block and heads BEAR are worth a good buck. Go ask any car restorer!

I'm not afraid of any work. Why spend money on a worn out engine when you can get a good engine that needs no work for the same price?

[red2004 TRX450R]

Originally posted by Rico400
hell if u can tell me how to get 400-500 hp outa it then ill keep it and build the nuts out of it. lol, i didnt think i could get that much out of it you dont got to tell me any top secrets if u dont want to, but it would be kool to see if i could get that much hp, is that at the rear wheels?

the old early 70's How to hot rod a small block chevy
I think that is the book I will have to look, it will only have only the 327 in it.
the low HP 327 with is the one I got (500 some hp) and the bill jenkins pro stock one!

Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins book showed dad how to build his moter and he personally told dad how to tub and put a 4 link in is vet.
Dad use to race with him and he would share most of his secrets with any one who asked!!

http://www.gilchristbnw.com/GPC/PS-BGJGallery.html