cv67

Do both, stroke the original and get some enjoyment out of it why sell yourself short?


Trick Flow sells a set of aluminum look alike "Double Hump" heads which are stellar in comparison to the stocker, throw some headers on there while youre at it

68hemi

If you like the idea of a 350 or 383 why not just rebuild the original block with a stroker crank kit to make your original engine the 383? The 327 and 350 are the same bore so it is the same crank kit to make a 383. You might want to put a pair of aftermarket aluminum heads on the engine and store your original heads. The aluminum heads will allow you run higher compression on pump gas without detonation which is a common problem trying to do with the original iron heads.

jkredwing

I have been waiting for years to get to my #s matching L79 project up and running. The body needs some work, the engine seems to be at worst a rebuild. I'm chomping at the bit to do just that. I like the midyear cars because of the history and the looks. The fact that many members here have a soft spot for the L79 and that your car is sooo good looking, rebuild it.

GearheadJoe

In my experience, low compression on one cylinder is more likely to be a head problem than a ring problem (often a burned exhaust valve). As a first step, you might consider pulling the heads and either having them rebuilt or replacing them with aftermarket heads.

Some have suggested doing a leak-down test to determine the cause of the low compression. This is a very helpful diagnostic tool and is easy to do if you have a source of compressed air. It will likely help you determine in advance whether the problem is with a valve, head gasket, or rings.

If you eventually determine that the short block needs to be rebuilt, I would suggest rebuilding the original block. In the long run, having the original engine in the car and running well will likely maximize the value of the car. It also relieves you of the problem of properly storing the original engine.

If you are tempted by the notion of dropping in a 383 crate motor, keep in mind that your original block can be stroked to 350 CID with no clearancing on the block, and to 370 with only minimal clearancing. It's challenging to stroke a 1965 block all the way to 383, though.

Note that a crate engine will not have the rear crankcase vent that allows you to use the stock unvented valve covers. There are various ways to solve that problem, but none are as simple as using a block that has the rear crankcase vent.

MikeM

You said best for overall value.

Subtract the cost of the rebuild from the value of the car as it sits now and you have potentially lost money if you were to sell it if the engine is running well.

You haven't indicated anything is wrong with the engine other than one cylinder has low compression and a head is damaged. Hard to read between the lines here and see what the real problem is. Maybe you just have some bucks burning a hole in your pocket?

Tampa Jerry

If you decide to go with a complete rebuild, make sure the machine shop does not deck the block all the way through to the engine pad. Keep us posted. Jerry

jrs 427

A " look at my car " ad vs power train question. Does the white seat option increase or decrease performance. Very nice car. If you don't know, let your wallet decide. Everyone has an opinion. Yours is the one that matters. Its obvious your going to bore, ring, cam, and button it back up.

LouieM

Use the KISS principle. Rebuild the engine and be done with it.

MikeM

Yep!.

AkrHack

Down the road, I think you'll be glad if you opt to rebuild the original 327. The only way I'd put in a crate motor is if you had the space to store the original engine.

matthaney06

THANKS everyone for the comments and discussion, it is greatly appreciated.

I have gone back to the mechanic to weight options.

The car is running, smokes a little, runs warm and I just think has lost power over the years.

I have to think once he opens everything up that it will be a scenario like... "well, since we have it open we should go ahead and replace XXX"

He is quoting 35-40 hrs labor to pull, diagnose and reassemble, plus machine work, plus parts. At $100/hr this is going to be a $5k rebuild on the low side. I live in TX, will likely need an new radiator with electric fan...right?

Does this sound right?

Thank you

MikeM

It takes a couple of casual hours to pull it, a couple more to install it. Another casual two hours to tear it down. Maybe five hours tops to put the engine back together. That's eleven hours labor total. Even at $100/hour (way too much for me) that's $1100. I haven't bought rebuild parts in ten years but I can't believe they would be any more than $1000 for everything. We are now at $2100. The machine work has it's separate rate normal and is included in the price of the service.

Why would it cost $3100+ for machine work?

I think the guy is adding the Corvette tax. I'd move on and find someone who could get it done for $3000 or less. But, some here insist on paying $25,000 when a $2,500 paint job will work just fine.

Your money. I'd buy a radiator (if yours is stopped up) and drive on. Maybe rebuild/replace the fan clutch or get an electric fan and put on it.

emdoller

Agree with MikeM

$2000 excluding pulling the engine. You should learn how to do that yourself. It's not hard. I'd call other places or better yet, ask the folks on here for a recommendation in your area.

Ed

Revfan

You might try posting where you are at/near and folks may know of a good rebuilder near (enough) to you.

If you are in a Corvette club, they might know of a Corvette favorable rebuilder... (if you are not, maybe think of joining one!)

Frankie the Fink

I think that's steep, but yes, if you're going to open it up go whole hog. Both my 61 and 63 original engines have been rebuilt and I drive the snot out of them, worry-free...

I'd shop that price around I think....and Westlotron or Donny Brass will have to confirm but I think its a good idea to replace the connecting rods (or maybe it was the pistons); memory is dim but there is supposed to be some original bottom-end components that are advisable to replace...

silver837

The first 2 designs were pretty weak, late 67 were better. The aftermarket rods are the way to go.

JackTripper

Easy choice, rebuild the original since the numbers match.

MikeM

Maybe you should throw in a set of valve seals when you fixing whatever is wrong with the head. You never indicated what was wrong with that.

TrickFlowTech

We do a lot with LS, but so many people have done engine swaps now...it's lost it's cool factor a bit. I've owned 327's and my '67 RS had the 327/350 cam in it....one of my favorite idles.

A reputable machine shop that does performance and restoration shop don't take short cuts. You could ask them to show you a typical invoice of everything involved and it will be a single spaced page long. Putting new stuff in rather than rebuilding it actually saves money (rods and heads mostly)

I like TCKT B8's approach...you could put a slightly different spin on it. If you put some decent H beams in it along with good compression (10.5 minimum), you'll be good to go for a long time. You could "383" it as well for the added cost of a crank. That 56 cubic inches would make it feel like big block relatively speaking. The double hump aluminum heads are awesome...that drops weight off the front end and will pick up a lot of power. I'd keep the original intake on it, but it would be nice to have an intake manifold specialist port it.

We built a 383 stock appearing...really stock appearing with original period parts and it's one of the coolest engines we have.

Yes, there are more modern cams, but the L79 was perfection in terms of idle. If you went 383, you could bump the cam just a bit to maintain the same idle and have more power and torque everywhere....the engine would take on a burlier deeper note through the exhaust as well. Then there is the 425-450 horsepower and 450 ft./lbs of torque factor.

Spray your iron heads, steel crank, original rods and pistons (or the entire long-block)with anti-rust and put them up in the rafters. You'll be happy and you maintain the value of your car.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Crunch527

Piling on...

I'd do a 383/406 with a TKO600 and shelve the original engine and trans...replace the radiator, ignition, clutch, etc...yes, that costs about $15K to do the full repower with buying good parts...fun, fun, fun!

All can be done inside a week and the car won't be down long, which is important to me.

I also do all my own work...