Just got a 68 327/350 horse vert,and pulled motor/trans before body comes off.As i understand the 350 horse engine had 11.5 to 1s,and i'm just wanting to freshen up the engine.The heads are the 291s.What cam is suggested to be able to run this on the street,and pump gas?I have the factory intake,or a old style Torker 2,Hooker side mount headers,4-speed,and a 3.08 rear.Not trying to build a race engine here,cause don't want to chance hurting the org.engine,Just wanting a peppy driver.My friend said that i can run thicker head gaskets,and retard the timing to run on pump gas.Any help here would be appreciated.Thanks in advance.

 

Sounds like you are on the right track. Without changing heads and or pistons, all that's left is head gaskets and timing (the least of all when it comes to changing compression) If you were mechanically inclined and the piston bores were ok, a piston swap isn't necessarily that expensive.

I'd personally use addatives and run the best gas you can. Expensive, yes, but it is a Vette and nothing is quite like a high compression motor!!

 

The compression ratio was actually advertised as 11.0:1 and the real ratio was probably closer to 10.25-10.5:1. If your engine is stock, you already have one of the best all around cams ever produced- great all around torque and power band to 6000 RPM (and a bit beyond).
I have a 327/350 in my '66 and absolutely love it. I wouldn't change a thing. Very few complaints of detonation with these motors over on the C2 forum. I would think that when you are done with your resto, it would be a a little more desireable car with the engine rebuilt to original specs, also. Just my .02.

Rich

 

You could build my combination. Gets about 300 ft-lb and 300 hp at the wheels and is very mild. Never pings on 91 octane and could probably run 87 octane if it had.

331 CI, pump-friendly 9.5:1 CR
K&N 14"x4" air filter, Corvette drop base and lid
Holley 600 dp, choke horn milled, polished
1/2" Aluminum open spacer port matched to manifold, exterior polished
Edelbrock Performer RPM, port matched, exterior polished with all extraneous castings and lettering removed
Homemade lifter valley splash shield to keep hot oil off manifold bottom
Camel hump 1.94/1.50 heads hogged out to 2.02/1.60, pocket ported, port matched, pump-friendly hardened seats, 3-angle valve job
Comp Cams 1.52:1 roller-tip rockers
Crane Cam Vintage Muscle 327/350 hp cam, 222 degrees @ 0.05, 0.447" lift (with 1.50 rockers)
Doug Thorley headers, dechromed and ceramic-coated
2.5" mandral-bent exhaust (including tips), 2" cross-over just before rear axle
DynoMax stainless Ultra Flow mufflers
Mallory Hyfire IV CD ignition box triggered off Accel points
Mallory high voltage chrome coil
Mallory spiral-wound coil wire
Mallory solid copper plug wires, ends soldered to wires
Champion plugs
37 degrees total ignition advance (now 34 degrees per Lars tune-up)
Carter high volume fuel pump
Melling high volume oil pump
Open breathers
Polished aluminum high flow water pump
Flex fan with polished aluminum spacer
Polished aluminum one-wire 100 amp alternator
Muncie M-20 CR 4-speed (now Keisler TKO600 5-Speed)
Hurst shifter (Now Keisler With Hurst Tower)
3.70:1 positraction
225/60/15 Firestone Firehawk SZ50s on 7”-wide Western 30-spoke Turbine Wheels

Engine has never been professionally tuned up. Car did 293 ft-lb and 293 hp @ 5,500 rpm on the chassis dyno. Engine pulls to 6,200 rpm and does over 200 ft-lb from 1,900 rpm. This was prior to some clean-up work around the junction of the carburetor and base of the air cleaner that smooths the flow through this area and a Lars tune-up and should be good for a few ponies. Car has run 107 mph in the high 13's (old, bad tires) at the quarter. Car is extremely streetable and could probably even run 87 octane if it had to. (I can't get the engine to ping no matter how far I advance the ignition.)

The secret to power is in the attention to details!