Haven't been here for some time. Life's been busy an the Vettes been sleeping for way too long. At the coaxing of a buddy, I had my 69 convertible sent out to be cleaned up. Car build date was October of 1968.

Besides my question above, the car now has a rack and pinion steering conversion and a TKO 600 5 speed in it. It's just out of paint. The motor was tight, so it was just repainted and cleaned up. 3.36 rear.

My current motor was built by yours truly:

1971 400 .030 over, 4 bolt main
Stock crank .010 under
Stock 5.7" rods with arp wave locks and milled bolts on cam side
Speed pro 2 valve relief forged pistons w a fly cut on antiquench side
Crane cams .510 lift and ? Duration. 112 LSA
Roller tipped 1.52 rockers
65 CC iron vortex heads w pocket porting and steam holes 1.96/1.5
Edelbrock performer RPM
Holley 750 VS
MSD probilet tach drive distributed w MSD 6AL, rev lim at 6000
Fully balanced

Motor was Dynoed at the rear wheels.

Made 364 peak rwhp@5300 and 410 rwt, cannot remember the exact rpm right now.

Suffice it to say, it's a lively car. The motor was built 10 years ago and has amount 10k on it. CR is 9.85. No issues on premium.

So I now purchase a motor from a buddy out of a 68 Chevelle. The pistons are frozen in the bores, but the bottom end is all good.

It's a 427 2 bolt main. Steel crank and the larger con rods. It's stamped "CE" on the pad with no VIN. Closed chamber oval port heads with the smaller valves. My understanding is that the motor was a period correct warranty motor. It's a April '68 casting.

The question is, would you stick with the current motor with some possible upgrades (Hyd Roller and AFR's) , or build that big block?

I like the big block look and the fact that it could have been an original motor replacement back in the day. I'm not looking to con anyone with a sale, they can pry this car from my cold dead hands.

I'm leaning towards building the 427 with some AFR heads and a roller cam. It's just a hard decision to make after dumping all that $$ into the car and it now being pristine.

I'll try to post some current pics if I can learn how to.

Thanks for the opinions and sorry for the long winded posting.

 

 

 

 

Ah, what the hay! Since I'm spending your money , and the motor you got now is 10 years old and not the original anyway, I say upgrade to the big block, drop it in the hole, and enjoy the music your right foot makes. You might even step up to a 454 rotating assembly while you're at it. See, I just love spending your money!

 

That big ol' engine bay is screaming for a big block.
And I'd consider staying with the 427, there's just something magic about 'em. Every manufacturer had a badass engine with a very similar bore/stroke combo when this 'vette was built. It'll make plenty power and will love to rev.

 

$10,000 for 21 cubic inches.

$500/ci

 

it is only money .don't keep track of what you spend ,it takes the fun out of it .

 

Might I suggest a compromise? You could install a 4" stroke crank in the 400, and have 434 c.i., I believe. Probably cheaper than rebuilding the big block, and it'll be a lighter engine, to boot. Big blocks just aren't worth the bother unless you're gonna go real big, like, 500+ c.i.

I'm not a big block hater. I had a Roadrunner with a 440 in it, putting out about 500 crank horsepower (that was a lot back in the late '80s-early '90s!), so I know all about that certain "something" that you get with a big block. No such thing as being in the wrong gear. And you can pass anything on the road...except a gas station or a tire store. Anyway, a 434 c.i. small block should give you all of that, plus weigh a bit less, save a bit of money, and you can still open the hood and tell people it's just a 350, if you want....

Scott

 

Bigger is always better but like anything else in life, you have to know its limitations! In other words, if you like the north end of 7000 rpm you may want to stay with the smaller engine.

 

Nah.....

If I'm gonna rip any motor open, it's gonna be the 427.

Need those numbers on my hood, and putting them there without a BBC between the fenders is blasphemous.

Gonna bore the least amount possible, keep the factory heads in storage, and go with Edelbrock RPM ovals.

 

Well, everybody has their own way of looking at things. Good luck, and make sure to take plenty of pics along the way, OK?

Scott

 

I'd drive the 400'' as is and gather parts slowly to put the 427'' together, research the build extensivly, be patient and look for the best deals on quality parts, a 427'' with the afr heads and a roller cam would be a hoot. I recently came into a 454 and am wanting to stroke it out to either 489'' or 496'' depending on the quality of the bore, I'd like to procharge it and don't exactly know if I want this in my vette, but it is in my 6 to 8 year plan with the 454''. I know that there are alot of big block vettes out there running around and you always here the same '' well if you put the big block in the weight will kill the handling'' from the small block purist, but if you subtract for all the aluminum parts on the big block, and figure that most sbc vettes came with cast iron heads, the weight wont be that much different weight wise than a small block, I don't know that I want to beef my vette up more with the irs and all, but I do know that I'm going to build the 489''/496'' and won't know for sure if I'm going to procharge it untill i get more into to it and won't know what I'm putting it into untill I'm lowering the cherry picker, it could end up in my vette. good luck. Blue

 

I feel the same way about the weight thing.

A BBC with aluminum heads, intake, water pump and headers has to weigh less than a small block with iron heads and intake.

My car is also a no AC car.

 

LSx and a 6 speed. See how easy that was?

 

Well..heads and cam on the 400" can easily have you at 540-550HP..so that's not a problem.

A 427 BBC can easily get you near 600Hp with similar parts. You can get there with iron oval ports if done correctly.

You're going to buy pistons anyway...that 4.25" stroker crank can get the package into the 650+HP range and still be easily driveable on pump gas. No one has to know it's a "little" bigger that the emblems say.

Just depends on how far you want to go and what look you'd like to have.

JIM

 

That's true, but it's also true that a BBC with aluminum heads, intake, water pump and headers will still weigh more than a SBC with aluminum heads, intake, water pump, and headers. Not as much more than you might think, though. Less than 100 lbs., I'd bet. The AC delete would make up for that.

Scott