TCKT B8

My 65 327 is belly up. It is the original engine with Edelbrock aluminum heads. My 65 has a Tremec 5 speed, steeroids ps, vintage air, and aftermarket pb. Anyone know if a 350 short block is a direct replacement for the 327? I plan to store all the original engine and all parts.

Vetterodder

Except for a few details. The dip stick may be on the opposite side and (unless it's from a `67 SS Camaro) it won't have provision for PCV to the block like your `65.

Nowhere Man

Physically It’s the same size and dimensions. Like said above the PCV is diffreant and the dip stick that’s about it.

R66

Some 350 truck motors and HP motors had the larger harmonic balance. I think it was about 1" larger than the 327/300 hp.
Also, unless from a '67', you have to use a spin on filter.
Don't remember about the clutch bell crank ball location - I think it will be the same.

Ron

alexandervdr

I replaced an original 327 with new 290hp/350 Goodwrench crate from GM, and that was a plug and play swap. No issues.

sidepipe seeker

Just curious and don't mean cast aspersions. It's remarkable easy for an engine to produce 1 horsepower per cubic inch of displacement.
For myself personally...ONLY 290 hp from 350 cubic inches is rather anemic....Mark

alexandervdr

well the base C2 was even worse😎 that being said I swapped the camshaft for more low end torque and probably even less power (which I never felt) Got a perfect car to my taste now , did 7k Miles last year very smooth driver 👍

R66

Obviously fuel injection and computer technology are the key to the proper air / fuel ratio to obtain 1 hp / cu. in. economically.
The question is "what is the use of the vehicle and what needed to propel it accordingly"? Other than bragging' rights, there is no value to unused horsepower and often times one paid a penalty in economy and drivability. With 21st Century technology, sidepipe seeker may find his dream, but with mid 20th Century technology - 60s in a production car, you get what they offered or now build your own 427/435.
Putting and LS with the proper feeding devices and controls will provide the 1 hp / cu. in., but, at a cost well above the original cost of the car when new. Why buy a 800 hp Corvette that never leaves the city streets?

I love my anemic base motor. It's like the Energizer battery.

cardo0

I like ATK reman engines and you can find long blocks with left hand side dip sticks for under $2000. Take a look at the ATK catalog for Chevy 327 (page 29): http://atkvege.com/wp-content/upload...engine2016.pdf Just google the ATK part number for vendors to sell. To many options and you have to decide for yourself on the block and size. But if you want a custom short block the sky is the limit.

Hope this helps.

65 fi

What’s wrong with your original engine?

rayvaflav

If you want it to look original there's that whole vent valve canister/valve cover with no holes thing too, but there are ways (here in the archives) to get around those issues.

Ray

TCKT B8

Bottom end needs rebuild.

karkrafter

For the money [low mid $2000] pretty good mill. Only 8.0:1 comp, little head change and 325 HP is not far away. All new parts...good option I think

DZAUTO

ANY, and ALL first generation small blocks are sorta, kinda, a 100% bolt-in swap, going all the way back to a 1955 265 V8.
Physically bolting in the engine into a 55-later Chevy/Corvette, then attaching all connections, exhaust manifolds, bell housing, etc, etc., is VERY straight forward and UNcomplicated. TOOOOOOOOOO EASY and SiMPLE!

As Ray mentioned above, the REAL issue is if the completed swap needs to look like the factory appearance, OR, if just installing a later SB and driving it away is the concern.
I THINK (I could be wrong) everyone here is aware that the LAST year for a hole in the rear of a SB for crankcase ventilation was 1967. In 68, that hole went away and crankcase ventilation was done with valve covers that had holes in them------------------------WHICH I DO NOT LIKE IN AN EARLY CAR!!!!!

This is the hole I'm referring to that was last cast into all small blocks up to 67. Either a road draft tube was installed in this hole, or an adapter for plumbing a PCV valve connected to manifold vacuum.


Thus, if it is desirable to use NO HOLE valve covers, then some method of crankcase ventilation needs to be done.
Here is just one example of how a PCV setup can be done when using a 68-later block that does not have the hole in the rear. Of course, on the under side of the manifold, some kind of sheet metal baffle needs to be fabricated.



This shows how an FI unit, installed on a later block, has had a PCV valve installed. The last picture shows a fabricated sheet metal cover over the PCV valve to keep oil splash from being sucked into the PCV valve.Something like this needs to be done with a carb setup avbove.









For the SB400 in my 56, with FI, I drilled holes in the rear of the block, going into the rear of the lifter valley. Then used brass fittings and copper tubing to plumb a PCV valve from the vacuum port on the rear, left side of the plenum. This allowed me to retain early, NO HOLE finned valve covers.












Thus, if someone wants to transplant a 68-later engine into a 67-earlier car------------------------------AND RETAIN A SEMBLANCE OF ORIGINAL APPEARANCE with solid valve covers, the a little ingenuity can get this accomplished. Otherwise, installing a 68-later engine in an earlier car will require using holes with valve covers and plumbing some kind of PCV setup.

Roger Walling

But, won't the NCRS ban the poster from ever driving on any highway in the USA?

buns

Not all blocks will have this hole drilled and tapped.

GTOguy

I had always thought this as well....until two weeks ago. I drove a '63 SWC that the owner had installed a Goodwrench 290 HP el cheapo crate motor into. The car flat got up and went, and pulled like a train. I was very surprised. It was stronger than a 300HP 327 by a bunch. Probably because a 300 HP 327 was rated at gross HP, and not net, which all engines later than '72 were rated at. So a 'mere' 290 net HP is a whole lot stronger than a whole BUNCH of small block Corvette engines of the past. And with weaky-squeaky 8:1 CR running on camel ****, to boot.

alexandervdr

In an attempt to stay in tune with the looks of the 60-ie's, and acknowledging that nothing will beat the real thing, I put aluminum valve covers with breather and PCV provisions from these guys https://www.yourcovers.com/valve_covers_11026.php. No, not as refined as the originals, but better than the stamped covers that came with the crate engine

alexandervdr

if you were impressed by that one, you would be flabbergasted by mine after I put in the new low-end torque cam as described above. It now pulls not like one but like two trains. HP sells cars, torque makes them drive well.

GTOguy

I know about torque.....my '61 has a sleeper 383 installed. It's just that I was impressed with how well that GM crate ran for the $1800 price tag. I never realized how well those things ran. Here it is in my '61 when I was getting the car back on the road a few years back. Looks just like a 283....but isn't.