Engine choice

[wilyunu]

Hello to all my fellow forum members. I am debating on the choice of engine to use for my truck. Currently I have a 327 with a turbo 400 in my 1969 swb c10. It runs and drives ok but I want some more power. I am thinking of spending around 5k on the truck this spring but that includes having a body shop fix some rust issues ( floor pan cab corners). I have looked around and have found several 5.7 hemis for about 2k complete one with trans included for 2500. My question is what kinda of performance mods would be good for a 327 or has anyone heard of someone building a c10 with a 5.7 hemi? I appreciate any and all help and assistance.
Posted via Mobile Device

[TBONE1964]

When you say complete, do you mean they come with the computer and wiring harness? The engine and trans sound like a good price if they are low miles. The wire harness and computer can be very pricey. Not to mention you have to change just about everything else and be able to fab up engine mounts, trans crossmember and exhaust.

If you want my two cents, stick with the Chevy power train. They are easy and inexpensive to build. You will not have any fab work to do. You can make a 327 with some serious HP for $2,000.00. With a little more $$$, you can buy a GM crate engine that will boltin, have 300+ HP and come with a warranty.

[wilyunu]

The hemi comes complete with computer and wiring harness. The 327 I have is mildly upgraded. I inherited the truck from my father in law and I don't know what kind of internals are in it however my wife tells me the at one point he had the truck up on the back wheels with the motor and tranny it has in it. I know there is a different carb on it (edelbrock 4bl) but otherwise not sure. I know it hasn't been tuned in several years. I am told the engine was pulled out of a early 60s vette by my father in law so there is some history with that engine but again I don't know what he rebuilt it with.
Posted via Mobile Device

[ZenC10]

i couldn't agree more! stick with GM. cheapest most reliable power train out there. and you would be suprized with the power you can get out of that 327!

[builtnb]

I have a 68 327 that is also low on power. I was going to have my buddy who owns a machine shop rebuild it with a scat 400 crank to make it a 383. But thanks to member
"Blue_69" who sold me a motor, I am now putting in a L98-700 R4 out of a 91 Trans-Am.

According to my buddy, the large journal 327's are actually a good block to build. You can make them 350's or 383's on the cheap. A set of vorteck heads really wakes it up. But seeing how I got a roller cam motor cheap, with the conversion intake already on it, he said why not give it a try.

[hugger6933]

If your interest lie in a fuel injected powertrain as with the 5.7 hemi the you mentioned why not consider a 5.3 ls variant out of a chevy truck to keep your GM truck all GM and add realible clean power and feul economy and simplicty [some may disagree] but with the harness sent off and reworked and the PCM reflashed your only looking to add about 4 to 7 wires to your truck to make the thing crank and run. You can add power very easy to the LS sereis motors as has been documented countless times, as the General in developing this engine family detuned it WAY down maybe for insureance or whatever but they make crazy HP and TQ increases with just airflow and exhuast improvements. Now I really don't know what you are expecting out of your truck power wise when most say they need more power when a little more will do, and then some could have the power of a pro mod and it still would not be enough. But with the far end of the spectrum there are sacrafices and the farther you go toward that end the more you make, not near as much as in recent times but now a days with the advent of turbo charging and other power adders coming to the forfront. Now they are not new by anty means but they are getting increasingly popular, afordable ,and realiable. But still I say the farther you go down the power road the more you give up in a way as far as drivability [to a point] now there are exceptions to every rule but not on the budget laid out before us. Can you build a reliable 7-850 hp truck? sure can you do it for 5g ? No So I would say either look into a crate motor for around the 2-2500 mark and there are some out there that make decent power, GM even has some with a nationwide warranty if your into travel. Others have some deals as well and the researh is done for you to put the parts together to make them work instead of you guessing what part goes with what cam with what intake. That alone means somethine. Good luck to you. Jim

[leftybass209]

There's nothing wrong with putting the hemi in there if that's what you are dead set on doing. Keep in mind there aren't any kits and it's definately not a well adopted conversion, so you will be fabbing your own mounts and have to measure for oil pan, trans crossmember, and that sort of thing. LS and vortec swaps are much more common, and there are parts already designed to help ease the difficulty. Unless you are the kind of person who likes to be the pioneer, by all means, go for it. I think it'd wind up being a headache myself. Good luck to you.