engine trade vote.

[jakeblues652]

ive been talking to a guy from my area on facebook that has a 71 gmc, and he needs a 327 which i happen to have. he said hed give me a rebuilt'some assembly required'(it was never put back together) 350. what do you think? worn out 327 for a fresh 350?

[1968CHEVYC10]

Buying a motor in pieces would kinda scare me, idk just make sure it's all there, little missing pieces could end up costing more than you thought.

[Hubscrub]

i would rather have the 327

[SeventyOne]

The way you describe the trade sounds like a good deal. BUT I have to ask why a person would trade a rebuild (needing assembly) 350 for a tired (needing a rebuild) 327.

He wants a straight trade? No $ involved? I just don't see the logic here on his part which makes me think you are not getting what was offered to you or the guy is a saint. Me thinks not

[jakeblues652]

the 327 has a bad bottom end knock at idle.

[SeventyOne]

Originally Posted by jakeblues652

the 327 has a bad bottom end knock at idle.

And the other guy knows this? This whole deal doesn't bother you? I'd be really wary.

[67chevy1series]

327 are so uncommon in our trucks they almost always have 350 i say keep the 327 and fix it

[jakeblues652]

Originally Posted by SeventyOne

And the other guy knows this? This whole deal doesn't bother you? I'd be really wary.

yeah, i told him it knocks, and it didnt bother him any. and im not that wary about it cause hes a local. and hes a straight shooter. its not like one of these craigslist deals where you see them once in your life and they can BS you around. and now im considering body panels. he has almost anything a guy could ask for with 67-72's. he has 6.

[67chevy1series]

Originally Posted by jakeblues652

yeah, i told him it knocks, and it didnt bother him any. and im not that wary about it cause hes a local. and hes a straight shooter. its not like one of these craigslist deals where you see them once in your life and they can BS you around. and now im considering body panels. he has almost anything a guy could ask for with 67-72's. he has 6.

man i have a feeling you will get scroowed you told him the porblem and he didnt think twice that doesnt sound good

[treveiger]

bottom line be CAREFUL.

[Jacfourteen]

I'd go through the stack of parts and get as many details as you can. Ask what the overbore is, what the crank journals are turned to, ect, ect. Find out what machine work was done on it, and what parts he has. I agree it can add up quick if you need to get parts to put it back together. If all is well then I say you are getting a good deal, you can't tell if its a 327 or 350 by looks anyway so you can call it a 327 if you want when people ask whats under your hood.

[CCCC]

I would never trade a known but tired (even knocking) 327 for an unknown 350 still in pieces. I think that the 327 is a better performing and better balanced engine - and getting a bit scarce. I would rebuild the bottom end if that is what it needs.

[slomotion]

Sounds like no matter which way you go, you're going to have to build it. 350's are everywhere...build the 327 and keep it. JMO

[Longhorn Man]

if the 327 is worn and knocking... it's worth very little without a rebuild. Without being inspected, you don't even know if the block is worth rebuilding.
So worst case scenerio... you may spend just as much on the 350 that you may end up spending on the 327.
An engine that is questionable is to be considered scrap metal untill proven good.

[68 IRON]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

if the 327 is worn and knocking... it's worth very little without a rebuild. Without being inspected, you don't even know if the block is worth rebuilding.
So worst case scenerio... you may spend just as much on the 350 that you may end up spending on the 327.
An engine that is questionable is to be considered scrap metal untill proven good.

I agree with Longhorn. Your 27 is running with a known area of concern versus a 50 not assembled and called "rebuilt". You know what you have but dont with the other. Who knows.....did he find one or more major components with flaws (cracks, bent or mismatched). In a box it might look good, but a cracked block and crank, mismatched rods/ pistons and warped heads could be all you get. For these reasons......bad trade.

[68 IRON]

Besides..... 327 sounds more exotic!!!

[VetteVet]

IMO it's a no brainer. You've got an engine that's about to grenade and some guy has a dis-assenbled 350 that's been rebuilt that he wants to trade for it. He probably wants a 327 for a period correct restoration or he just wants a 327. I'd look at the parts and if they looked fresh and new I'd trade in a minute. There's probably $300 tp $500 worth of parts for the 350 and even if the block is cracked there are tons of them around.

There's lots of reasons for the 350 to not be assembled besides something being wrong with it. Like LMH said the worst case scenario is about what you've got now with the 327. My .02

[68jewel]

Maaaan, keep your motor and rebuild it or go get your own 350. I've just about had it up to here with questionable deals. Just because a guy is local doesn't mean anything. Unless you know and truly trust him...beware. Yeah, there are alot of variables, such as him wanting a period correct 327, etc. But, be careful is all I'm saying.

[tubbedII]

It's really hard to say without knowing more about what he's offering you, but IMO, as long as the parts look to be in good shape, I'd go for it. Of course it's a risk, but what purchase/trade isn't? The question you need to ask yourself is, do you want a 327 or a 350?

[brad_man_72]

scares me! But then again I've been running a 5.3 condition unknown sat for 2 years in my truck for amost 2 years. Neer had the valve covers off. Good luck!

[special-K]

What is meant by "rebuilt with some assembly required"? I visualize at least a short block assembly,if not a long block,with some parts still not installed.Like the push rods and rockers aren't installed.It's not rebuilt if it isn't assembled.
Personally,with all other considerations aside,I'd do whatever it takes to have the 327.Some automatically go for more cubes.Some go for more rare.Some like common.And,some like vintage.I like more from less and the 327 is the perfect platform for that.And...they haven't been used for 42 years and you don't see anyone building new crate 327s.The fact that it's a piece of history from the coolest car manufacturer in the world makes up for any other short comings.

[1949gmc]

In a case like this, i think I'd only trust what he was telling me about the 350 if I were related to him (and even that's questionable sometimes) or if he's been one of my best friends for years. Or, I guess, if he were one of those guys that has an outstanding reputation for being a good guy, you know... drop everything to help someone in need kinda guy. I mean, who's to say that the 350 block doesn't have a hairline crack somewhere or that the crank snout is bent. You can't just give these parts a 'once over'. You'd really have to do some serious work with a mic and go over the block, and all the pieces, really carefully to know for sure. Has the block been bored or just cleaned up with a hone? It might be .030 at the top of the cylinder but .005 at the bottom. Would you be comfortable with a block like that? I wouldn't.

And chances are, if you found a problem with the 350 after you got it, he'd probably say you were SOL.

[LockDoc]

-
I guess my big thing would be if he has receipts for parts or work done. I'm guessing the 327 in the condition it's in is worth 300-400 bucks. Your call...

LockDoc

[Ackattack]

yeah, I'd ask for reciepts from the machine shop so you know what has been done, and then verify by looking for machining marks in the bores, journals, etc.

[1970 CST STEP]

Originally Posted by Ackattack

yeah, I'd ask for reciepts from the machine shop so you know what has been done, and then verify by looking for machining marks in the bores, journals, etc.

if you got a number, call the machinist, he will tell you what you need to know