Time Travel for gear heads , a nastalgic tale.

[ll____b0t____ll]

This going to be a long nastalgic story so I warn anyone upfront that only the most car crazy fools like myself
might want to wade through this post

"A CAM STORY" or "THE TALE OF THE RED WHITE AND BLUE 65 CHEVELLE" or "MY NEW ENGINE"

Well the first thing we need to do is jump in our time machines and head all the way back to the year 1968.
I know some people havent even been born yet "me either" but hey this is my Family's story and well thats where it begins.
So plug your toaster oven in and drop it in the bathtub or smoke 28LBs of bannana peels or well whatever way you
know of time travel ,split atoms , black holes, fly backwards around the earth , slingshot the sun ENGAGE!!!!!

Tensil, thats my Dads mom "Grandma" is in the market for a new car, well new to her anyway and off a car lot.
She and my Uncle Lee went to Montana to get one of them there grocery getters but having took along my Uncle Lee
he might have persuaded her to get one of them new camaro's or hey an SS nova back in 1968 wasnt all to expensive .
Whatever she got it was sure to be a chevrolet and something the boys could work and tune on.
The boys mind you had some tuning skill, you know the kind "hey lets drop that 427 big block in that 1963 nova, hey lets
cram a v8 down that vega, hey why not a 396 big block opel cadet on a 4 wheel drive frame.
So ya Grandma new the boys would be tinkering with whatever she got wether she liked it or not HEHE gotta love "Them Boys".

Well as it turns out a local Billings Montana Drag Racer had traded in the lot they went to a very special 1965 Chevelle SS.
No it wasnt the 396 that everyone talks about it was a 327 but the guy who baught it brand new had big plans for it.
It never hit the street in this guys hands it went right to a speed shop and got some good old school parts ,you know
long tube headers, a better cam , carb work , it didnt take much in those days to be on the strip.
And this guy won all kinds of loot and trophys with the car that became localy well known with its Red White and Blue paint job.
The fact it was blowing away cars like other big block chevelles and SS camaros right and left and vettes aswell added to the cars fame.

Well apon seeing it my Uncle Lee was feeling like a kid in a candy store and then the man fired it up..Thump Thump Thump..Thump!
It had so much lope to it that the open doors could be seen to almost dance to the rythmic engine tune.
Frankly I think Uncle Lee was sold at the paintjob but if not firing it up sealed the deal.
Now Im not sure to this day wether it was a hey mom thats the one or a please please mom or how many chores got thrown into the deal,
But Thump Thump Thump down the road they went in that chevelle.

LET THE STREET RACING BEGIN!
And it did my Dad and Ucle Lee raced the bajeebers out that car the way it was and stomped so much local muscle they had to go the state over just to get a race.
Mind you its the late 60's now early 70's and there are some nice cars to contend with.
My dads friend had a 65 ss chevelle himself and his had the 375HP 327 from a vette under the hood .....smoked him bad!
Big block chevelles ranging from 396-427-454 drag tuned ....smoked!
This car was amazing but a mystery as no one could understand why that 327 ran so darn hard.
Now I know what your thinking "Sounds like any other fishing story" right? Ya me too and Ide agree if it had come from anyone elses mouth
but my Dad and Uncle Lee.
Ive witnessed to many times when they talk about what they can build only to have others scoff and outright call them liars and seen them put up or shutup.
When it comes to chevrolets these Boys dont lie. Now ask them about a hunting or fishing trip and you might wanna bring a shovel cuz wooof!

Anyways back to the 327 , well it was tearing the tar out of muncies left and right and yes they raced and won still missing gears for a long time.
Until they decided to tear it down to once and for all solve the mystery, and a number of fello 327 owners who had been uterly burnt by the car so badly
couldnt wait to find out just what could be smoking the 350hp and 375hp 327's aswell as puffed up L88 427 AND LS6 454'S
As they tore it apart they did it in secret and expected to find some hidden tuning secret, some mysterious part or method grinding that could account
for the 327's 8,000+ all day RPM and bookoo power output.

Was it some new cylinder heads or special grinding technic? Nope some mildy ported and polished camel humps, certainly a decent head for the time but
that alone couldnt account for it.
As a matter of fact everything looked pretty mild in there from the pistons "which in those days a domed piston wasnt new as the gas sapported it fine",
to the Cam that was so noisy.
They never did find that mystery part but they wrote down every part # all the same including the Cam #.

Now fast forward some years and the boys had tried diferent combos and even that same cam in other engines ranging from a 350,373,383.400 still ran great but never
really producing the same result.
However every single time that Cam was pushed into 327 with the same combination of parts the same result was acheived.
I say every single time but lets be honest it was only one other time .
It wasnt the cam alone it was the Cam in that combo for that engine alone , the mystery was solved and soon this all became just good old memorys for the boys.

All right I hope your Robotussin or bunji cord time machine holds up one last time because we need to get back to the present.
I know I know we didnt even talk about Motion perfomance vegas or anyway....back to the year 2011.

So due to a vortexing problem caused by a pinhole in my oil pump ive spun a bearing on my 350 with less than 3,000 miles on it.
Its my daily driver my only vehicle and I love my 72 C-10 even though the only time we spend together lately is me chasing the naighbor kids away from playing on it
GGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRR i hate other peoples kids or more the parents who sit inside all day while lil timmy plays power rangers where by for some reason
my truck gets to be "The Bad Guy".
Breath .. breath ... ok im fine realy

My engine needs rebuilt and my Dad says what are ya wanting to do with it?
Now being a car guy myself a say the classic line, "Well i think ide like to rebuild it but puff it up a bit" HAHAHA how many time we all said that right?
Anyway he says what 383 it or keep it a 350 or what?
I say well its to bad i dont have a 307 crank or ide just go with a 327 , mind you about this time it looked like the old man had an anurism he was smiling so hard.
He says I got something better than that , how about an actual large jernal 327 crank I been saving for almost 30 years?
I say sounds awsome what you want for it ? he says you let me build the engine exactly to the specs of the red white and blue chevelles 327 and its free.
Now Im caught off gaurd casue ive heard the storys about this engine for years and it takes some time for me to realize im getting it.
Turns out the Cam is a Crower Cam that they stopped making more than 25 years ago and Dad calls them and gives them the Cam specs and the guy their says
"OMG i remember that Cam " ya thats a running so and so.
He talks for almost 2 hours on the phone with my dad about this Cam and how its profile was somehow "Lost" in the old days and they tried recreating it numerouse times.
Never fully getting it correctly the same because they didnt have the information for whatever reason.
That is until now , do to my Fathers maticulouse parts # keeping skills and the information he had they are regrinding this Cam for me.
Honestly it sounded like Crower is as happy about it as I am.
Will they now be bringing this Cam back? I cant say ....ok well I could say but im not going to lol.

Now I know this my not sound like a big deal to many but to me this is what it means.
My Dad has faught a long battle with Cancer and multiple heart attacks and to be truthful this will most likely be the last engine he builds.
The engine he and his brother Lee kept so secret for all these years will soon be the engine in my 72.
When he dies I wont be getting any inheritance , I come from a poor family with a rich history of working hard for what we do have, so in all honesty
this 327 this memory this "legend to some" is all Ill have left soon.

And I gotta tell ya Him and I are chomping at the bit as the parts come in slowly hehehe we stared at pistons for 2 hours today and when the Cam comes...
im sure it will get fondled more than any peice of metal has a right to be


Anyway thanks for reading , I hope I didnt bore or depress you too much and if you like keep on eye on my build thread Project Morgan as it becomes Project Pheonix
and Ill get more info and pics up soon.

Good day!

P.S. none of those forms of time travel actualy work in fact some can kill you so please dont do any of them if you intend to travel through time.
Besides everyone knows if you want to time travel all you need is a speak and spell 3 paper clips and lots of duct tape

Edited , check down theres a Pic of the Chevelle

[treeboy97]

Great story, good luck with the 327. Keep us posted if you hear anything about the cam making its way back to the catalog.

[chevyman95]

sounds cool, hope it works out

[ZombieWeinerDog]

i need that cam!

[C20-67_N_MO]

Great Story.

Hope to hear of your success once you get your engine back together and running the way you hear it was running in that Chevelle.

[VA72C10]

Cool story. Hope the truck runs and sounds every bit like the Chevelle so the memories will flood back to him. I assume the plan is for him to get the first drive/ride???

[406 Q-ship]

I've done the "speak and Spell" time machine, removing the duct tape removes hair in clumps! So I recommend have all body hair removed by Epi-lady before time traveling.

[GOPAPA]

I read it twice and I will again I know..what a story,,after you get the new motor built and it your truck ,,then lets have a sequil ..LOL I am copying this and printing it as it is good reading at car shows for the guys,,thx for sharing ..

[ll____b0t____ll]

Thanks guys for the kind replys, you all should get free muffler bearing for life for reading that great wall of text lol.

I'll definatly be updating it as I go and just as soon as I can get out to Uncle Lee's I'll even get pics of the old rusted red white and blue 1965 chevelles SS.

I tried for years to get him to sell it to me but after so long the rust got the better of it bad.

I have no delusions that it will run as good as the chevelle after all that car was taken down to 3,200 lbs and im sitting at 3,746lbs in the 72, well thats before i get into it than its 8,989lbs lol.

And heck yes im letting him drive it in fact im letting him break it in and he does a more extensive process than most I know of.

After a 30 minute Cam break in he drains the oil and changes filter than adds the next round of oil with more zinc addative and takes it for a 100 mile trip not letting it drop below 3,000 RPM for the first 50 miles.
Than the last 50 miles he runs it at different RPMs for extended periods holding them solid, all in the middle of the night so as to keep temps down.
Than its another oil and filter change with another addative and this time he putts around 500 miles on it using some miles to make easy passes.
Than its back home to remove the valve covers to check for any loosening of the rockers or play.
At this point hell hand the truck back to me and ill check oil each and everytime i drive it untill it reaches 1,500 miles than its off with the valve covers again and if all checks out than well go out and see how hard she runs to the redline

Ill get pics and short vids and sound clips as I go.
But I really cant wait to get it 25 miles from here to Sharpie in powell ive been dieing to meet him hes from the board here and really seems like a great guy.

[jrdv]

Great story! You've got a way with words!

Will check back to hear "the rest of the story". I've always had a soft spot for the 327.

John

[Jacfourteen]

Great story, can't wait to hear how it runs!

[QKENUF4U]

cool story and good luck with the build... but wasnt the 65/66 327 small journal which in turn allowed it to run WAY HARDER (8000rpm+) without a problem ?? atleast thats how ive always understood it....
get some good pics and good vid.. would love to hear what the specs are on the cam... atleast a lift #..

[crazy longhorn]

Into my way back machine...I guess Ill have to smoke a little reefer(banana peels dont work) That lill 327 is one of the runingist small blocks that GM ever put out! Short stroke/big bore combo, is a revin sob, with enough room for the big valve to let it "breath" at high rpms I also would like to hear the specs on the camshaft ...crazyL

[special-K]

That's a great story and I can't wait to hear you and your dad are happy running it. I'm a big 327 fan,too,and have one built waiting for my '67 shortbed project's completion. It's a '68 truck large journal built to be about 325 horse. I'd love to compare cam specs for my curiousity. I kinda regret that when it was built I thought I was using an automatic trans so cammed it so it would have some sauce but still cruise good in all situations. Since then I came up with an M22 and wish I had a bit wilder cam. Small journal/large journal has nothing to do with stroke...same stroke...same revs...just stronger guts.

[ll____b0t____ll]

Well heres a pic of the Red White and Blue 1965 Chevelle SS and my Grandma Tensil.
Funny how this is the only old pic around of it and it was taken in "1972" hehe fate maybe?




Love you Grandma rest in peace.
Love you Chevelle rust in peices.

[ll____b0t____ll]

Some of you have requested specifix's from the Cam and Im sorry as much as Ide love to share those cuz Im all about that here so others can benafit from what we all do, saldy my Dad has made me promise to never devulge that information "Ever"!
He is very secretive about those kinds of things and I am a man of my word so again very sorry I know that isnt cool but what can I do really?

However I can say this : Its not so much that the Cam has great lift its more about the extream Duration.
A lot of times people dont realize the advertised Duration isnt nearly true to actual Duration and most advertised Durations are less than this cams actual Duration.
Those should be Hints enough for anyone to get an idea , again sorry .
As a consolation heres a piston pic lol.

[oldblue1968chevy]

cool story

[m6z]

great story.

[ubtripn]

THAT was a good story (you push those writing skills a little harder and you could run with the pro's). My Dad gave me a 66 Chevy Truck that has the 327, 4 on the floor stock. I am going to be rebuiding it next year and I think I might just have a couple questions for ya when I do. =)

[Beat68CST]

Great story.


I love 327's, my dad gave me the chance to buy a 350 and drop it in but I chose to get another small journal (they're sexier :P) 327 for the old girl.

[ll____b0t____ll]

Well I finally received "The Cam".
Kind of run around with it , turns out the cam profile wasnt lost but wasnt kept do to a company partner leaving Crower.
Turns out Shneider was responsible for the cam and so I decided to give Shneider racing cams a call.
There was more to the story behind this cam than even I understood but decided to give the true creator of the cam the job rebuilding it , so i placed the order with Shneider cams for the custom grind.
Paying the small sum of $20 dollers i also added their lobe angle grinding proceadure to the cost.
Evedently its a good idea for high RPM cams as it wiks oil and decreases perasitic power loss.
Took a while to receive but its here abd I have to say the worksmanship on this cam is
spot on, i havent ever seen a cam so well ground other than roller cams.
Makes my previose Crane Cam look like a $5 doller walmart brand knock off.
I also decided on Shneider for some high oiling lifters and their break in ZDDP additive, ok I also had to order a T-Shirt too lol I love showing good companys sapport like that.

So as I stated i cant give away too much cam info but ill throw a little info out there .

Lobe seperation : 108
72* overlap
Lift....Just a hair under 500

Waiting on a one peice oil pan gasket from jegs and and the lifters from Shneider to be deleivered ,then its time to start tearing into it.
I cant wait .

[C20-67_N_MO]

Glad you got the camshaft.

Now get that engine together and get it running. As we all want to see the video when that day comes!

[ll____b0t____ll]

Well heres a video of it finally sorry my first video so its kind not the best but you can hear for yourself.

http://s239.photobucket.com/albums/f...t=M4H00620.mp4

Just click that there linka ma bober , perhaps some could explain what option you use to post the video and not just a link to the video please?

[So.Cal.Super]

great story!

And the motor sounds good. How did your dad like it?