307 engine, who is keeping ? and why

[hotsy]

I recently purchased a 70 c10 lwb with 51,000 org miles,has a 307 with a 3 speed on tree,runs excellent and with low miles iam tempted to leave it in and run it till it dies, has anyone else ever kept their org 307 engine opposed to putting a stronger engine ? I do have a 350 4 bolt with 45,000 miles on a stand and runs good but at the same time I hate to pull a good engine out ...anyone got any input , if you left your 307 in yours lets hear your story.

[In The Ten Ring]

If it runs, why "fix" it?

When I was 18, all I wanted to do was dump my 250 3 ott and get a 327 4 in the floor.

Now, that I'm 39, all I want to do is keep it as close to original as possible. It's not a show truck, it's not a hot rod, and what it has works just fine. The 3 ott is hugely cool and works as a theft resistor since nobody under 25 has ever seen one. Winning! :P

[dajn]

That's great advice. I've had to learn the hard way when trying to "improve" things on vehicles that didn't need it. Usually fueled by alcohol and boredom. If it is isn't broke, don't fix like they say. If you have a lot of money and/or your very mechanically inclined than it's a different story but if your like most of us, don't touch it.

[67_C-30]

There's nothing at all wrong with a good running 307. They are usually pretty decent on fuel and the 3.25" stroke buzzes a little easier with stock gears and no OD. You can change out the stock 4 blade fan and put a clutch fan on it, and the old 307 will feel like its got 20 more HP.

[imjeff]

I ran the stock 307 in my 69 Chevelle driver for 12 or 13 years. It was a great little motor and would twist the tires on demand. Same block as the 327 and 350, just a shorter stroke. Sold the car last summer and the new owner loves it , even with a little blue on start up. Sounded great as well. People used to point at the 307 badging and say "yeah, right". They never believed it was a 307...always suspected I had built a sleeper. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Jeff

[truckster]

Here's another vote for leaving it alone if it works...

UNLESS you plan to haul or tow heavy loads with it. In that case, the 307 might be a little weak.

[67_C-30]

Originally Posted by imjeff

I ran the stock 307 in my 69 Chevelle driver for 12 or 13 years. It was a great little motor and would twist the tires on demand. Same block as the 327 and 350, just a shorter stroke. Sold the car last summer and the new owner loves it , even with a little blue on start up. Sounded great as well. People used to point at the 307 badging and say "yeah, right". They never believed it was a 307...always suspected I had built a sleeper. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Jeff

No, the 307 is a different block than the 302/327/350. Same stroke as 327, but with a 283 bore (3.875").

[DBaker]

Still runnin mine in the 68! And i plan on runnin it till it blows up then ill think about a 383. If it runs and works for what you use it for then leave it alone.

[19673ontree]

A 307 is a very good engine if I had a truck with that low miles and a 307 no way id change it they are very dependable and just tough !

[hamjet]

Mine has the 307 with 3 OTT also. It survived 40 some years unmollested so I just cant be the one to change it. It has 76000 miles on it and it runs great. Unless your'e looking for H.P. to do wheel stands the little 307 is a great engine. You probably have 373 gears in the rear so it's a peppy setup already. It's a nice looking truck too by the way have fun with it...

[tommys72]

My dad had a 72 with a 307 3OTT and that motor ran good. I dont want to say it was fast, but for a truck it was quick and it was all original. I always did want that truck

Btw, that color combo is awesome

[jjzepplin]

I have the original 307 from my 1970 4x4 going in my 72 2wd Blazer. I put a new timing chain and freeze plugs and front and rear seal. I have a Holley and aluminum intake for it as well as hei after it proves to run ok. I will then run it till it pukes. I have a 4spd Saginaw and 3.73 geared posi so it should be a blast. They came with nylon timing gears so change that first! Had to clean out the debris from the oil p/u and it was all nylon...

[ho70]

307 is a engine that will run forever. If tellin people it is a 307 and that bothers you, then tell 'em it's a 350. IF you want to race around, then do some mods (headers etc) 307's are respectable engines. they are like a loyal dog. But itis your truck, so only you know what is right for you.

[dmartin1]

we had a 307 in a 86 shortbed 1/2 ton pickup and that dam thing just would not die. we hauled a huge fifth wheel with it, with quads stood up in the rear and a huge amount of water and gasoline and it just kept running, tranny completely burnt before anything, we abused it for hauling for like 3 years,the carb was crap, none of the vacuum was hooked up correct, ont know if there was a pcv valve, 2" of grease and leaked everything it had,

when we sold it, it was still running like a champ and the guy drove it 150-200 miles to vegas to be restored.


keep the 307,if you wanna do wheelies ditch it, if you wanna drive it id keep the old 307

[Already Gone]

It looks like you have a stock original truck and for my thinking you shoukd be asking yourself what you want from the truck. That 307 ( as has been said already ) will run and run and if its anything like the one I had in a 69 I bought you could put a glass of water on te engine when it running and there'd be no ripples, that is how smooth they run. If you just bought the truck My suggestion is to drive it as it is for a while and get the feel of the truck and peruse the threads on tis site and figure out what you want from the truck. Your truck will only be original once.

One last thing, please post more pictures of your truck as we all love pictures.

[derotoreut]

Keeping my 307 in my 70 K10. I'll run it until it goes. No need for me to change it out. I guess you need to look at your wants/needs and then decide.

[kentucky_smith]

Someone went to some trouble to remove the 307 sticker under the hood and the SPID on my truck, PO thought it was a 350. Someone before him put hooker headers and a 650 Holley on it. Runs great, sounds good and gets better than 15 mpg. I'm more than happy with it.

[KEL]

From the pic up top, it looks like you have a very nice truck that you just check the oil and then drive. Why do you want to make issues when it is so much easier to just sit back and enjoy the ride. Just my approach to it all. Have fun with it.

[Fatherof3]

I have one that I have only driven the 23 miles home from purchasing the truck. I'm going to do a compression test and if it's good will run it and spend my time and money else where on the truck. I'm looking forward to some non towing road trips with truck so the smaller displacement is a plus.

[EdB]

My 70 came with the same set-up. I drove it to a little over 160K. It did not smoke
much but the compression got weak and it would creep down an incline if the
parking brake was not set. It was a 2bbl and the mileage was around 10 to 11.
I mounted a stock quadrajet manifold with a Holly 450 econocarb and it was a
great set-up for that engine. The mileage went to around 14 and it had more power.
I bought the truck second hand and it already had headers. It is on its fourth engine
now (350) and still has the original Saginaw 3 speed on the column. Everything
has been rebuilt or changed out at least once except for that 3 speed. I have never
had to work on it and it is still going strong.

EdB

[Sloan66]

I have the original 91k mile 307 in my truck. Drive it daily, get 13.5 mpg. Love it would not change it!

[54blackhornet]

Speaking of 307's, I have one in a 71 C/20 that is all original. It's a low mileage truck I picked up, just to haul firewood once a year. The engine starts up fine each spring after sitting under a tarp with a couple of feet of snow on it, because I only run non ethanol gas in it. The problem is it has a bad miss ? Single exhaust pipe sounds like it is missing bad on at least one cylinder ? The truck is perfect for what I need to haul wood, posi 456 rearend, overload springs and disk brakes but the engine needs work ! I was thinking of trying a set of rebuilt heads ? But then I no nothing about the cam or timing gear ? Should I just scrap it and go with a 350?

[C10 - C90 Bill]

Still driving my all original '72 C-10 Longbed with a 307, 3-Speed. It now has about 163,000 miles on it. I bought it at 95,000 miles back in 2000. The only "major" thing I ever changed on it was the Timing Gear and Chain. Changed it around 120,000 miles for preventive maintenence measures only. Still runs great.

Bill

[RManson]

I will tell you that bolting on a decent 4bbl carb and manifold, upgrading the ignition to electronic and replacing the 3-speed with a T5 will transform that 307 into a totally different beast.

[Already Gone]

Originally Posted by RManson

I will tell you that bolting on a decent 4bbl carb and manifold, upgrading the ignition to electronic and replacing the 3-speed with a T5 will transform that 307 into a totally different beast.

Hi Ryan, that sounds like your ideas would make a great upgrade feature for Custom Classic Trucks Magazine especially if you did before and after specs on a dyno.