Whats your favorite SB chevy motor and why??

[prg machine]

Originally Posted by 69ChevyRazorback

awesome replies guys. I guess I could have added a little more info as to what i want in an engine.

i'd like something that I can build for a daily driver, but more of a street rod type motor not just a regular ol' "efficient" motor. I'd like to have maybe a little lope to it and one that sounds mean and runs like a beast but at the same time not being a big huge gas hog.....if you can get all that in one engine of course,

14mpg on super with my engine and less than 1000 miles on the clock

[mr48chev]

Originally Posted by Willys47

how about a 1969 302 that was a sweet motor as well the could rev.

A genuine and documented 69 302 if you could even find one would price it's self out of the ballpark due to the "collector" value/pricing. But that doesn't say that he couldn't buy a 350 4 bolt main block and build a 302 +cleanup bore with it.

It may be just because I'm an older guy who has helped a lot of younger guys (and gals) get started with building their first car or first engine and pie in the sky suggestions really don't seem helpful.

For a "first" build I would still stick with what I suggested before. A 70 something four bolt main 350 that can be built with a somewhat inexpensive rebuild kit from a number of vendors and add a few upgrades.

What I don't suggest is paying extra for a Corvette engine, a Z anything engine or one of the other low production performance small blocks.
If one happens to show up for a reasonable price go for it but don't pay extra for it just to say that you have one.

I've got the original 4 bolt main 350 that came in my 71 GMC complete with a bad rod. The plan at the moment is to buy a 383 stroker kit from one of the vendors who advertises in the magazines an online and then buy a pair of Vortec heads from Gilbert aka Salahee Chevrolet and build a 383 with Vortec heads, probably a performer intake and matching carb. By doing a bit of diligent shopping a.nd not going overboard I will be in it less than 2k running down the road. This the last engine I ever expect to build for this truck or run in it and it is my last full sized truck and it has to last as long as I want to use it and probably for my son beyond that. But it has a solid base, solid but simple plan and not a lot of expensive frills just to impress the guys at the gas station.

[retselgerg]

The SBC is biggest thing to hit the auto industry since the wheel, its the one piece of history nearly everyone (or at least anyone with since) can relate to. the next generation engines have picked up where these left off.. GM will always have the market dominated. my favorite would be the 265 the remote filter intact... what a beauty, the 327 & 283 introduced "big horsepower, and the 350 was a blank canvas with all most unlimited horsepower possabilities. with all variations its hard to pick a favorite (but id love to have a 265) one things for sure its not a sbc your wasting your time

[blukangoo]

My favorite is the 327 probably because that is what I have.

I also like the ZZ383 we put in our Camaro last year with it´s 425 Horses.

[hchad18]

I've always had 350's but I'm a young guy and have a good memory of a 327 in a big ol 57 chevy truck. I've got 2 327's right now and I'm going to make one run instead of using a running 350 that I have.

[thesteppenwolf]

..I like them all, I have a collection or pile of parts I build from...a mix and match sorta thang...amazing what will work together..

[thesteppenwolf]

..this part of the country a 350 four bolt is as rare as ...2.02 heads..or camel back heads....I would like some of each....

[prairewolf]

I may sound goofy but the words three twenty seven sound better when I hear them three fifty does ... and back in the day when fender badges meant something the 327 was a respected motor.

and I am biased I have a 327.

[thesteppenwolf]

....prairewolf..let me have it...

[streetstar]

The war is over and the 350 won ---- hands down (new GM cars and trucks- well, mostly trucks -- from 1969 to 1998)

The 327 is just an archaic little dinosaur, that, while it can be effective, would be just as effective if not more so if the same parts were used on a 350.

I like old school crap and a quick tour of my garage and backyard will tell you that ---- but really, why bother with anything less than a 350 unless it is something that is given to you, is something you already have, or is something of personal significance to you?

The 302 and 327 were great motors, but the 350 was even better ---- when the 2nd Gen Z-28 came out - it got a 350 because the CI restriction in Trans Am racing that limited engines to 305ci was lifted, and the 350 was a faster motor. That should end the argument there ----

I wont go into the 383 or the 400 ------- 400 is good but its a niche engine now because the blocks are harder to find, and some would say it has cooling shortcomings compared to a 350 because of the siamesed bores.

The reason i wont dive into the 383's is because i feel they are just a 350 on a small shot of steroids. if built with the same components, the strker will pump out more torque, but not a helluva lot more hp than the 350

(more torque does make it an ideal truck 'plant though)

------ so there you have it --- all 350, all the way !

i am not biased either, my fleet consists of 2 307 equipped trucks, 2 454's, and only one 350

[prairewolf]

Originally Posted by thesteppenwolf

....prairewolf..let me have it...

I can't, It is in a Daddy/Son project truck and he is 3 yrs old,...... and the other truck that I have I think has one too but have not looked close at it, PO said it was newer to the truck motor so I am hoping it is a 327. .... rarity comes into play somewhere in all of this so I will keep it forever probably. I am goofy like that at times too.

p.s.. the 350 in our 93 Motor Home starts without needing choke pulled or gas pedal pumped and runs great so that is cool enough too.

life is good,kent

[ulakovic22]

Well, based on your criteria I would say a 377 just because outside the circle track world you don't hear much about them, they are fun and have enough grunt to get these big ol trucks moving. You can rev the piss out of them too!

[GKsport67]

Originally Posted by big_al_71

I have had 327's 350's and now I have a serious 406 in my truck.....
As you can see I am a small block fan...

Nice engine!!

[El Jay]

283, 327, 350; just because they're dang near bullet proof.

[crawdadfox]

Make mine an LT-5 that came in the 89-95 Corvette ZR-1. Way ahead of its time, 32 valves, 4 overhead cams, 16 injector Tune Port system ! Without a doubt the most impressive looking production small block of all time. And the ZR-1 had a top speed of 180 in 1990 so it performed pretty good too !!

[ChevLoRay]

If you want to dream, then a 375 horse 327 (fuelie) would be a plum. After that, the 360 horse 350 that was in the 70 1/2 Camaro Z-28. But, give me a 350 for my truck and let me go.

[buckshot_86]

There is a pile of nice GM engines to pick from, and I have dealt with every thing from a 216 six up to the 454 bb, but if you are wanting a nice daily driver with some get up and go balanced with economy and budget, there is not much that will beat a 350 4 bolt main in my opinion.

[Ricks1971]

I guess without much thought the 327 is my favorite. I bought a new 1966 nove ss when I was in high school it was from nicky chevrolet 365hp 327 12 bolt rear end with 411 gears. But that was then and he we are with lousy fuel. So my next current sbc would be a 400 small block of course a 509 casting 400 block.

[68,69 K20]

Originally Posted by special-K

I like`em all and it depends on what your needs are and what type of vehicle.I like the one that`s in my truck driving me down the road.

Hell yeah! They all rock!!

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by crawdadfox

Make mine an LT-5 that came in the 89-95 Corvette ZR-1.

While that truly is an amazing motor, "technically" it's not a small block Chevy. It had Lotus designed heads and was assembled by Mercury Marine. It does not have any parts that interchange with any other small block Chevy, but it is a bad @sss motor...

[streetstar]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

While that truly is an amazing motor, "technically" it's not a small block Chevy. It had Lotus designed heads and was assembled by Mercury Marine. It does not have any parts that interchange with any other small block Chevy, but it is a bad @sss motor...

i see a sweet motor, some bad ass rain tires, and the tail end of 2 pairs of 1992 era denim shorts, plus some skinny legs tha would be mistaken for arms in some of the other books i read

[Ol'Rover]

327 & 305

can you say...Bullet Proof?

[68Stepbed]

The 327 and 350 engines are both great engines. They each have good sides and bad sides. When introduced in 1967, the 350 wasn't as widely accepted as the market tells they were. ALOT of racers and street bruisers still liked their 327's. The 327, for a small engine, made gobs of torque, but it was all in the mid-upper rpm range. It also had high rev capabilities that a "street" 350 will never see. The 327's short coming though was the lack of low end torque where a street engine used it most. It was also a bit of a slouch behind an auto trans. but a terror in front of a 4-spd tranny. With high octane leaded fuel available at every gas station, the 327 with a higher compression ratio was a screamer.

I'm good friends with a guy who built a 53 Chevy car back in the 60's with a 327 and a 4-speed. He said he used to drop the clutch at 6500 and shift at 9500. The car was absolutely wicked.

The 350 made better low end torque where it was needed in a street car and definetly in a truck. The 350 just simply had better all around street manners even in the mild engine combos that GM put in the Camaros and Vettes. The ever popular 375hp 350 LT1 was a wild engine with a solid cam and high compression, but simply woouldn't survive on today's watered down fuels. Also, technology has come a long way and you can build a 375 hp 350 with hydraulic cams and still be able to run on 93 octane junk squeeze from any gas station.

I'm going to agree with lots of folks here and say a 350 would be a better choice for what you want. If you were to find a good rebuildable 327, go for it. It's gonna be harder to come by than a 350 core though. 400's are very hard to come by and have lots of shortcomings for high horsepower builds, but any would be sufficient for a mild street build like you want. Of course depending on budget, there's always aftermarket blocks like Dart, World Products and even the GM Sportsman blocks that have all the shortcomings fixed and made better. They're primarily designed for street/strip or race only configurations though.

[thesteppenwolf]

OMG..I just threw out a 400 block...was slightly scoured...

[DomesticDisturbance]

Originally Posted by thesteppenwolf

..this part of the country a 350 four bolt is as rare as ...2.02 heads..or camel back heads....I would like some of each....

im with you on that one. but lucky for me i have both a 4 bolt main 350 and a set of 2.02 double hump heads sitting in my garage going together.

im partial to the 350 myself. i grew up at the drag strip for the most part and thats all me and my dad ever put together. in all actuallity i have had better luck with the 350s holding together than any other small block that i have played with, but either way i like building them all, but a 350 the most