Bummed Out!

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by Libertad

Thanks 68 sounds like a plan. I called my local pick a part and they said they sell complete 350's for $600 but that is for one that is pulled already. They give a 100 day warranty. I will have to call and see what the price is if I pull my own.

I guess i fell in love with the pretty block and the fact that it was checked for cracks and all but what your saying makes a lot of sense and very price contious.

A word of caution buying used engine parts. You can almost never believe anything somebody says about a used engine part no matter how trust worthy you think they are. Engine size, mileage, how it was used, freshly rebuilt, checked for cracks, it was running when pulled - all things commonly lied about just to get rid of a part / engine with a problem. Always double check what you are getting yourself and make sure they will give you your money back if it is not what they say it is or it fails any test at the machine shop and get that agreement in writing.

That is the main reason I advised you to find a wrecked truck to get an engine from. It is pretty much guaranteed to have been running at the time of the accident. Sometimes parked cars get hit or things fall on them but nowhere near as common as real traffic accidents.

I would check around to other area wrecking yards if they can't do any better than $200 or $300 for a complete 350 you pull yourself.

[PlowBoy98]

if ya want something for a decent daily driver that gets about 16-18 mpg i could build ya a pretty sick motor. its possible if ya have the money do it the way ya want it the first time so ya aint let down ya know. me i didnt have the money for mine and had to go the route your goin and well it works but i aint happy with it. pm me and we will talk about it

[Libertad]

I hear what your saying 68TT, I am leaning towards a 327. I am going to look at this motor with a friend of mine that knows and rebuilds motors on Thurs.

327 CHEVY ENGINE, 2 BOLT MAIN, SMALL JOURNAL CRANK,NEEDS TO BE REBUILT, no ring ridge, good crank & heads,only problem with engine when pulled was one lobe on cam went flat. Engine has never been rebuilt, cyls. just need honing & std. rings, crank needs std. main & rod brngs. Block casting # 3858180 Head casting # 3890462 $200

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by Libertad

I hear what your saying 68TT, I am leaning towards a 327. I am going to look at this motor with a friend of mine that knows and rebuilds motors on Thurs.

The 327 is a good engine but it loses a bit of torque vs the 350 due to the shorter stroke and the extra 23 cubic inches of the 350 is nice to have also. In a truck you need all the torque you can get.

The small journal crank is not as desirable as the large journal crank but it will work OK for a mild daily driver truck. There is a reason Chevy switched to the large journal crank in 68, it is more durable.

For a basic freshen up with no machine work it will cost exactly the same amount of money to assemble as a 350 so no big deal there.

It will take at least $300 just to put it all back together so right there you are at the $500 mark.

If you go with the 327 make sure you get in writing his agreement to take the engine back if the block does not pass inspection at the machine shop.

Just because there is no ridge doesn't mean the cylinder walls are true and the deck is flat. Make sure you take it in and get a machine shop to inspect and hot tank the block before you assemble it. This way if it is cracked or out of tolerance you will know soon enough to be able to return it and not have spent much money and time putting it together. Having to fully machine the block turns into a domino effect of the you might as well syndrome. All the sudden you have spent $600 on machine work and still have to buy new pistons.

If it has been sitting for any length of time you will probably have to bore the block to clean up the pitting in the cylinder walls.

327 pistons are getting harder to find and run a bit more money than a 350.

Personally I would look for a complete running 350 engine for the money it would take to put that one together and all the unknowns that come with buying a pile of 42+ year old engine parts. That $600 complete engine with a 100 day warranty doesn't sound so bad when you look at what it will cost to put the 327 together.

[PlowBoy98]

Originally Posted by 68 TT

The 327 is a good engine but it loses a bit of torque vs the 350 due to the shorter stroke and the extra 23 cubic inches of the 350 is nice to have also. In a truck you need all the torque you can get.

The small journal crank is not as desirable as the large journal crank but it will work OK for a mild daily driver truck. There is a reason Chevy switched to the large journal crank in 68, it is more durable.

the small journal crank will wind up a lot faster vs the large journal. this is the type crank dad and i had in our 67 camaro we built together. had 202 angle plug heads on it with a 750 spread bore. was a fast car and would roast the tires all the way through 3rd gear and chirp them in 4th. had a hallabrad quick change in it also and we were going through muncie rock crushers about every two to three weeks at the strip. IMO if your gonna build a 327 use the small journal crank as it winds up a lot faster than the large journal due to the weight difference. put a decent set of flat tops in it and a mild cam and you can make it tote the front tires in a daily driver if the top end is done right.

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by PlowBoy98

the small journal crank will wind up a lot faster vs the large journal. this is the type crank dad and i had in our 67 camaro we built together. had 202 angle plug heads on it with a 750 spread bore. was a fast car and would roast the tires all the way through 3rd gear and chirp them in 4th. had a hallabrad quick change in it also and we were going through muncie rock crushers about every two to three weeks at the strip. IMO if your gonna build a 327 use the small journal crank as it winds up a lot faster than the large journal due to the weight difference. put a decent set of flat tops in it and a mild cam and you can make it tote the front tires in a daily driver if the top end is done right.

There is a world of difference between a 2800 pound Camaro big valve head manual trans drag car and a 4000+ pound daily driver truck.

A small journal 327 has it's place but a heavy daily driver truck is not it.

My old 68 C20 came with a 327 & T-400. It did OK but it was not rebuildable after a spun rod bearing so I built a 350 for it using the same cam, heads, intake and carb from the 327. The truck had much more usable power and had a bunch more torque off idle where you need it the most in a truck. Hands down the 350 was much better suited to a truck.

I'd love to see a daily driver truck with low compression and a mild cam pull the front tires. Maybe if you stuck the engine in the back and direct coupled it to the rear end.

[Libertad]

What I was told with the 327 and small journal crank is that it has less to travel which in part makes the engine able to run at higher rpm's (something like that, I have learned so much this last week). Also I am hoping this one has a steel crank which I heard is the way to go.

68TT I will do what you have recommended on getting the po to sign a right to return if this block does not pass inspection at the machine shop. I have talked to the older man that is selling this motor and he said that he pulled it because it had been missing from one cylinder and when he tore it apart all he found wrong with it was that one lobe on cam had gone flat. He is willing to answer any and all questions and everything is ready for us to inspect when we get there. He said all I will need is honing, std. rings and crank needs std. main & rod brngs.

I plan on getting something like this for the rebuild:
http://www.racingengineparts.com/sho...718&catid=1557

or this:
http://www.racingengineparts.com/sho...1477&catid=629

Is PAW a good rebuild kit for what I want?

And again thank you 68TT and the rest of you for all the knowledge passed down to me through this. It is really appreciated.

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by Libertad

What I was told with the 327 and small journal crank is that it has less to travel which in part makes the engine able to run at higher rpm's (something like that, I have learned so much this last week). Also I am hoping this one has a steel crank which I heard is the way to go.

68TT I will do what you have recommended on getting the po to sign a right to return if this block does not pass inspection at the machine shop. I have talked to the older man that is selling this motor and he said that he pulled it because it had been missing from one cylinder and when he tore it apart all he found wrong with it was that one lobe on cam had gone flat. He is willing to answer any and all questions and everything is ready for us to inspect when we get there. He said all I will need is honing, std. rings and crank needs std. main & rod brngs.

I plan on getting something like this for the rebuild:
http://www.racingengineparts.com/sho...718&catid=1557

or this:
http://www.racingengineparts.com/sho...1477&catid=629

Is PAW a good rebuild kit for what I want?

And again thank you 68TT and the rest of you for all the knowledge passed down to me through this. It is really appreciated.

I used PAW all the time in the late 80's when I lived in LA county and had no problem with any of their parts.

[Libertad]

Ok so I pull the drain plug out of the oil pan of the 307 and it poured a sh$t load of coolant out of it then came the oil:







out with the old 307

[Libertad]

and in with the 327 rebuild.

Here is my rebuild thread if any one is interested:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=372792

I am no longer bummed out!

[Libertad]

Well I found the reason why my bottom end seized here are a couple pics:

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by Libertad

Well I found the reason why my bottom end seized

Ouch, that motor died a horrible death. At least it was a boat anchor 307 and not something desirable.

Good luck with the 327 build.

[Libertad]

Originally Posted by 68 TT

Ouch, that motor died a horrible death. At least it was a boat anchor 307 and not something desirable.

Good luck with the 327 build.

Yeah it sure did. I wonder what caused it? Guess it doesn't really matter now.

[409sbc pwr]

wow that is knarly u got some good souvenirs! that thing had to of hydro locked pretty damn good from the way u describe it and after seeing the pics!

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by Libertad

Yeah it sure did. I wonder what caused it? Guess it doesn't really matter now.

I've seen it many times before. It spun a rod bearing and overheated the big end of the rod to the point it got weak and came apart. It will sometimes take out the rod next to it.

The intake valley looked pretty sludge free so it was most likely not a lack of oil changes that caused the bearing failure and you say the bore was pretty clean so it probably wasn't high mileage that did it in. Water in the oil from a bad head gasket, leaky intake or a cracked block / head could have caused the excessive bearing wear so it could spin a bearing and seems like the most likely candidate.

I wouldn't use the heads or intake from this engine on anything else until they pass inspection at a machine shop and have been resurfaced at the least.