1969 Chevy C-10 Restoration

[chopar]

Hi i am new to the forum and would like a little input and guidance y'all i recently acquired a 1969 C-10 with a 327 and 400 turbo. The truck is in good shape but it needs some body work (i have been quoted at 5k for ttl body work and paint job) now i am in a dilemma, this summer i plan on putting about 6k into the truck, but i am thinking i want to start on the engine. the engine runs strong since i run it as a daily driver. what are some things i can do to put the engine around 400 hp and i am willing to drop the 6k into the motor since the body is solid and i can wait on the body till tax time to finish it, so what are some mods and parts i can put in it, any ideas and suggestions would be welcome, keep in mind a most of this will be done by a mechanic due to my lack of workspace and knowledge. also what is the feasibility of a supercharger??? hp gains possible?

[VA72C10]

Welcome to the forum!

I would advise checking out the engine forum. I can move this post there if you want....you'll get the most expert responses there...

For 400Hp a nice cam matched to some nice heads and a new intake can get you close, but depending on the compression of the engine might not get you there...

...also will need to consider upgrading the tranny/torque converter, brakes, and suspension with that much Horsepower...

[ItsRandy]

put a big block in it!

[MedicineMan]

400Hp from a 327 you're looking at a rebuild with an bigger, more aggressive cam, plus an intake manifold and carburetor that matches your cam, also probably custom cylinder heads. for 6000 an good (emphasis on the "good") engine builder can do this for you and you will still have enough leftoverfor a good exaust system, and transmission upgrade.

Put an HEI distrubutor on in the meantime if it does not already have one. I bet you can do this yourself in your yard. You'll likely notice the difference driving it now and it will still go with your motor after you've built it up.

Do your homework, lots of it. don't throw parts on randomly expecting HP gains from each thing. They have to be chosen to work together.

[jamesi20]

You might want to take a look at something like this,I'm not sure you can build one for the same money.

http://www.summitracing.com/search/P.../?autoview=SKU

[96blazr]

Originally Posted by chopar

Hi i am new to the forum and would like a little input and guidance y'all i recently acquired a 1969 C-10 with a 327 and 400 turbo. The truck is in good shape but it needs some body work (i have been quoted at 5k for ttl body work and paint job) now i am in a dilemma, this summer i plan on putting about 6k into the truck, but i am thinking i want to start on the engine. the engine runs strong since i run it as a daily driver. what are some things i can do to put the engine around 400 hp and i am willing to drop the 6k into the motor since the body is solid and i can wait on the body till tax time to finish it, so what are some mods and parts i can put in it, any ideas and suggestions would be welcome, keep in mind a most of this will be done by a mechanic due to my lack of workspace and knowledge. also what is the feasibility of a supercharger??? hp gains possible?

Okay, let's go through this: This truck is your Daily Driver, so, as VA72C10 said, if you're going to modify your engine to 400+ horses you MUST remember that you have to stop the pig and you'll have to beef up the suspension and so on.
What you should be doing right now is making sure ALL your parts are not only working, but working well so you CAN drive it on a daily basis. Following our advise on here, cause a lot of these guys have been down your road before and most of them actually MADE the road you're on now.

Repair and maintain one thing at a time as you go. Do your drive train first: engine, brakes, trans, rear end, suspension, etc. Having it perform well is your top priority. Don't get all giddy about superchargers and Blah, blah, blah. It's your daily driver, right? Superchargers are for guys who have other cars/trucks and seriously deep pockets.
And the final advise: use the K.I.S.S. method. It's worked for me since I've owned my truck and it's paid off everytime.
What's the K.I.S.S. method?

KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID.

Follow any of these guys advice and you'll be in a nice truck before you know it.

Oh and by the way:

[PanelDeland]

I agree with the put the safety things first.I'll also say that to do a streetable 400 HP from a 327 is a tall order.It can and has been done but the HP is a minor thing compared to driveability on a DD.You would have to make 1 1/4 or so HP per CI to attain that with the 327.If you go to a 400 CI you only need a1 HP per CI.The 1/4 CI difference is the most expensive part.That aside the 327 will probably have to have a lot of cam,great street heads and will need to be tuned to a hair of perfect to stay streetable.The bigger engine can be much milder(read more reliable) and require less upkeep to make the 400Hp.
Beyond all of that the real deal here is that HP isn't much good in a street engine(Unless you're looking for bragging rights).The torque to get you moving is much more useable on the street.HP also usually comes in at a higher RPM and on the street,that don't happen often.You could run really deep gears but than you will have even more reliability issues.The bottom line IMHO for a street engine "Build for torque and the HP will do what it's gonna do".

[fastwillie 696969]

save the 6 k for a electric car

[Red68]

Here is what I did to my 327 a couple months ago, turned out pretty good. The article said it would produce 345 hp and 375 ft-lb torque. I bored it .040 over and used keith black inverted dome pistons. Cost me around 3k, did most of the assembly my self.

http://www.classictrucks.com/tech/10...r_headers.html

[chopar]

Hi guys i appreciate the quick and knowledgeable responses. A little more info, i use this truck as a daily driver mainly because i want to not because i need to. i own four other vehicles two of which are new and one another project and another beater i can drive. also i am not that knowledgeable on all i have in the engine, from what i have been told, it already has a more agressive cam not sure what kind, and edelbrock manifold, a 4bl holley carb (not sure what series) so i dont know what all extra it has in it and i dont know for sure what to look for. any advice for the uninitiated ?

[RCbowtie69]

Hey from N.C.,keep the progress & pictures coming