i've torn down my engine..now what
05-21-2014, 11:17 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
i've torn down my engine..now what
ok, so this is not a Ford engine, but the general idea is the same. i have a 327 that i have stripped down to the bare block and now its time to assess the damage and begin the rebuild process.
through the casting numbers i have found that this engine is a '67 model, with heads and intake from the late 70's early 80's. two of the cylinders were seized, the crank doesn't seem to have any noticeable wear marks and the cam is in the same condition.
i don't have a big budget for this thing, but i do know that there's probably rings and pistons that need to go in, the cylinders needs to be checked and likely bored. the heads..i am not sure about, i am toying with he idea of going to Vortech heads, but that's still up in the air.
how does one discern if the valves, rods and lifters need replacing (assume they do but..)?
what does a guy do now?
i dont need a race engine (otherwise i woulda went with a 350), but i want to be able to smoke 'em from time to time.
through the casting numbers i have found that this engine is a '67 model, with heads and intake from the late 70's early 80's. two of the cylinders were seized, the crank doesn't seem to have any noticeable wear marks and the cam is in the same condition.
i don't have a big budget for this thing, but i do know that there's probably rings and pistons that need to go in, the cylinders needs to be checked and likely bored. the heads..i am not sure about, i am toying with he idea of going to Vortech heads, but that's still up in the air.
how does one discern if the valves, rods and lifters need replacing (assume they do but..)?
what does a guy do now?
i dont need a race engine (otherwise i woulda went with a 350), but i want to be able to smoke 'em from time to time.
05-21-2014, 11:25 AM
#2
327 are great engines, they love RPM... If you want a 350, you just need a 350 rotating assembly. The blocks are the same.
Myself, i love the 327's they love to SING! But that sacrifices bottom end.
Post up your casting numbers on heads and block.
How far are you wanting to get into it? If you don't want to buy the measuring tools, a machine shop can besure all bores and journals are good.
Myself, i love the 327's they love to SING! But that sacrifices bottom end.
Post up your casting numbers on heads and block.
How far are you wanting to get into it? If you don't want to buy the measuring tools, a machine shop can besure all bores and journals are good.
05-21-2014, 12:25 PM
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
i can post the numbers but i have already done that search in the i-net. i love the 327 as well, it just sounds cooler than " i have a 350 in it." everybody has a 350 in their truck.
i have it down the the bare block now, and i want to make sure that when i put this thing back together that it wont crater on me on my first drive. i want it clean and solid, doesn't need to make huge HP. its going into a '56 GMC stepside, with either a TH350 or 700R4 behind it,,,maybe a 5spd manual, but probly not.
the last time i had a V-8 apart was in shop class 20+yrs ago.
and that engine never saw another engine bay..
is it a given that i am replacing the entire piston assembly (rods and everything), or just the head part?
the cylinders at the very least need a honing but do i get them bored?
i have it down the the bare block now, and i want to make sure that when i put this thing back together that it wont crater on me on my first drive. i want it clean and solid, doesn't need to make huge HP. its going into a '56 GMC stepside, with either a TH350 or 700R4 behind it,,,maybe a 5spd manual, but probly not.
the last time i had a V-8 apart was in shop class 20+yrs ago.
and that engine never saw another engine bay..is it a given that i am replacing the entire piston assembly (rods and everything), or just the head part?
the cylinders at the very least need a honing but do i get them bored?
05-21-2014, 01:01 PM
#4
Senior Member
If you have it torn all the way down, you need to write down some more information. Cylinder size at the top and bottom of each cylinder, deck height from the tdc of each cylinder, and wall thickness between the cylinders. From there you can decide what pistons/rods you want to use. That should also tell you if it has been reworked (decked) a lot in the past.
Me personally, I would get everything cleaned and magnafluxed to check for any cracks that you wouldn't normally see. That's just a precaution and personal preference. Not sure what machine ships you would have local that can do it for cheap. The heads might need reworked if they haven't been before for new valve guides and whatnot since the fuel has changed since then. It's what we had to do for our 327 in my grandpa's 66 truck. There's more in depth stuff, but that would be a start.
If you can, convert it to a roller lifter or at least hydraulic if it's not already. Again personal preference.
Me personally, I would get everything cleaned and magnafluxed to check for any cracks that you wouldn't normally see. That's just a precaution and personal preference. Not sure what machine ships you would have local that can do it for cheap. The heads might need reworked if they haven't been before for new valve guides and whatnot since the fuel has changed since then. It's what we had to do for our 327 in my grandpa's 66 truck. There's more in depth stuff, but that would be a start.
If you can, convert it to a roller lifter or at least hydraulic if it's not already. Again personal preference.
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FX411 (05-21-2014)
05-21-2014, 01:05 PM
#5
Every engine i build, i send the block,crank and rods to machine shop and have them hot tanked and have him go over what needs to be done. He will measure everything and tell you if it needs to be bored or if the rods and crank are worth saving. And i always have him install new cam bearings. And freeze plugs. (You can do the freeze plugs your self if you want to save a few bucks, the guy that does mine charges me 15 bucks to install them)
He can also tell you if you can save the piston. But really pistons are so cheap now, you could replace them super cheap. You can grab a whole over haul kit SUPER cheap on Northernautoparts.com
Some of those 327's are called small journals or large journals. Keep that in mine when ordering bottom end parts. The large journals are identical to a 305/350
The only difference in a large journal 327 and a 350 is the stroke of the crank.
He can also tell you if you can save the piston. But really pistons are so cheap now, you could replace them super cheap. You can grab a whole over haul kit SUPER cheap on Northernautoparts.com
Some of those 327's are called small journals or large journals. Keep that in mine when ordering bottom end parts. The large journals are identical to a 305/350
The only difference in a large journal 327 and a 350 is the stroke of the crank.
The following users liked this post:
FX411 (05-21-2014)