Technical 55 chev 3100 with 327

I really need some advice I picked up a 327 large journal (68) for a 55 shortbox I am restoring and I got a little ahead of myself and had the heads rebuilt along with getting the block reworked. Now I am thinking about a performance cam which may not work well if I have stock 172 150 heads and stock springs, or Is there any point in taking the heads back to the shop and having them reworked to the better 194 150 spec or 202 160 or is that even possible? If not I should just get all stock parts I think and stop trying to creep the horsepower which is becoming very tempting. I won't be driving it much its just a toy.
maybe I should have picked up a 350 but I thought the 327 was cool.
thanks

 

Which heads do you have? (the casting number, on the top of the head)

You can put in a mild cam with everything else stock.

But yeah, it's a good idea to know what you want, before you start. Else, you spend money more than once, for the same thing.

 

Well, what do you want to do with the truck?

Tow/haul?
Weekend street cruiser?
Daily driver?
Street/strip?
Strip only?

What transmission are you using, and what rear end ratio do you have?

If you are just looking for a reliable, cool cruiser, a conservative performance cam will work just fine. Don't over-do it on the cam. Remember, not everyone needs a 450hp SBC to cruise the streets. After a certain point you get into diminishing returns. A lightly hopped-up 327 will make for spirited driving, without breaking the bank for the build, or fuel.

327's are indeed cool. Everybody and their brother has a 350.

 

It isn't worth the cost to try and upgrade a set of 172 pyramid powerpack heads. Find a set of 194 double hump or small chamber 194 intake 350 heads. those can be enlarged to the 202 valves. and gasket match the ports.

 

348,396 Cool Factor...............

 

194's with the 300 hp blueprint cam will make a nice driver 327.
For more "spirited" driving build it to 327/350hp specs.

 

Thanks 3917290 heads, its got the single hump
I was thinking mild cam plus performance intake and headers? I don't want to go nuts but 325hp would be fun if possible.
Yes 396 definitely Cool

 

I would like to hear more about the truck. Got any pics?

 

It's all about how much performance you want out of that engine in that truck. With the 172 heads it will run fine and work pretty good with a mild hydraulic cam and 600/650 cfm 4 barrel. You won't win a lot of races an it won't have a lot of wow factor at show and tell with the hood open but it should be pretty decent for running down the highway.

 

I had a 327 in my '68 f body drop top. It sure was a fun motor...

 

I can get a pair of Fuelie Camel Bumps 194/160 I realize I am being nostalgic by not getting a set of Aluminum heads for the same cash as it costs to fix those up. how good are those heads.
Its just if I put in a bit of a performance cam with the 172 heads, I could actually be causing problems by having heads that don't match the performance right? again looking for about 325HP I'm not looking to race it but I don't want my wife to blow past me with her MDX, that would be lame I think. You know what I mean?

 

What is the Weight of your 55 3100..??
and what is the Weight of your Wife Car..??
that should tell you How much you would want to Work the 327
if Your Car is lighter than your Wife Car & she is putting out the
same Power
Then Modify Yours
I am running a Stock 327/300 hp in my Merc with the Powerglide trans

just my 3.5 cents

Live Learn & Die a Fool

 

A pair of 66 style 1.94 or 2.02 heads (461 casting number) or 462/291 castings for 67/68 will be more than adequate to produce 325 hp. given the right cam choice. If this truck is to be driven only occasionally they would be fine, no need to be too concerned about hardened seats which most times is why people recommend later heads (steel or aluminum).

 

the 55 chev 3100 was 3104LBS new but not with a 327 in it, its all in peices at the sandblasters right now but I just think 325ish will crush my wifes MDX thats all, I have no math to prove that. )

 

Might be best to talk to a cam manufacturer and see what they can do with the heads you already have, if you don't want to spend more on the camel humps. Being a "traditional" website, nostalgia is what's happenin' here. Now we need to see the truck

 

With it all apart we could see a build thread...

 

Ok I think I might pick up the 461 heads I found, he says they got rebuilt with hardend seats and he put in new valves and springs now my question is how do I know if they are ok? what should I look for? I know they can get warped...

 

I have more money than brains though...

 

55 Chev Apart by Carl Wurfel posted Nov 10, 2017 at 12:55 PM

55 Chev On Trailer by Carl Wurfel posted Nov 10, 2017 at 12:55 PM

 

1.94 intakes or 2.02's ?
New rebuilt or with miles on them.
Are they local to you or need to be shipped.
Written warranty?

 

Whichever heads you decide to use, think long and hard about what you'll be doing with the truck (as if you can tell the future!). The cam needs to match the drivetrain, so the engine works well at the RPM range it is in most of the time. For example, with stock gearing, you would probably want the cam to be pulling strong from 2000-5000 rpm. If you decide to put more modern gearing in it, such as an overdrive, or more highway oriented rear end gears, then you might want a smaller cam, that would pull good from 1500-4500 rpm. And if you intend to be hot rodding all the time, and keep it geared accordingly, you might want a hotter cam, like 2500 or 3000 to 5500 RPM or so.

Having a matched setup will give more driving pleasure than a hot engine with a stock drivetrain, etc.

 

Hope you plan on burning 91 or higher octane with the 461 castings....
Those I believe have 64 cc chambers...

 

Didn't even think of that thanks

 

194 intakes rebuilt with a couple years on them apparently.

 

Granted the 461's (2.02's) came on the 327/350 hp and 365/375 hp engines which had 11 to 1 compression but I see no issue if the OP is building an engine in the 9 to 1 compression range.

 

194 -160 Bacturin camel hump heads are not fuelie heads . Fuelie heads have 202 intakes. The 194 heads can have the larger valves installed in them. But the 194,s are pretty good any way. I suggest a set of 194's gasket match the ports and a factory 350 -350 Hp hyd cam. that way the stock valve springs still can be used. rams horn exhaust or hedders and turbo mufflers with 2&1/2 pipes. I like the carter carbs. the fuel bowls are on each side of the carb. Each fuel bowl feeds both the primary and secondary on the respective side. that means no fuel will go stale if you don't open up the secondary's. Ive had the back bowl of holleys that the fuel turned to varnish. because I didn't kick in the secondarys enough. CFM is another matter. I always hear about to big of a carb. I believer many folks problem of to big a carb is more of a tuning problem you have to have the proper jetting. things like different metering rods or power valves are made to tune carbs properly. I ran 283's bored .060 and used a Z28 intake and the Carter AVS carb from a 440 Plymouth. and it wasn't too big because it was set up correctly. back in 56 a 265 chevy could be bought from the factory with two 380CFM carbs. That's 760CFM on a 265. and guys will try and tell you 750 CFM is to big for a 327?

 

use a thick head gasket and you will not have too a high compression ratio. I use 602 casting 305 heads on 283's they have 58 cc chambers. I simply polish the combustion chambers. and CC them to the largest chamber. then measure how deep in the bore (how far below the deck the Piston is) the piston is and use that info to determine the thickness of the head gasket. and those 174 heads you now have are about 64 CC's anyway

 

I am getting more confused as i go here because I purchased these camel hump heads everyone talks about on the net, so the only reason I did that was because I like the retro idea but what intake do I use now? If you go an put a modern intake on the retro 327 with camel hump heads what was the point. Isn't the idea that you have a stock motor that has over 300 HP? I think that was were I wanted to go with this.
I will match the gearing to the motor depending what I want it to be later I am thinking turbo 400 transmission if I use an Auto.
Sooo my question is what intake do i shop for to match the 327 with stock crank, with camel humps 194/150 64cc chambers, I will use a semi performance cam nothing crazy the springs are LT1.

 

With your intended use, a dual plane intake would be best. Many older intakes were dual plane, not just new ones like the Edelbrock performer or similar. For a more radical engine, a single plane intake would be good choice, but given you want a warmed up engine and driving on street, stick with dual plane style.

 

The stock cast iron 300 hp 327 intake for a carter Afb will be great. Also there is a stock cast iron intake that accepts the square flange holley carb it was common on 275 HP 327's. I like the old edelbrock C4B intakes or the Factory Z28 winters high rise intake.