You make it sound like hot rodders have no restraint. Who would consider anything as boring as restraint!
For me, 327 all day long. Best small block Chevy ever built. From my personal experience and from family members, never had a good experience with a 383. Others do have luck I guess as they are popular, but buddies that have built them usually just see the tail lights of my 327 stuff. If I was wanting a torque heavy/lower rom small block, I’d be just going to a 400.
Keeping the TH350 - I'm 6'6" and don't have legroom for a clutch. Built the trans cover tight to the TH350 to gain foot room. 175 or 200 is the intake runner volume. The combustion chamber of those is 60 or 64cc. Street driving, low RPM typical - stop sign to stop sign. Lots of tire roasting. 750-15 Firestone tires, no traction. had 3.50 gears, switched to 4.11 - MUCH more fun.
With this info, the only thing the 383 will give you is maybe more tire smoke....... More power is pretty much a waste of time unless you can get it to the ground.
TKO600 and TH200-4R tunnels do not need to be bigger than what most build for TH350 trannies. I get that foot and knee height issues need to be dealt with once you get past what a 6’ dude needs, but an overdrive trans is a godsend with 3.90/4.11 gears.
My tires are 3" tall - at 65mph engine RPM is 2650 or so (that's hairy with the bias plys). May look into the OD trans idea. Here's what I mean by tight trans cover...
Nice. If you like +65 mph for freeways/highways, you may want to consider some of the newer bias looking radials that Diamondback or Coker puts out. I retired my last bias when DB came out with their Auburn Deluxes and just took delivery of some of Coker’s new Roadster Radials. Won’t be able to really test them til spring, but plan on running them on my roadster for drive to LARS this coming June.
I am planning the same - did you get a standard size, or play with it? He builds those Auburn tires to order, you can add an inch of width to a 750-16 if you want. I spoke with a few wheel manufacturers at a national show and they recommended DB over Coker for vintage appearing radials
You're right...Maybe I could get my legs amputated to make room for the clutch and make some kind of prosthetic linkage?
In the DB Auburn Deluxe on steel wheels, I’ve been running the 550r16 front and the 750r16 on the rear. Pics for reference.
Generally, the clutch is between the engine and the transmission and doesn't protrude into the drivers area. Pat Ganahl had a 32 roadster with 3 pedals and he was your height? Countless duece roadsters built with stickshifts for tall hotrodders.
First of all, I'm not picking at "Taboo"............he is just the most recent person I've seen utter this statement. Now I admit the 327 is a good engine, especially during its heyday. Even had one in a 52 Chevy back in the day. I would just like to know "why". I have never heard anyone explain the rationale for saying that, or even any data showing it to be superior to all other versions of the smallblock. So I'm open to an explanation why this gets repeated so often. To me, whatever version is superior should be the one that generally can produce the most power thru its usable/operational rpm range reliably. Not hp per cu in, but actual hp at the rear wheel. Maybe I'm looking at this from the wrong perspective.......
@ekimneirbo I think the ones that say 327 is because Rpms . Over 350 327 Same bore as 350 , 327 shorter stroke ... To me To chose between 377 or 383, I would chose 377 Big bore short stroke ,, There is other factors each combo Diffrent choice spec's whatever combo is I think any one wanting a 383 thats only rated @ 400 ish hp is wast $$ unless you are just waiting that extra tq, Truck / heavy vehicle. In 383 pump 91-93 I want tq & in the 500 hp plus .. A stock gm 400 short block , with 64 cc 202 heads port matched with .300 D .500 L Blue Racer cam ,open plane intake 750 -780 cfm @ 5,800 -6k 3,600 3:55 gear , small Vega converter 28 tall BFG tire Th400 7:70's 1/8 in 1990 cheap no $$ laying around parts. Off topic brand many think 426 king ! Not , while naturally aspirated its kind of handicap ,I rather Use run 440 , , Bolt a Roots , or non blown MIF on 426 Then it wakes it up for the Heads .
I dont think its really anything that can be solid in concrete that x is better than y type of thing. Just going from my experience with a lot of small blocks. If there was anything that I would point to why I prefer a 327 over a 350, it would be the shorter stoke. I have found I really like the combo in all of my street driving and playing around applications, even in bigger cars like an Impala. I have a super built 350 in my 33 Ford that would run off many 327's. I also think a small part of it is as well was growing up for me, I was a kid during the 90s and early 00's where alot of people just complained about seeing another 350/th350 combo so I was drawn to 327s as they were not 350's.
Well, because they just are! One of the cars I learned to drive in was a 65 BelAir station wagon, was my older brothers' car. This big lumbering thing had the lowly 327/275 hp engine, auto transmission, it had a Quadrajet carburetor, man, to this day, that car still brings back memories on how responsive it was.
If the Trick Flow heads have 2.02" valves the. You going to want a 4" bore or bigger bore to make it work optimal . A good running 10.5 to one 327 with those heads will make good power especially in light car with low gears that can Rev. Hyd lifters only let it run to a certain RPM. A 350 or better a 383 will give a lot more torque low and more HP at a Rpms You might actually see unless your winding out every time you drive. Thats going to allow higher gears of the line. Thats important if a overdrive is out of the question. My opinion . These days with pump gas compression restriction and RPM limits if you stay with hydraulic lifters of say 6000 RPM ish i would and I am building a 383 with a retro roller cam . With the Aftermarket heads your considering and say 10.5 -1 compression and a medium street friendly cam that a mild stall converter would like or of course a manual were talking a easy 450 HP and 500 Hp Is approachable . The question is can your car handel it?? A normal is 350 Chevy with mild cam and 10-1 with aluminum heads is going to do a lot more than. A 283 in many areas unless your running solid lifters and reving it .
As far as the original post 283 vs 327 the 327 all day long especially with better aluminum heads and what a retro roller could bring to the party
The Jalopy Journal
