My 327 Chevy rebuild is coming together pretty good for my budget build. Block is in for boring at a local machine shop. They will be boring, installing cam (they call it a chevy "350" cam. Supposed to be close to a L79) turning crank, etc. I also am buying pistons,rings, bearings, gasket set, etc. so the bottom end will pretty much be done. Planning on re using my rods. Pistons will get me about 9.3 compression with my 462 camel heads. Here is my question. I went with the hydraulic cam/lifters for overall ease/maintenance. I really like the sound of the mechanicals, but got talked out of it. Here is my quesion: I also like the sound of timing gears instead of a timing chain. Is anyone using a gear set up with hydraulic cam/lifters? What is the down side of going this route, if any? This engine is going into my 63 Biscanyne, which will basically be an old ladies looking cruiser with an at***ude. Not a serious drag/race set up. Thanks for any help/comments in advance. Cheers, Bob
A gear drive gets pretty old, pretty quick. They serve NO purpose unless you're driving an injector pump along with a high capacity oil pump. And yes, they have a 'quiet' and 'noisy' one. They both are noisy. Use a double roller chain.
The gear drive will require additional machine shop work. I would stick with a good quality steel sprocket and chain.
My Buddy took the gear drive out of his Chevelle after a week. Gave it away. Yes, they get old quick.
Ditto on the above!! A double roller truck set is what I use. No worries about the stock nylon toothed cam gear falling apart.
..... I've always wondered why chevy never used the L-79 327/350 in the '67-'69 Camaro line-up as another optional motor even though the 327's were available??? Something to think about!
Hey, thanks for all the replies. Great site here. Guess all is a mute question now, as the machine shop just called and said they found cracks in the block..... Sooooooooooooo.....back to square one. Not sure if I want to continue with this engine, or just start over. Cheers, (I think) Bob
The gear drive gets old pretty quick, I had one in a '68 Camaro when I was 18 and it stayed for two years before I changed it, but I was 18 and alot for tolerable of noises then. Sorry to here about the block.
I agree 100%, you will soon wish you had a chain and not the gear set. Do yourself a favor AND save some money, use a good quality timing chain.
Get another block!! Don't sink hard earned cash in a cracked one! If it's a later 327 block, you could alway find a 350 replacement anywhere.. If it's the early version, It's going to take some looking around.
I've used two different Pete Jackson drives in two different motors. 1st one was in a 350 budget motor with a hyd cam from PAW. It was LOUD - when I drove it to my friends muffler shop with open headers, he said he could hear that gear drive over the open exhaust. It was my daily driver when I was 20. 2nd was in a mild 307, wasn't nearly as loud but had an issue where the crank gear apparently had a bit too much clearance and ended up shearing the woodruff key. This was after about 8000 miles. Had to put a new crank in it as it banged up the snout. Went with a chain after that. I'd say if you were only going to drive it a few hundred miles a month and really really like the sound, go for it. Otherwise you'll get tired of it and yank it out.
My wife has one in her 406 in the 29 & she loves it.Sounds really sweet but it would get old real fast to me on a cross country trip. Strange my blower motors never bothered me.
Well, after pouting most of the day, while sitting in my shop smokin' a good cigar, and sipping on some real good Moonshine (I just moved to WI from West Virginia and brought some with) I am re thinking. I want to stay sorta period correct, and one of the engines I had checked out earlier and p***ed for this 327 was a 283 with the following description: "1965 chevrolet 283 small block. It has been completely rebuilt with many performance parts. Its bored .60 over so its closer to 300 C.I., has 305 heads so it breaths better, has a .222 .222 duration cam, all new bearings, gaskets, and seals, lots of machine work, etc... I have over $1400 of parts and machining into this engine and receipts. This is a great motor but I need to sell it to help pay for my tools and school." I can buy this pretty right. Any comments on it? Any idea of HP output with the changes? Thanks again!! Bob
from an old coot-----that 283 bored .060 gives 292 CI. Take those double hump heads off the 327, use the 350 cam (or for TRUE retro, go with a "097" mech. lifter cam). This thing will rev till hell freezes over and will give fits to just about anything--if its in a light body like a 55 Chevy sedan. Betcha there's other old goats out there that remember this setup. cooger
My 283 is .080 over, comp cams 292H cam 462 heads, roller rockers. All balanced w/bigger balancer, spins right up to 7500 right now. In a 62 nova, used to have 4:88's and would scoot her pretty good.
don't have the specs on the 097, but Crane Cams does regrinds for it I believe. I know they do for the 350 cam you currently have. They are about the best for doing a retro cam, or at least they will get you very close to the original specs. good luck, and if you go with it let me know how it runs. I don't think you'll be disappointed. BTW, one thing on the heads-use screw in studs or pin the shafts--the 097 would pull 'em right out of the head in the high rev range. cooger
Geardrives take up horsepower. But when used with a Roots Blower, the benefits of perfect timing out weight the draw of H.P.
SORRY to hear about the dead block,easy to find another probably right here in parts for sale.GOOD LUCK and unless you carry good earplugs in your pocket don"t use the gears,go with chain,that whine is worse than a set of mudgrips on pavement , gets old real quick..
COOGER. 097 cam!! Man that was the hot ticket back in the 60s. and yes it would pull those studs. Most of these young gearheads probably don't know about pinning those studs. One of them "Old School" speed secrets you could use in your home garage. I still got my old set of rocker clips to keep the oil under control while adjusting those solid lifters.
Have had a Gear drive in my 57 Chevy for 5 years now. I will be 66 this July and still love the sound !!!! Go for it and if you don't you will always wonder why you didn't do it. TOM ( Tired Old Man)
Big drawback of the gear drive is the harmonics (resonating frequencies or whatever you want to call them) that transfer from the crank to the valve train. Bad news on a screaming 283 when you need all the valve control you can get at 7500. The quality double roller is definitely the way to go. Also the L79 cam is pretty lame. I recently did a dyno session with one in a 350. Barely got it to crack 300hp. Lot's of better grinds out there even if you're on a budget. Listen to this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq29mGCrnJg&feature=channel I can get that cam and lifters for about $75 and it's about 30hp up on the L79 and every bit as streetable. Good luck with your build. I'm throwing together a 64 bel air myself right now.
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