So my buddy is about to dive into a 350 for a T-Bucket project he's about to fire up and he was telling me that you could take a new 327 crankshaft from summit and put into a 350 and it would become a 327 because of the same bore and rod length and such. He's got a pair of double hump heads and working on a plan to use the old style road draft PCV. He's determined to create that classic 327 cubic inch out of a 350. Can it be done? He's doing it this way because the supply of REAL 327's is about dried up. Any input as to if it's possible? Or a better way of doing it? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Must also be a big journal 327 crank to match the 350 block. Early 327 cranks had smaller main and rod journals the same as a 283.
307 or large journal 327 crankshaft, 5.7 inch rods, AND 327 PISTONS. Rebalance of course. 327 pistons have a pin height of 1.67 inches, 350's have a pin height of 1.56 inches (also known as compression height). Some rebuilder type pistons have .020 of the tops, so the pin height changes to reflect that; stay away from those pistons unless the block is decked .020 to compensate, and if not, it can really mess up the quench. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
That's part is going to be tricky. 350 block no hole for road draft The rest is easy as laid out above
Vicky The 67 Camaro SS 350 (only) block used the same system as the 327's. IIRC, there was an open and closed system depending whether w/wo smog hookups. I doubt this is the 350 block used by the OP, just pointing out the possibility. Here is an older thread (one of many) that says everything I would say myself now as I and others did. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/a-sbc-question-about-breather-tubes.532586/
Just leave it a 350 and tell them its a 327. They are going to look the same. While you are it tell them it's a Corvette motor. When I was in high school there was a 58 chevy 348 and a 58 ford 352 that were really a 409 and 390.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Exactly. We won't tell, honest. No, seriously we won't. Why you lookin at me like that? I said we'd keep it quiet. You don't believe me?
a hole saw and some JB weld (ok, ok, a LOT of JB weld) and bobs yer uncle... this shit is just getting beyond silly...
So what will be the advantage to dropping back to 327 from 350 I wonder? I can fully see someone wanting to use a small journal 327 with period performance parts to match...but simply pulling some cubes from a later big journal 350 seems to have no useful purpose. I've always wanted to try out a 327 but have never owned one to compare to the 350's I'm used to. I do remember a friends 327 Nova...over the counter late 327 Vette engine...with a TON of work done to it. It was savage but not something you could really base a comparison on...
Shorter stroke can get more rev's would be one bonus, and with the potential of a 4 bolt block. I would not try the high rev's with the 307 cast crank though.
All 350's and 68-69 327's have a main journal Dia. of 2.45 and rod journal of 2.10 so if he bought a 3.250 stroke crankshaft for a large journal block and has Lg journal rods it will work you just have too buy the pistons for a 327 like has been said.
If there's a pile of parts there lying there that are kinda mismatched but make a 327 then I could see having that pile of parts earn their keep. Let's say a 96-2000 roller block, some vortec heads and 327 flat top Pistons and a 307 crank. Not to shabby from some extra clutter
That' exactly what I did. Parts: '71 0010 4 bolt block, '69 327 forged crank ( new Eagle just as good or better), Eagle 5.7 rods, SRP 2 valve relief flat top pistons, and balanced rotating assembly. Now Sealed power is making forged L 79 pistons again, which is more C.R. My compression is about 10.1 but I had to deck the block and mill the heads to get there.
I built one similar to that for my brother, although I used an "010" block. same reason too, most of the parts were laying around.
Why not build a screamer and make it a 302? I too think it's going the wrong way but it's not my project. I'd be making it a 355 old school roller motor. I'd convince my peers it was a 327 by how zippy it would be. Just sayin...
I was lucky to see one of these back in 79. Lot's of people don't believe me today that the first 350's where like that.
my next motor i am going to do the opposite. turn down a 350 crank and stuff it in a early 327............358cu and with the draft tube and oil canister.......
I've "heard" the cast 307 crank is made of NODULAR iron, and is supposed to be a fairly tough piece. I've got one of those, and a large journal, forged, 327 crank. Re-balancing is required when using the 307 crank to make a 327 using a large journal, 4 inch bore block. For some reason, I have more 327 parts then I'll ever need, and to anyone who seriously wants to build a 327, PM me, and I'll probably have what you need. Everything from cranks, rods, pistons (cast, hyper, and forged-standard to .030 bore), to rings and bearings. My Sedan Delivery has a small journal 327 in it, my backup/new engine for it is also a small journal 327 (was originally in my FED), and I was going to build a ,large journal 327 using a 4 bolt 350 block I have. If you have a later 283 block, that will take a 4 inch bore and a small journal 327 crank, I have at least 2 sets of new standard bore 327 pistons. Not a lot of standard bore 327's out there now that can remain standard bore. I did't start out aiming for so many 327 engines and parts (except for the FED engine), it just progressed into that. Motor on! I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
I always smile when I read the RPM argument. How tight are you gonna wind it anyway? Grumpy Jenkins used to put a small journal 327 crank in a 350 block using the 350 main bearings as spacers and line boring the whole mess. You can buy spacers for the job now or there could even be some thick main bearings laying around somewhere to do the job. Tell me how any of this sounds cheaper than finding a small journal 327 to start with.
Most people go the other way, 400 crank in a 350 for a 383, not many want less cubes unless restricted by some racing organization rules for a certain class. I'd build a 383 and lie like hell that it was a 327.
Nope! Not shabby at all. I suppose if you had a dead 350 block you were intent on building it really makes no difference to use the 327 crank and pistons...and you do get to use those 3 magic numbers when you describe it. Funny...there always HAS been something about saying "327" that just seems to make people stop and pay a little more attention. Saying "350" just gets you a yawn most times. LoL