How to build a 57 in 1000 easy steps

[Bubba54]

Originally Posted by sqrlnts

Your engine pic makes me miss my old 327 in my 72 Nova. I had so much fun in that car in high school, that engine would absolutely scream. All of your work looks so tidy and planned out, you can tell this is not your first rodeo. Good luck with the cam selection.

sqrints, I have had my 327 motor for 20 years. First car I had it in was a 72 Nova, small world. It had a 10 bolt posi with 4:11 gears, and I ran a vega converter. As you said, it was allot of fun. Reading your post really took me back, Thanks.

Shawn

[bobinbc]

I have a soft spot for the 327 too. My first real "hot rod" was a 57 BelAir with a 327 when I was 18, (1981 for the math whizzes out there). After that I had a 67 Camaro with a 327, traded that for 66 Malibu but kept the 327 and put it in the Chevelle. Then I had the same engine in a 4 speed 55Chev Handyman 2dr wagon with a tunnel ram, dual carbs and a Crane Fireball camshaft. Finally I detuned it back to a single carb and low rise intake and put it in a 65 Triumph TR4. Had that until about 1991 ish. I've lost track of how many intakes, carbs, cams and timing curves I tried on that engine but it was like the Energizer bunny - it kept going and going and going....

This 327 I picked up a couple years ago from a good friend who is kind of a collector. It is a GM factory crate engine, stamped CE and some numbers on the pad below the head. Anyway, he was going to run it in his son's 66 Caprice coupe but never did, it has been sitting for many years, so I tore it down to check it out and it is like new inside. It had double bumps but I had a set that I had ported and never run so I decided to give them a try, along with a slightly bigger cam and the Wieand dual quad which I actually bought back from a friend a while back.
The valve covers are originals and not perfect but they'll do.

After looking at it again I realized it looked pretty muck like the last engine I built for my old truck and I wanted this one to be a little different so I made a little change...
I know it might not be everyone's cup of tea but I'm ok with it.

[IMG][/IMG]

[Baldeagle SR]

I am with you. I like it.
Rich

[bobinbc]

Bubba54 this engine is the small journal version too, that was one of the reasons I was attracted to it. I had never seen a small journal 327 factory crate engine before. The cam I chose was a RV cam really, a CompCams Extreme Energy 256H. I will be using a 700R4 trans, stock converter and I want it to run smooth and strong right from idle and cruise at about 1800-1900 rpm.

If I want more I have a biggish hydraulic roller cam that I can put into it, but that will mean pulling the heads for some more work to fit bigger springs, screw-in studs etc. Going to go small for now and see if I like it...

[Kim57]

that engine looks sweet in there.
Kim

[sqrlnts]

Originally Posted by Bubba54

sqrints, I have had my 327 motor for 20 years. First car I had it in was a 72 Nova, small world. It had a 10 bolt posi with 4:11 gears, and I ran a vega converter. As you said, it was allot of fun. Reading your post really took me back, Thanks.

Shawn

Crazy. My Nova was a blue SS clone car, had it my senior year in 93 to 96.The whole clone thing always kinda bothered me, not sure why. I wish I had a posi 4.11. I had an open 3.73 10 bolt, I tortured that right rear! LOL. 2600 stall converter seemed like it always kept me at the gas pump!

I like the engine, looks nice.

[bobinbc]

The truck came with a very nce 327 too, big cam, Victor Jr, Holley 750 but being from Nevada the truck had straight water in the engine and I froze it the first winter Such a dumb move...
Only thing I have from that engine now is the heads...

[Bubba54]

bobinbc, Thanks for the info on the cam. I still need to put some thought to my cam selection. I put it together so long ago I dont have the specs. I think it had 292 duration and about a 500 lift. I too just wont a little better idle and better vac.

Motor turned out real nice. Bummer about the motor freeze!

Thanks Shawn

[bobinbc]

Been a while... finished the chassis, got all the metalwork done on body, tilt steering in, brakes, gas pedal, seat etc. Pretty much all done and ready to blow apart for final bodywork and paint. Then we decided to move to the island so I reluctantly let it go. Not long after that the truck was completely destroyed in a garage fire....Only time it saw the road was the day I sold it we rolled it out onto the road fully assembled for a couple pics which I think I deleted without saving first, sigh....

Anyway the stance was killer and it was sad to see it go, sadder when I saw what happened to it.

[mphudak]

WOW...sorry to here this. Unfortunately these kinda of situations come up more frequently then folk realize. Whether accidents or fire, never is easy to see your hard work find a fate like this.

[rusty76]

Darn. Hopefully nobody was hurt. Sorry for the loss.

[Kim57]

That's a shame.
Kim

[bobinbc]

Here's what it looked like when I sold it, ready to blow apart for paint.

[dsraven]

hey bob, just curious if you remember what was behind the front bumper on that gmc. it has been so long since I took mine apart I don't remember what the panel looks like that connects the 2 fenders together at the bottom. there is bolt holes there so it must have had something. the rea is covered by the bumper and the extension of sheet metal behind the bumper. maybe just a flat panel?

[bobinbc]

I had a look on my red 56.There is a panel and it is mostly flat but not completely. It is different than the one on a chevy

[59chev]

Oh Man, that 327 was sweet!! I searched Kijiji for over 2 years before I found my small journal 327 for my project.

[dsraven]

ok, thanks bobinbc, appreciated. at least i know what to look for kinda.