Hmmmmm...what engine 350 or 327

[jmel]

I'm currently running a little gutless 305 in my '27. Naturally, its gutless by my own doing as I wanted a wicked sounding engine and ended up putting way too much cam in it. Sounds mean as F***, but it really is gutless - all bark and no bite.

With that being said, I have a 350 set aside that I was going to build whenever the funds became available. I've never built an engine before, and outside of changing a cam a couple of times and changing an intake a couple of times, I've never touched an engine. Over the past few months, I was thinking that something a bit more vintage would be cool...and speak of the devil, an opportunity on a 327 has presented itself to me. A buddy pulled it out of an Impalla SS...supposedly turns, but does need to be rebuilt, and the price seems to be right.

I guess the question is...what do you recommend? What would you be happier with? Vintagy 327 or mid-late 80's 350 2 bolt main. I am seriously leaning towards the 327...hell, I could tell people my 305 is a 327 and most wouldn't know the difference to call me out on it...but having a 327 seems pretty cool in its own right.

I'm assuming its not really going to cost me any more, or at least much more to rebuild it over a 350 - but I very well could be wrong. This will be my first venture into an engine build. My 305 was already built and running when i bought it and put it in the '27.

Thoughts, suggestions? I wouldn't be doing much to either I don't think...perhaps a milder, yet still wicked sounding cam where I still get a good thump but don't lose all of my low end torque, and will be running 3 rochester 2 jets on it as well if that matters.

 

[Rat'l Trap]

I think the least expensive way would be to have that 305 evaluated by someone who knows. Heads come to mind. Probably doesnt breath too well. That includes getting the right carb and tuning it properly, a good dual plane intake, and a compatible exhaust system including proper diameter long tube headers. The rearend gear ratio as well as tire diameter and torque converter (assuming auto trans) all work together to either get off the line quickly or act like your car does now. It would be lucky if you threw a bunch of random parts together and it worked well.
You are talking about a small block chevy in all 3 of the examples. Crankshaft and cylinder diameter are two of the factors that change the displacement. Heads are different on the 3 as well. Do your homework and put together the right combo of goodies and you will be going in the right direction.

 

[26Troadster]

ok the 305 runs, but you didn't say what size the cam is. like was stated above the heads on the 305 need to breath. if you go with a rebuild, why buy a 327 when you got a 350 that will be cheaper to build. same thing let it breath. the 350 will have harden seats to go with todays gas, the 327 will have the old camel hump heads that will boost compression but will cost double to have rebuilt for todays gas again. i knew someone that took a set of 305 ho heads (1.88 intake valve) ported them and added a 300 horse 327 cam, it would suprize you.

 

[Torch]

305 HAS A 350 CRANK pistons are smaller. smaller cylinder = tighter turn for the air coming our of the valves

I put a competition cams 268 cam in a 305 for this 75 3/4 ton full time 4x4...
The only place i noticed a difference was when I had at least 1,000 lbs of junk in the back, or was towing something... or when it downshifted on the interstate.
otherwise it drove around the same as the 350 with the same cam.
Iwent tot he 305 thinking id get better mileage...it went from 10 to 10 lol
i did pick up a smidge more on the highway but not much but this was a full time 4x4 with 4:11 gears and 36" tires

 

[maverickmk]

My suggestion is to put that "too big of a cam" into the 350 that you already have. That would be the most bang for the buck. If you really have your heart set on a 327, just buy an intake for a 327 that has the oil fill tube sticking out of it/ It will look exactly like a 327.

 

[Willowbilly3]

If it's a small journal 327, I'd take it over a 350 any day. They all had steel cranks and the small journals have an advantage in much lower bearing speeds so you can build one to wind like crazy if you want.

 

[gold03]

In my opinion there is no substitution for cubic inches... Except turbo chargers, supercharges and nitrous oxide.

If you are looking for bottom end grunt, 350.
If you want to build the cheapest, 350.
If you want power with no added weight, 350.
If you want an easy 5500 RPM motor with 1 hp per cubic inch, 350.
If you want lots of choices and options, 350.

I might be biased, but I like a 350. You never mentioned the small block 400, or building a stroker 383. [dr

If you are interested in these engines to build yourself, as opposed to buying a crate motor, buy and read two books. Power Secrets by Smokey Yunick, and the book written by John Lingenfelter about the small block Chevy. My copies are well worn and well used. Based upon what you can learn from these two sources you can build inexpensive power. 350 hp is very easy to make. You can build a dependable 350 hp with cast pistons, rods, and crank shaft, in two bolt format. You don't need 202 heads big carb, and big headers. You don't need big $. You do need quality machining, and assembly, as well as a proper break in. Engines are function before form ( ie sound)

Did I mention I like the 350?

Gold03

 

[21willys]

My advice would be to post up some part numbers so we can tell what you have.

Cam specs?
What heads are on your 305? (casting number) Not all of them are bad.
What heads are on your 350? (casting number)
Are you dead set on the intake and carbs you have now?
Transmission?
Rearend gear?

You may already have what you need to build a decent engine.

 

[Willowbilly3]

Actually, the 305 should scoot that T along just fine if it's running right. Even though most of a 305's guts are kinda junk, they weren't a bad little engine. What's your car weigh? Maybe 22-2400#? So you have about 1 hp per 10# which is a horsepower to weight ratio right in there with a stock 396 Chevelle.
I'd be looking for a good 283 if it was my choice and Chevy engine was the only choices.

 

[21willys]

I agree with willow. I had a 307 in a shoebox ford. Even with a bad intake carb combo (dual fours on a high rise) it would boogy right along.

 

[Willowbilly3]

The 327 shouldn't cost any more than the 350, other than head work since the 327 probably won't have hard seats.
How much are you willing to pay for "wicked thump"? I mean you already found out on the 305 that just a wild cam is going backwards on performance just for some noise you like. Why not buy a cam tailored to the rpm range you plan to run the engine in most of the time?
Comp sells a cam that still runs halfways decent called thumper cams.

 

[26Troadster]

wb3 in the past the 327 pistons where a lot more the the 350 pistons almost like buying for a 307. i admit it has been a long time since i rebuilt any motors.

 

[Willowbilly3]

So what's that add to the build, like $100? I'm kinda out of the loop on engine building, I mostly find good used engines for my projects.
I guess I'm part of the bored with 350s crowd. Choosing one just because it's the cheapest engine to rebuild is valid but in the bigger picture I see guys make that claim and then spend a buttload of money on stuff like skinney repop bias ply tires, so it really doesn't float. Really what's a couple hundred bucks to not be one of the sheeple when you are building a cool and personalized car. Just sayin...

 

[old man dave]

If I were building the engine from scratch and had some money to spend I would build a 383 with the 350 block. If I was just driving around having fun and not wanting to spend a lot of money I would put a mild cam in the 305 that is already installed and running. A 305 HO actually was a good running engine in a full size car so building a copy of it should scoot your T very well.

 

[Willowbilly3]

Those HO heads actually flow quite well too.

 

[Tim...Ok]

I'd go with the 350, tell'em it s a 327 if you want,few will know the difference..

Look at some of the NHRA stock classes to see what a 305 is capable of

I just picked up a complete low mileage 305 for my next project for cheap..already has mild cam, performer intake edelbrock 600 on it..

 

[21willys]

Some of the ho 305s are rated a lot more horsepower then the 70s 350s. The ones they put in the 80s camaros held there own pretty well.

 

[Old Iron]

Don't put a 350 in your rig and tell anyone it's a 327. You will only look like a fool the first time a friend or someone calls you out on it.
If you want a 327 put it in if you want a 350 put it in. I personally, wouldn't spend the time to build a 305 if all the parts were given to me.
You can use Corvette 041 heads and won't need to install hardened valve seats and they will have the accessory holes in them too.
I've ran this setup in my wifes 56 Chevy for the last 10 years with a 268H Comp cam with 0 problems and participated in two, 2004 & 2008 Power Tours. Enjoy

 

[Coffee Freak]

I'm currently running a little gutless 305 in my '27. Naturally, its gutless by my own doing as I wanted a wicked sounding engine and ended up putting way too much cam in it. Sounds mean as F***, but it really is gutless - all bark and no bite.

With that being said, I have a 350 set aside that I was going to build whenever the funds became available. I've never built an engine before, and outside of changing a cam a couple of times and changing an intake a couple of times, I've never touched an engine. Over the past few months, I was thinking that something a bit more vintage would be cool...and speak of the devil, an opportunity on a 327 has presented itself to me. A buddy pulled it out of an Impalla SS...supposedly turns, but does need to be rebuilt, and the price seems to be right.

I guess the question is...what do you recommend? What would you be happier with? Vintagy 327 or mid-late 80's 350 2 bolt main. I am seriously leaning towards the 327...hell, I could tell people my 305 is a 327 and most wouldn't know the difference to call me out on it...but having a 327 seems pretty cool in its own right.

I'm assuming its not really going to cost me any more, or at least much more to rebuild it over a 350 - but I very well could be wrong. This will be my first venture into an engine build. My 305 was already built and running when i bought it and put it in the '27.

Thoughts, suggestions? I wouldn't be doing much to either I don't think...perhaps a milder, yet still wicked sounding cam where I still get a good thump but don't lose all of my low end torque, and will be running 3 rochester 2 jets on it as well if that matters.

I'm curious as to what cam can do this... What you have described is EXACTLY what I want. I'm building a low-buck rat with drivetrain components much too weak to match up to a healthy V8, so I want one that's "de-tuned" so to speak. All growl, but no bite.

If I were closer to you, I'd be looking for a pricetag on that 305 since it's already what I want.

 

[RPM]

Build the 350, if the crank even needs to be turned by a 383 crank and make a 383 out of it. Cost is about the same for all the small block parts. There is no substitute for cubic inches. Don't for get about resale value, not many people will be interested when you tell them it has a 305 in it. Tell them it has a 383 stroker in it and the price just went way up.