Thread: what heads for my 327?

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...ok guys i need some help...i'm starting to gather parts for my SJ 327 and debating on heads ...most aftermarket heads are going to big valves..205.. and big runners...200-220 .is this going to help or hurt me with a small cube engine?..i've read alot of good things on vortecs and seen alot of good dyno numbers but there usually done on 383's as with most of the tests on other heads..any thoughts? here's some more specs on my 327....
.060 over keith black hyper. flat tops
6" scat rods
probably going with a comp cam 280 dur 550 lift solid roller
of course roller rockers..good oil pan ..crankshaft scraper etc..etc..
...so if anybody has any experience with small cube motors give me your thoughts....
thanks.......

Are You putting this motor in Your truck for the street? You dont want runners anywhere near that big with the 327. The Edelbrock E-TEC 170 looks like and interesting head for your combination. They have 1.94/ 1.55 valves which should work well and should give You a fair amount of torque. Big runners and big valves would absolutely kill your bottom end ( TORQUE). If You wanted to go a little bigger You might look at the BRODIX RACE RITE 180. .I would not go any larger than that. Remember, Bigger is not always better. If I had to guess I would think the E-TEC would be a better street head that would be stronger up to about 5000 RPM. At 5500 I would say the advantage would go to the RACE RITE 180.













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I left off the Vortec cast Iron head which is a good head that You can buy new for about $520 for a set. You may have to change the springs for your cam. The old 186 or the 041 heads would work good as well.The 292 turbo is an excellent old chevy head as well.I am assuming that you need the bolt holes in the front of the heads . If not the old 461 0r 462 with hardened seats would work well

..i figured the big runners would kill my bottom end but i also figured its a 327 so i dont have much anyway..and yes its going in my truck..i think i'm going with vortecs either cast or e-tecs ..if i go with the cast i'll get the ones with springs good to .525 lift, drilled for screw in studs and go with a smaller lift ....there about $360 each..but after i buy studs, guideplates and valve cover adapters so i can run my m/t covers it'll be close to the same price as the e-tec's and they have both sets of valve cover holes, studs, guide plates and springs good to .575..
thanks for the info.....

...yea but everybodys running a 350 or a 454 ...plus there ain't much challenge in making a big block run good..lol...the main reason i'm going with the sj 327 is i'm kinda building this truck in memory of my dad who i lost in 2000...and from the memorys of my childhood...dad built a sj 327 for his 67 chevelle when i was about 8 yrs old and that engine has been in my head ever since...

...thanks for the link...i would love to have the job of trying different combos on the dyno..

for a daily street app I would opt for the Vortec units for the price....People how use the vortecs on 383's are using them for the wrong app!!

The vortec head works with up to a .480lift cam out of the box ( more with modifacations to the head) and flow well to 5500 rpm!
They can be ported to do better but then you'd be better off gettibg a bigger head...

These were designed for up to 350 cu. in. and a good choice if you want economy and torque!!!

I like to hear some one use and older engine on todays technology....especially the 327

I built a stroked 327 (341) a year ago with the Dart sportsman II head and made 706hp@7800rpm and it didn't fall off till 8500...I'm still stoked....

The vortec head can be had for $259.95 ea (Jegs) and $100.00 for the intake...

Mooneyes.... The best advise I can give you is...Decide for sure which head you want...then pick a cam company and call them direct...period you will have to give them a lot of info but they will give you the very best cam suited for your aplication...smartes choice....

Don't worry about low end with the peanut motor it will do okay if you need more git off the line use more converter....

In my 283 I use a 4200stahl....it doesn't make much low end so it lives with no breakage at every launch

[QUOTE]Originally posted by mooneyes
[B]..i figured the big runners would kill my bottom end but i also figured its a 327 so i dont have much anyway

You're half right! Big runners would kill your bottom end.Unless it was an all out race 327 in a light car big runners might kill it period.

Here's where You are wrong--- You said , I also figured its a 327 so I dont have much anyway.

You dont need to apologize for a 327, LT1 S10 and I have seen 327s in race cars blow the doors off much bigger motors in modified and other class stock cars. In late model I might have run a small journal 331 or 336 rather than the 355, But the smaller motor wasn't legal. Some might argue that there is no difference in a small journal and a large journal 327 as far as performance goes. Just my opinion, I think the large journal may br stronger,I think the small journal is faster.Most that used them thought the small journal would jump off the corner quicker. Many, Many Drag cars have used 327s quite successfully for about 43 years now.

Small journal engines do rate quicker!!

Rate meaning the "rate of acceleration)...The time in seconds to go from one rpm to another....

My 341 stared life as a 327 Large journal but ended up as a small journal...

You Know , It's nice to have someone agree with You every now and then, Dont You think??

I'd say I think so....they make the advantages for you.....you just have to make the most of them

You know, the 327 Chevy was just about GM's finest moment in their long history. I've hotrodded 283s, 327s, 350s, 400s, 396s, and 454s over the last 35 years, and I prefer a 327 hands down to all the other engines. You can make a 327 scream with just a little bit of work. The 3.25" stroke is just about ideal for the 4" bore when it comes to a sweet combination of torque and rev ability.

Anyway, a good head to use that is probably still plentiful and cheap is the 144 (I think that's the casting #) head from '69 and '70 350 pickup applications. The heads have huge smog-type chambers, decent sized ports, 194 intakes, and the accessory mounting bosses on each end. The big chambers work better than you might think with flattop pistons. You'll probably end up with a compression ratio in the 9.1 to 9.5 range depending on head gasket choice.

I used a set of these on a .040 over 350 with flattop pistons and a stock 327/275hp cam on an engine I built in '84 that went into my '70 1/2 ton Chevy. That engine ran unbelievably strong with a cast iron Q-Jet intake, Q-Jet, and cheapo headers. I ran a stock Turbo 350 with 3.73 gears in the punkin. There weren't a whole lot of rides that could take it from a stoplight in the two years that I drove it. Unfortunately, the .040 rebuilder block that I used couldn't stand the gaff, and I lost a piston in one cylinder after a bad overheat episode.

My point is, the old smog heads made plenty of power and torque with no more than a valve job from a local machine shop. They would have done just as well on a 327 as they did on the 350. Back in the day, we didn't buy new heads unless we got the slant plug 202s or turbo 202s (which were totally unfit for street use). Even in '84, high performance heads like the 186 were practically nonexistant in the boneyards or head rebuilders' shops. Older heads from '67 back don't have the accessory mounting bosses on the end, so your screwed if you need to mount an alternator or ac compressor on a later model vehicle. Sure, you can change over to the earlier mounting setup, but you cannot believe the headaches you will run into finding the stuff and lining up the belts. It's a lot easier to get heads with the mounting bosses to start with.

As for weak bottom end torque with a 327, I wouldn't worry about that. My '67 Nova SS has more than enough to keep the tires lit all the way to 3rd, if I'm dumb enough to hold it to the floor once they break loose. It is a 327/350hp running through a 4spd and a 3.73 posi with nothing more than a Holley 650 double-pumper and a set of Hooker comps. I would say the engine would probably run just as well with a good automatic, and it might be a little easier to get the power to the ground instead of smoking the tires uselessly. I've always had to feather the throttle in 1st to even get the thing out of the hole, or lose to the other guy right there in a cloud of tire smoke. A 327 makes plenty of torque for a shortbed pickup.

Another plus about a 327 is that you can keep right on revving while the other guy has to shift his 350, or 396. or 454. They'll spin to 6 grand easily, and that's where they make their power.
If you do decide to use aftermarket heads, I would personally stay away from aluminum for a street application. They are pretty and lightweight, but they will corrode into nothing without running straight antifreeze in the block. They also have a wicked thermal expansion coefficient (all aluminum engine parts do) which may or may not compromise head gasket sealing in your engine.

I really would consider old iron heads both for the expense factor and the durability factor as well. You may have trouble running over 9:1 compression on the street anyway with the available pump gas. Compression won't hurt torque, it'll just limit horsepower in the upper rpm range.

You ought to go ahead and build a sweet 327, you'll be amazed at what fine engines they are.

Randy

I would like to add to Vurtok's theory....

The 69-70 smog head does work good for Torque apps.... so does the heavy head up till 74'....

What makes the torque is the small runner design...170cc intake
when you use a bigger runner size you can make more torque but at a higher rpm range...this isn't good for a heavy vehicle...

They heavier the vehicle the more conservative you should be on the runner size.....

The vortec have a small runner and what make them really shine above others is the swirl finished combustion chambers...they are 10 times more efficient than the heads of yesteryear....

As far as the aluminum head issue I agree and disagree.... they do corrode faster but as far as the sealing co-efficient I would not worry about that.....The big 3 has been producing aluminum headed motors for 20 years or better and head gasket problems are a thing of the past.....

...thanks for all the advice guys and when this thing goes back in i'm swapping the 700r for a 4 speed, so it should be lots of fun!!!