what should i do sbc 327

[gearheadmike]

got my 327 from a guy who is long gone and no info except he was putting this in his chevy chevelle i got it from his friend who was holding it for him.I got it looking like a stock motor but it had eldebrock carb and intake.Well got it home few days later noticed it had new frost plugs/starter so i decided to pull apart.I pulled carb&intake looked really clean then valve covers,heads clean,note i noticed the gaskets been replaced well i then pulled heads an cleaned up cylinders/pistons from sitting and noticed the .040 on them & the cylinder walls still have the hone markes on them so i turned engine over pulled oil pan had paint overspray bu new and the crank &internals looked really clean looked at crank and lookes to be machined pulled 1 main cap off to inspect bearing and lookes like and feels like new.looked in at cam and that lookes new same with lifters. so i now have to fine out what has been done to this engine and idont know were to start any help would be good thanks.

[Itoldyouso]

Depends on what you want to do with it use wise. If you simply want to run it as a mild street engine it sounds like someone has put some work into building it and it might just run with a little cleanup and some new gaskets. If you want to have it as a high performance engine you should probably disassemble it all the way down to a) see what components and work are in there, and b) to check clearances and specs to see if it was done really right.

It's always a crap shoot going into a motor or a car someone else has built. There are all levels of skill when it comes to this stuff and I hate to trust someone elses standards and workmanship. All that it would cost you is a new complete gasket set and you should be able to tell a lot once you start opening it up. You will know if it has ever been started, and if not, how ready it is to fire up and stay together. There are markings on the backside of the cam that will identify what it is, and if it is suitable for the intended use you have for the motor.

When I bought that Camaro ex race car a while back I tore the motor down all the way and it was like reading a book on what the engine builder did. I saw grind marks that told me the engine had been balanced, found race only components that I didn't want to use like a mechanical cam, and also that the engine evidently ate up a cam lobe and lifter during break in. If I hadn't gone all the way through it and tried to fire it up I would have done more damage because of all the metal fragments from the cam.

So, I'd tear it down, find out what you have, and put it back together with new rings and gaskets (with whatever components you deem suitable for your use) and call it good. You will sleep better at night and also know your new motor a lot better. The reason I suggest rings is that they may have lost tension from a long storage.......same maybe with the valve springs.

Don

[Dave Severson]

Could use a dial indicator to check the cam lift...or put a degree wheel and a piston stop and see what kind of specs are on the cam...most aftermarket cams are marked on the end with numbers denoting the grind.

Then I'd check all the bearings, piston to wall clearance (just cuz it's bored and honed doesn't mean it's right), end gap on the rings, crank thrust bearing clearance, etc...best to know exactly what the specs are before you fire it.

As with Don's experience, beats the heck out of finding a bunch of surprises later!!!!