Thread: A few V8 queries!

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Hi all!

Just signed up on here, the other day I got my first chevy small block its a 1973 90,000 mile 327 on original plugs leads ETC so a good base to start a rebuild and tune up to dump in my fastback.

What I want to know is what is the best hi-comp pistons to go for to work with enlarged valves or is one best without the other thoughts please!

...also while im here im a novice on the hot-rod scene please explain what a "gasser" and a "Fueler" is aswel as a "declet"

Many Thanks guys!!!

First thing you should do is check the casting #'s and make sure the hoss you think you have is a hoss and not a donkey while you're at it check the head casting #'s too!
try googling MORTEC for a pretty complete list of chevy casting numbers!
'73 is the start of the "smogger" engines, however a little tweaking will fix
that

Originally Posted by UK-Muscle!

Hi all!

Just signed up on here, the other day I got my first chevy small block its a 1973 90,000 mile 327 on original plugs leads ETC so a good base to start a rebuild and tune up to dump in my fastback.

What I want to know is what is the best hi-comp pistons to go for to work with enlarged valves or is one best without the other thoughts please!

...also while im here im a novice on the hot-rod scene please explain what a "gasser" and a "Fueler" is aswel as a "declet"

Many Thanks guys!!!

327"s were in production from '62 to '69, so it is not a production 327 if it is a '73 motor. It could be a 350 block with a large journal 327 crank or a 350 block with an early small journal 327 crank and spacer bearings. Like Donnie said, post the casting numbers for us. On the block, the casting number is on the narrow little ledge, driver's side, where the bellhousing bolts up and there is also a stamped suffix number on the passenger side block deck at the very front of the block just in front of the cylinder head. On the heads, the casting number is on the top of the head, under the valve cover, between the rocker studs.

A gasser would be a coupe or sedan body with any motor, streetable with fenders, bumpers, full interior, etc and with the motor set back in the wheelbase a maximum of 10% as measured from the centerline of the front spindle to the nearest spark plug hole. This was a popular class 50's to 80's, but has been taken out of the NHRA Rulebook. The gassers running these days are nostalgia cars running on different circuits (different sanctioning body from NHRA).

A fueler is a car that runs on pure nitromethane or a percentage of nitromethane, cut with methanol. In NHRA racing, there are two classes for fuel cars, Top Fuel and Funny Car.

I have no idea what declet is.

You won't find Mortec anymore, here is an archived page for it.....
http://web.archive.org/web/200805180...ww.mortec.com/
The rest of you guys might want to add it to your favorites. It's the only way you're gonna see this stuff anymore.

Hi guys!

Just seen your replies thanks for the response yes I will check the casting numbers in the lump, the engine is not '73 the car is '73 the engines used in my car are believed to be mid 60's corvette engines.

What do you mean by "Hoss" and "donkey"??

Cheers guys!

hoss- a colloquialism for horse, a strong runner, a good motor. Also capitalized and used as a nickname, particularly in the American South and Southwest.
donkey- other than a strong runner, a poor candidate to begin a performance build.

Originally Posted by UK-Muscle!

Hi guys!

.

What do you mean by "Hoss" and "donkey"??

Cheers guys!

or me....

Lol! cheers guys! Hmm not drove the car yet just got it running the engine runs sweet think its fueling all wrong but as its up for a rebuild im not fussed, sounds like thunder! a strange sound to the UK populous with our small girly cars! lol.

What gearbox did the 327 come with from the factory??

Originally Posted by UK-Muscle!

What gearbox did the 327 come with from the factory??

That will take some researching to know exactly what box was used behind the 327. But basically, in those days, there was a Borg Warner T-85 3-speed, Borg Warner T10 4-speed, Muncie M20 and M21 4-speed (I'm pretty sure the M22 with its straight-cut (zero pitch angle) gears was only used behind big blocks), Muncie 3-speed, Saginaw 3-speed and 4-speed and the cast iron case and aluminum case Powerglide 2-speed automatic. Did you want to know the history of boxes used or did you want to know what you can use today?

Note of interest: The M22 Muncie behind a small block is just about the sweetest sounding accelleration noise available to the human ear. The straight-cut gears make a whine like the cogged belts used to drive a blower. G-Force builds a T5 5-speed with straight-cut gears also.

Welcome to the board, I can vouch for a lot of these guys as being really knowledgeable and certainly helpful. If you can take a digital pic of the mill, engine, motor,orange thing. we can pretty much let you know what you have. Especially if you include casting numbers.
on chevy blocks you will have a number that is actually cast on the rear bellhousing area of the block for example 3970010, also when you remove the rocker covers, (valve covers) you will also see a number cast into the head for example 346236 ( Thats a BBC one) with this info a lot can be gained. I hope you enjoy your little piece of the best decade of America, and Tech is right about a high winding small block with that rapidly whining Muncie!!

Originally Posted by techinspector1

That will take some researching to know exactly what box was used behind the 327. But basically, in those days, there was a Borg Warner T-85 3-speed, Borg Warner T10 4-speed, Muncie M20 and M21 4-speed (I'm pretty sure the M22 with its straight-cut (zero pitch angle) gears was only used behind big blocks), Muncie 3-speed, Saginaw 3-speed and 4-speed and the cast iron case and aluminum case Powerglide 2-speed automatic. Did you want to know the history of boxes used or did you want to know what you can use today?

Note of interest: The M22 Muncie behind a small block is just about the sweetest sounding accelleration noise available to the human ear. The straight-cut gears make a whine like the cogged belts used to drive a blower. G-Force builds a T5 5-speed with straight-cut gears also.

I take it that all the 4-speeds are manuals?? Yes you are right about the straight cut dog box's making a great whine not sure If you'd be able to hear it over a throaty V8, I think i'll be going for a full twin stainless sytem with glasspacks.

I just wanted to know what box my 327 is bolted to at present as I wont know until I pull it out the car, Its a 3 speed auto havent really had a look round too much but I will have a look round for the engine number in the morning so we can norrow it down a bit Cheers!

Originally Posted by sleeve396

Welcome to the board, I can vouch for a lot of these guys as being really knowledgeable and certainly helpful. If you can take a digital pic of the mill, engine, motor,orange thing. we can pretty much let you know what you have. Especially if you include casting numbers.
on chevy blocks you will have a number that is actually cast on the rear bellhousing area of the block for example 3970010, also when you remove the rocker covers, (valve covers) you will also see a number cast into the head for example 346236 ( Thats a BBC one) with this info a lot can be gained. I hope you enjoy your little piece of the best decade of America, and Tech is right about a high winding small block with that rapidly whining Muncie!!

Yes you guys seem very clued up on V8 tuning so I think i'll be a regular on here as I plan to spend a fortune on mine, Yes in the morning I will get the engine casting numbers so we can work out what were dealing with, what is a "BBC"? Yes I think me and the 327 are going to have many happy years destroying UK roads! lol! Is the muncie dog box a manual box??

The BBC is what is a Big Block Chevy, what you have is the SBC the small block Chevy, no shame in that because that is the worlds most popular engine in my thinking.... and yes the muncie box is the aluminum 4 speed, your car may also be equipped with the cast iron 4 speed known as a saginaw, or even possibly the aluminum t-10. enjoy your new toy!!

Ahh I see! yeah that makes sense, Think the car Im using wouldnt warrant a big-block I think the 327 is perfect. Well the car thats donating its engine and running gear is a 3 speed auto so not sure. This is the car and engine I have....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXA3pK6e-dE

But the car I am fitting the engine to is this....

http://www.fahrzeugbilder.de/name/ei...Commodore.html

Originally Posted by UK-Muscle!

Well the car thats donating its engine and running gear is a 3 speed auto so not sure.

Chances are pretty good that it is a Turbo Hydromatic 350 automatic, introduced in 1969. It could also be a Turbo Hydromatic 400, which is a heavier duty transmission normally bolted up behind big block motors. Either one will bolt up behind the 327. The 400 is, I think, about an inch longer than the 350. It is also possible that the builder used an adapter between the engine and transmission to bolt up some other kind of 3-speed automatic from a European car or truck. Not likely, but possible.