Stovebolt.com Forums The Shop Area Project Journals 1959 Apache 31 "Ernest"

Back again, I keep finding myself playing catch up with My own projects.

This last weekend it was raining here so I thought I would just take inventory of the parts I have assembled for my engine. The truck wasn't stock when I got it, the 235 was long gone and a 283 was in it's place. The engine mounts were crude at best and the motor was tired too. I made the decision to replace the 283 with a 327 (this was in 1992). I had the 327 from another project and it was ready for rebuild. I have been keeping with a RestoRod theme for most of my ideas and the engine is no different.

Bottom end:
Block; 1968 327, 2 bolt mains, large journal (from an Impala) now bored 0.030 over to 331.
Line bored and decked, shot peened and magnifluxed
Crankshaft: Steel 350, turned -0.010 under on rod and mains.
Rods: GM 5.7" "pink" rods, shot peened and magnifluxed , polished I beams with ARP wave loc bolts
Milodon windage tray.
Melling high volume oil pump and pick up tube.
ARP main bearing stud kit.
Clevite P series rod and main bearings and cam bearings.
Keith Black flat top hypereutectic pistons (2 valve reliefs)
Speed Pro plasma moly piston rings.
Cloyes True Roller timing set
Clay Smith Tracksmith cam ( 280 Advertised Duration / 238 @ .050 / 108 Lobe Center / .427 Gross Lift Based on 1.5 RR)
Felpro Gaskets and seals
Jeg's one piece oil pan gasket.
Factory 283 truck oil pan.
All the machine work was done locally by my good friend Jim Bailey, he completed all the final balancing as well.

This is just the bottom end for now, I'll list the top end later. This next weeks 15 min a day project (thanks RustyRod) is to get the engine on the stand and start assembly.

P.S. For Alvin, thank you for the push.

Tuts 59 - What kind of HP/Torque are you hoping for...once you decide on a top end arrangement? I suppose the dyno will reveal that.

I have something in the 400 to 425 HP in mind. I basically took a build sheet from a 70's Super Chevy (I copied it down while in 11th grade English class) and changed it meet some of today's needs. Their engine made 440 HP, and had about the same amount of torque. I want the engine to thump with a lumpy idle, it will make power on the top end for sure.. I know that about as practical as a brick bat, that will be fine. I missed the whole teenager HotRod thing so I'm trying to make up for it now. Lots of work on the top end, more on that later.

[img]https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/download/Number/17058/filename/327 Engine Block.jpg[/img]I have had a little extra time to work on the truck since I was furloughed this month.

I have concentrated on the engine assembly, I have gather all of the parts together that I have sourced over the past few years.
With the block machined and prepped, the 327 was bored .030 over-sized and align bored, the block was decked as well. The crank shaft is an original steel GM part and was turned .010 under size on both the main and rod bearing journals. The entire rotating assembly was balanced by my Machinist.

I mounted it to the engine stand and spent the better part of a morning cleaning it and chasing all the treads with a tap.

I wanted to add a windage tray to the bottom end to aid in oil control, this required the use of studs for the main caps. I purchased an ARP stud set for the 2 bolt mains, I feel that even though this isn't a 4 bolt block the studs will help in adding strength. I installed the main bearings and caps, torqued them to specs and measured the clearance. Once I had verified all the measurements I removed the main caps and and set the crank in using Melling assembly lube.

After re installing the main caps I torqued them to 80 Ft LBS,in 3 stages as recommended by ARP, all threads were coated with ARP's thread lube. The crank turned freely and and no noticeable drag, I measured the end play and determined it to be within tolerance.

I had a bit of a set back once it came to installing the pistons. The rings I had from Jegs were the wrong size, the bore is now 4.030 and the rings measured 4.285, way to big even though the box was marked correctly. I have been purchasing parts for this build for years, the rings were ordered in 2014, Jegs said it was to long ago to exchange, lesson learned I expect. I made a few calls to my FLAPS and OReilly's said they could have them the next afternoon.

I picked up the rings from OReilly's and verified the correct size prior to installing the pistons. I had never used anything but an expandable ring compressor, while ordering parts I purchased an ARP ring compressor. The ARP ring compressor is machined to the specified size and has a tapered design, the piston merely slides into the the tool a directly into the cylinder. I can honestly say this was the easiest piston install I have ever done. While the tool was around $30.00, it is sized for the Chevy 4" bore .030 over-sized, I will use it again so the money wasn't wasted.

The remainder of the install went slick as snot, the bearings fit perfectly and the rod caps slid in place easily. I used ARP Wave-Loc rod bolts, the bolt require the caps to be pre-loaded and torqued to 45Ft Lbs. so the bolts will stretch. Once the caps were fitted and the Rod bolts torqued it was just a matter of installing the rings and sliding the piston in place and torquing the Rod bolt one final time.

Once everything is in place I will fit up the windage tray and oil pump and pick-up tube.

Nothing like a good day in the shop.🛠

Yesterday I installed the cam and timing chain. The Cam is a Clay Smith flat tappet hydraulic " Tracksmith". The cam is designed after the cam of the "60's Duntov 30-30" it has a lumpy idle and good mid to top end power band, the difference is that it is built with today's needs in mind. The cam kit included a set of their "HI-Rev" lifters matched to the cam.

For the timing chain I used a Cloyes "Tru-Roller" double row chain and gear set. The crank gear allows you to advance or retard the cam 2 degrees. I advanced the the cam 2 degrees, to allow for more top end.

I degree'd the cam to verify the valve ratio to lobe separation, the cam was right on space with a 106 center line and valve operation at .050 lift.

More Cam pics...

I just read your Project Journal. Great story and a great tribute to your Senior Master Sargent. I’ll be following you posts. Keep up the good work!

PS Thank you for your service.

On to the top end. With the Cam installed I focused on the the Heads and valve train.

The heads are factory 327, 3917291 castings, they were available for the 302/327 and 350 from 62'-69'. These are double hump 64CC chambers with either 1.94 or 2.02 intake valves. My factory heads were 1.94, I had my machine shop open them up to 2.02, adding hardened valve seats and stainless valves. The exhaust valves are 1.60. I have blended the chambers slightly and matched the gaskets on both the intake and exhaust ports.

In addition to having the hardened seats added I had the heads machined for screw in studs and Manley guide plates. The heads were surfaced and the valve guides were also replaced. I CC'd the heads while blending the chambers, after being surfaced the chambers averaged 59.5 CC's. With the pistons I have chosen the compression should be close to 10.5 to 1.

The heads were reassembled using hardened retainers and locks, I used Edelbrock "Sure Seat" valve springs. The valve springs are dual coil rated at 110 Lbs seat pressure, 285 Lbs open pressure at .490" of lift. These are installed at 1.7" seat height with 1.160" coil bind. I chose Speedway stamped steel roller rockers, 1.6 intake and 1.5 exhaust ratio. The 1.6 ratio intake will add 200 RPM to the top end. Along with the rocker arms I selected Speedway's 5/16" Chrome Moly push rods.

Again all hardware was from ARP.