jt1

Bringing this one up from a search. How has this worked out long term? Any tips or thoughts? Has anyone else tried this combo? John

Check out Moparts. They have a good board, lots of knowledgable members, and a big for sale section. You can check out lots of stuff!!!! http://www.moparts.org I've got a 67 Coronet R/T I sometimes work on when I have time. jt

Fiscally the LS motors are significantly larger than the 1st gen sbc. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! jt

The 327 was a small journal engine, like the 283, from when it was first built, 60 or 61, up thru 67. In 68 only, 327's were large journal, like the 350, which came out in 69. 68 was the last year of the 327. If you have a small journal block, you use a small journal crank, and vice-versa with large journals. It is possible to put a small journal crank into a large journal block using spacers, but some folks have mixed results. A large journal 327 crank is a pretty unusual item, being a one year only production. They will drop right in a 350 block, and can make a fine motor. jt

It's soldered instead of brazed. A rad shop will just solder it back, which you can do yourself. Be careful with the heat so you don't melt solder elsewhere on the radiator and create a leak. It is sorta easy to melt the joint where the tank is soldered to the header. jt

If the 327 is a large journal, yes. If it's a small journal, no. All 350's are large journal. You can use 6" rods, but need pistons to match. jt

I wouldn't buy a crate motor. If the 400 is in reasonably good shape, I'd take the 400 and the $3K and put the 400 in the Z. It will take 1 -1.5K to make/buy the mounts, get it wired and plumbed, fab a driveshaft, and install headers and exhaust. Upgrading the ignition to a HEI or MSD would be a good idea, and you will probably need to upgrade the radiator. Then I would take it to a chassis dyno with a wideband O2 sensor, and get the ignition and carb dialed in. You will likely pick up some power, and you will also find that a 300 hp Z car is pretty much of a terror. Even though that's a mild 400, it's twice the stock hp of your car and will be a ball to drive. Then you can think about what else you want to upgrade, suspension, brakes, interior, or motor, as time and budget permit. It's a slippery slope but a heck of a lot of fun. Edit: Do some research before you make/buy your mounts. I'm pretty sure the stock 400 damper won't clear the rack with JTR mounts. You might want to go MSA, or change to a smaller damper, which might mean rebalancing if you can't find a small diameter 400 damper. John

Why not take it to a chassis dyno before you pull it? Then you'll know if you want to make any changes while it's out. It sounds like about 300 hp to me, the heads are probably a restriction. John

V8 914's are max cool cars. A friend used to have one with a 302. It was a real terror, but stayed broke a lot. I'm pretty sure he was using a 901 trans. What's this thing gonna weigh, 21-2200#? It's going to be a ball to drive, for sure. John

You can't magnaflux aluminum because it's nonferrous and not magnetic. You can check aluminum for cracks with a fluorescent penetrant and UV light, generally known as "Zy-glo". This works very well, and works on ferrous metals along with aluminum. Naturally, it's also more expensive. John

Ultima???? Post up some pics!!!!! If it's a rear engine car, I would use what I had, ie the darts. Skim them to true them up, use a steel shim head gasket to bump the comp some, and let it rip. You can tighten the ratios in a 930 trans, but like anything Pcar, it's pricey. John

Lots of choices on heads. Edelbrock, Dart, Brodix, Canfield, Trickflow, and the GM heads. It really comes down to what you want what the budget allows. 200's are fine on a street car as long as the rest of the combo supports them. I'm running 195 Canfields with a light cleanup, makes for a fairly quick motor. Determine your budget and time frame, then choose parts. John

No experience with the 3.5's. Mine is an older model that only fires 3's. I fired a buddie's 3.5 slug gun, and I think it damaged my shoulder!!!!!! John

Nice shotguns in my opinion. Mine has always worked flawlessly, and has endured a good bit of abuse. I'm not a big fan of high viz sights, but that's personal preference and they are easily changed. John

I'm glad to see them doing well. Rivers was always a lot of fun to watch when he was at NC State. jt

As the car accelerates, the control arms are pushing the car forward, and the front of the arms are pushing in towards each other, trying to toe in. There's a lot of force there, so the crosspiece needs to be fairly strong IMO. The factory piece had to deal with the diff pulling up also, so it can be lighter than the factory piece, but I don't think the 0.5x1 will do it, maybe 1x2 would work. John

Terry, my favorite is the type that screws on the rocker stud and knuckles over to compress the spring. The only dis is that if the head is off the engine you might need to stabilize the head depending on the springs. John

The comment about the very small radiator openings was made by Bob Smith, the operator of the tunnel. I think he was correct, but at the time he was discussing 200mph super speedway cars with highly designed cooling systems, not street driven Z cars. jt

There are a ton of variables here, so it's hard for anybody to make a solid reccomendation. My personal, undocumented opinion would be for the area of the opening to be 25-35% of the area of the radiator. John

I'd like to see Terry's car in the test. I suspect the radiator venting will go a long way towards achieving negative underhood pressure. jt

Glad you're OK, that could have been bad. I would add to your list to check the ball joints, bump steer spacer if you have them, and the to of the strut to make sure they all work freely without binding. John

Here you go: http://www.asedeals.com/jack_stands.html Quality, but not cheap. jt

Bob, how far off the bottom of the pan do you run your pickup? John

...... You mean I can't get my first good lay by reading Playboy?????? Dammit. jt

Build a big cannon and shoot it at something!!!!!!!! Try to find some military collectors and talk to them. Also research how it got in your yard. The more history associated with it the better. As cannonballs go, that's a whopper. jt