corvette 427 engine

[rat tuned]

a friend is looking at this engine for his 1970 chevelle ss. I am trying to convince him the car needs a 454. How well would this run against a similar ls6 motor? I say leave it for the corvette guys. http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/pts/4798072754.html

[GTO_DON]

He should 454 it

[ds1]

Go buy an LS7. I have looked at 4 in New York, New Jersey,and PA for under $ 5,000. Knock the compression down some and have fun

[MosportGreen66]

Get a GM Performance Parts Motor... best bang for the buck!

http://www.chevrolet.com/performance/crate-engines/big-block-454-ho.html

For $1000 more you get pc of mind. Who knows anything about the build quality of that Corvette engine?

[PxTx]

The only thing I don't like is GM doing a sloppy job on the X&amp;Y scaling to have the Dyno cross at 4750 rpm. The sloppiness creates a misleading graph. I'm sure is was accidental. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/dunno.gif

[scuncio]

Wow, good catch Paul. I will send a note to the GMPP guys and ask them to fix it.

[ds1]

I get asked about crate motors all the time. They are good if you do not know how to build an engine and have a machine shop you are comfortable with. And YES most crate engines come with a warranty. But my problem with crate engines are that they are built on assembly lines by hourly workers who do not have much incentive to care. The hemis were a good example. They were known for being bad out of the box. I have a friend with a 68 Road Runner that went through two until he got a good one. I bet Mopar did not pay for the labor to change them or the furl and time to return them. I have always felt you can have more for less money.

[olredalert]

----That 942 motor is crying for a Corvette or big body 66 Chev. That being said, since the motor is in Bridgewater and Jimmy Reid is in Bridgewater, he may have done the build. If so this 942 is put together right!!!......Bill S

[WILMASBOYL78]

I'm not a big fan of the BB crate motors...some folks have had good luck, I personally think you are better off using a reputable local shop. As for the &quot;warranty&quot; question, if you choose the right person they will stand behind their work.

As for this particular motor...I would be more concerned about the builder and his reputation...sounds like it has the right stuff.

wilma

[earntaz]

Warranty on crate engines can be tricky -- read the fine print ... some state the warranty is only good if engine installed by a GM (Chev dealership as an example) in a vehicle the engine was originally installed. There have been individuals who have installed their own engines, then something went &quot;tango uniform&quot; and GM did not cover the warranty. Just sayin' ... TAZ

[ds1]

I just mentioned warranty because I figured some one would throw that out there. Buying a used engine is a leap of faith. All you can go off is instinct and the sellers word. I build my own so I know who to blame and what is in them.

[EZ Nova]

MOST of the crate-motors are slugs too. I known a few that although they ran &quot;well&quot;, they didn't PERFORM well. Everything from the ZZ430 all the way up to the 572/720 motors. Maybe I'm too picky, IDK!!

As for the warranty, well the shop I deal with, they STAND behind there work! EXAMPLE is my 498 1260Hp motor. They built out of used stuff from THERE past. We &quot;tried&quot; something in the oiling system. DIDN'T WORK and hurt it. They went good on ALL labor, rings, bearings, and gaskets, AND custom BME rods. I'm paying for the crank. Not a bad deal on a strictly on the ragged-edge motor that making in excess of 2.5Hp/inch with a cast single to boot. This shop is looking at doing &quot;CRATE STYLE&quot; motors, I believe for about 6K, that will give you a SB, pump-gas with 600Hp.

IF it were me, I would get the 427 if he would knock off some? OR if these guys are right, and you can find a fresh LS-6 for about 5K, grab it. I myself am partial to 3.75/76 stroke motors though.

[Smokey]

When I was with GM I watched a lot of crate motors get handled and would be happy if I was in those customers shoes when one went south. The thing everyone forgets about is communication. I bought a handful of crate GM stuff and had to use the warranty....once my fault and once GM fault. But when your 1,000 miles from home in a hot rod and your crate motor goes south, you learn who the good Chevy Dealers are and aren't. I was lucky to find Friendly Chev in Dallas Texas. Pulled in on a Thursday and was out on Sat at noon. The time it was my fault was on a 34 month old motor and the rad went south and took out the motor. The dealership still stood behind it as they got paid on it.

[PxTx]

I've heard my share or LS motors with piston slap. Heck, my 496 has had it from new too and I'm reminded of it now the cold mornings are back. Presently, I am with 250k on that 496 and she still runs fine. Though it has held up, I wish it wasn't there. Goes away once things warm up.

I've never bought a crate engine, but this is my experience with production engines GM has put out in the last 10 years. I just feel better assembling myself, or for the real high performance stuff relying on somone I know and trust.

The choice you present is tough, not knowing much about the end user or the car. There are some great 496 packages like the one Eric has in his 67 Chevelle. Something like that could be worth considering, though it's not ideal for everyone.

I tend to be the most satified with choices I arrive at the decision. If things go bad, I own the situation. How does your friend feel about your opinion?

[rat tuned]

someone bought the motor. It was assembled by a known engine builder with a solid reputation. I'm not a numbers guy or corvette guy. But love the sound of a high winding, solid lifter 427!!

[earntaz]

I know it's not worth a hill of beans to some -- but the 71 Nova I am currently building will get a .030 out 427 including a &quot;rattling&quot; solid lifter cam (close match to the 3863143 L-72/LS-6). I don't think there is anything sweeter than the sound they produce whether at idle or winding up ... TAZ

[x77-69z28]

My CE engine out of my 70Z project is at my engine builder in South Carolina as we speak. He can not believe what a piece of crap it is. It has been off the road since 1978. The short block was not painted at the dealership. It has the wrong cam in it, the wrong size main bearings, mismatched rods and several other anomalies. I don't think a lot of time or effort went int their assembly.
Buddy

[the427king]

&quot;My CE engine out of my 70Z project is at my engine builder in South Carolina as we speak. He can not believe what a piece of crap it is. It has been off the road since 1978. The short block was not painted at the dealership. It has the wrong cam in it, the wrong size main bearings, mismatched rods and several other anomalies. I don't think a lot of time or effort went int their assembly.
Budd&quot;

Buddy ,have you ever brought an engine to any machine shop and have them tell you how nice it is, and that it wont need much of anything? I know I never heard of that ever happening <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

[SuperNovaSS]

I agree Chuck. What exactly was mismatched about the rods?

Jason

[MosportGreen66]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: x77-69z28</div><div class="ubbcode-body">My CE engine out of my 70Z project is at my engine builder in South Carolina as we speak. He can not believe what a piece of crap it is. It has been off the road since 1978. The short block was not painted at the dealership. It has the wrong cam in it, the wrong size main bearings, mismatched rods and several other anomalies. I don't think a lot of time or effort went int their assembly.
Buddy </div></div>

I'm just as shocked that you have an engine builder 1000 miles away when my mechanic (best on Long Island) is about 4 miles from you...

Dan

[x77-69z28]

Dan, he has been my engine builder since 1979 when he was in linden hurst. He has since relocated to South Carolina because no one can afford to live on Long Island!
Buddy

[olredalert]

----Mike,,,Was it in fact built by Reids Automotive??? Jimmy built every motor I had done in the ten years I was living on Cape Cod. Both of Red Alerts, as well as many restoration motors and I never had a problem to go back to him about. Wish he was closer to Michigan......Bill S

[rat tuned]

Hi Bill, It was built by danny moore who used to work for jimmy. He has a solid reputation. Lots of receipts on what has been done to the engine. The engine has sold already according to the seller. There is something about a high revving 427 that you never forget I guess. My buddy who owns the garage I worked at has always used jimmy also and is friends with him.

[olredalert]

----I remember Danny! Good guy. Trained by one of the best......Bill S

[Day2_69Z]

I just read this thread from the beginning. With those opinions on newer crate engines, I agree with every one of them in reference to performance, quality and the end user's reason for purchase.
They have the aura of &quot;bravado&quot; and wow, a factory hp &quot;crate&quot; engine Too the novices who listen and gawk at those pretty new parts that rumble as the owner goes on and on how great it is........ <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/bs.gif

Most professional engine shops will build a custom tailered engine around customer use and budget with very good results as they stand behind most anything except abuse, neglect or stupidity.

I'm fortunate to have a fantastic engine/drivetrain builder who just happens yo be my brother.....
He has over 230 Motors &quot;out there&quot; in
all forms of HP use,,Drag Racing,Hard use Street cars, restoration builds of severly damaged DZ's, L72 Yenko &amp; COPO engines. He's never lost an engine or has had a &quot;come back problem&quot;.
He's also Raced competively in NMCA with ONE 622/632/640 Nitrous motor over a 7 year period WITHOUT Ever Blowing it up. (lots of pistons,a few cams from the rigors of nitrous)

Over the last 4 years he's been the crew chief/ engine builder/chassis guy on a ADRL / PDRA PRO NITROUS Camaro with engines ranging from 872 Chevy Hemi's to 903's / 906's making in excess of 3,000 HP.....And has never Blew one up.....

that HP 427 in the ad is a damn good engine....needing only 2 things,a little lower price and a tear down for inspection, clearance checks and retorqueing assuming the hardware checks out.......yep, an old school BB well thought out and assembled is hard to beat.!

[earntaz]

yep, an old school BB well thought out and assembled is hard to beat.!

Amen Tom ...

[WILMASBOYL78]

Agreed <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/flag.gif

[Tracker1]

Yup, agree. 44 years-built, never apart since - still ticking: Bill King Racing Engines, The Motor City.
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/12/full-3497-19728-013_2.jpg

[earntaz]

My first &quot;garbage truck engine&quot; as some refer to the BBC was in a 67' SS396 Chevelle (360 HP) bought a Doc Stewart Chev in Clovis NM. Before that I had owned many SBCs in various Chevy's including a 327 Vette. Right from the get go I fell in love with the torque that mill produced. Since then I have had a 55 Chev, 72 RS/SS Camaro, 67 Vette, and a few others thrown in with BBCs. My latest -- a 71' Nova and you guessed it ... a 427 will separate the front fenders.

TAZ