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just got a 68 Camaro 327. Very rough. Any tips for restoration?

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holmes? Posting recommendations for a Camaro and then saying "oh snap I only knew about the Chrysler 383" is a bit lunatic.

There was a factory 400 btw.
 
MrMatt said:
how do you get those things to take unleaded fuel?
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Just rebuild the heads and install hardened stellite seats. It really is not expensive. Wouldn't hurt to throw in some inexpensive stainless valves. You could also run them as is because the damage resulting from running unleaded in those older engines does not happen overnight.
 
Yeah when you rebuild it go ahead and have hardened seats installed but I really wouldn't worry about it. When I did the engine on my 67 galaxie there was no evidence of damage from running unleaded.
 
compman25 said:
Depends. Did you buy this car for you to have fun with, or did you buy it to restore to factory original and make it a show car? If you just want to have fun with it who cares if it has an aftermarket sunroof? Just build it how you like and have fun.
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I agree, decide what you want to do with the car before you start. My brother had his '67 Pontiac GTO professionally restored from the ground up, and spent more than $35,000. It looks better than it did when it rolled off the showroom floor, but, since he sunk more money into it than he intended, he's afraid to drive it anywhere.

Just like Jay Leno says in his video, "I bought this car for $500, spent $60,000 on the restoration, and could probably sell it for $12.500". He also said it was a better investment than the stock market. 😉

"Affordable Collector Cars" 2nd video on the page http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/
 
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yeah it's got some non oem parts now so it's not some collector item. Still looking through the thing as there are a lot more little things wrong with it than we thought.
 
As something restoring a classic car, I concur with what most other said - DO NOT go for 100% original or showroom quality. Don't do a hack job by any means, but when there's a $500 difference between the correct part and the one you can pick up from the junkyard that'll fit fine but won't have matching numbers, you know what to do.

The biggest money pits will be body restoration (cutting out the bad areas and welding in patches), paint prep work (sanding / sand blasting, body work and filler over imperfections), and the paint job. Wiring can be a bit expensive if someone turned it into a rat's nest or hack job, but it's fairly easy to sort through yourself. The engine will be dirt cheap in comparison, unless you want to run 400+ HP, forced induction, or everything 100% original. The interior and trim can be expensive too if it's shot.

If you have friends or family that can help you with things like cutting and welding, fixing dents, etc. you'll save yourself a TON of money. If not, I highly suggest you shop around for a good body shop and take time to get to know the owner or whoever will be doing the work on your car. Value honesty over price.
 
holden j caufield said:
yeah it's got some non oem parts now so it's not some collector item. Still looking through the thing as there are a lot more little things wrong with it than we thought.
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Prepare for the worst, but don't let it get you down. I almost sold / scrapped my Mustang the first time I poked at the front frame rails and a huge chunk of rusty metal fell to the ground. Since then, they (along with the rear frame) have been completely cut out and new frame rails have been welded in and undercoated.

The first time you peel up the carpet, you'll probably want to cry.
 
Cepak said:
I agree, decide what you want to do with the car before you start. My brother had his '67 Pontiac GTO professionally restored from the ground up, and spent more than $35,000. It looks better than it did when it rolled off the showroom floor, but, since he sunk more money into it than he intended, he's afraid to drive it anywhere.

Just like Jay Leno says in his video, "I bought this car for $500, spent $60,000 on the restoration, and could probably sell it for $12.500". He also said it was a better investment than the stock market. 😉

"Affordable Collector Cars" 2nd video on the page http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/
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just saw that video today and really enjoyed it. I got an odd thrill seeing that Olds tornado together with that sexy corvair. what a cool car
 
The best tip I can give you is take whatever amount you think it's going to cost to do a proper restoration and triple it.
 
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I had that very same engine config in my 75 GMC. I couldn't remember if it was .60 over or .30 over that gave you 383 when you put the 400 crank.

The thing to keep in mind is all v8 Pontiacs from that era were big blocks, even if they had the same displacement. So the 326, 350 and 400 from Pontiac were bigblocks while the 327, 350 and 400 from Chevy were smallblocks -- even for the same year.

I'd also disagree with wiring not being a problem. While simple there's just to much opportunity for insulation to wear through and get shorts in the most unlikely places. I was tracking down electrical gremlins for years.
 
I think that even when that car is in good running order it runs a little rough...it's not exactly a model of mechanical refinement. The thing is a beast.

OP you've gotta give us more details about the car. Give us a photo of the engine and describe more about how it runs.
 
Elfear said:
They actually make some huge displacement small blocks.

454cid

The Motown SBC block can accomodate up to 500cid.
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wow that is crazily awesome lol. Does seem like it'd be kind of unstreetable...I mean how large must the stroke to be to produce that kind of displacement?
 
v8envy said:
I had that very same engine config in my 75 GMC. I couldn't remember if it was .60 over or .30 over that gave you 383 when you put the 400 crank.

The thing to keep in mind is all v8 Pontiacs from that era were big blocks, even if they had the same displacement. So the 326, 350 and 400 from Pontiac were bigblocks while the 327, 350 and 400 from Chevy were smallblocks -- even for the same year.

I'd also disagree with wiring not being a problem. While simple there's just to much opportunity for insulation to wear through and get shorts in the most unlikely places. I was tracking down electrical gremlins for years.
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I don't know what options your 75 GMC had, but I'd have just done a re-wire at that point. Not as easy with cars built in the last 10-20 years, but mid-70's wasn't too bad.
 
TehMac said:
wow that is crazily awesome lol. Does seem like it'd be kind of unstreetable...I mean how large must the stroke to be to produce that kind of displacement?
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I would never waste my money on something like that. When going that big you're better off with a big block.

As a Mopar man I would never go bigger than a 360 for a small block.

but a 383 chevy is a bargain stroker that makes plenty of power.
 
Iron Woode said:
I would never waste my money on something like that. When going that big you're better off with a big block.

As a Mopar man I would never go bigger than a 360 for a small block.

but a 383 chevy is a bargain stroker that makes plenty of power.
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The Ford smallblock 351W (5.7L) is commonly stroked to 408 or even 427 (7.0L). I'm not building one myself, but from what I've read it's a ton more reliable and much, MUCH cheaper to build than a 427, 428, 429, 460, etc. It also twists unbraced classic Mustang chassis' like nothing. 😉
 
alkemyst said:
Why would you go no more than 360ci on a small block?
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the stroke gets way too much for 408 Mopar smallblock. Not to mention cost.

I can make plenty of power with a 360. If I want a bigger engine I can easily get a 400 or 440 v8. I could stroke the 400 to 451 if I wanted to.
 
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