I want to turn my 1987 2.8l camaro into a nice and quick daily driver. right now the stock engine has only 35k on it (was rebuilt when i got it 3 years ago). Basically, im probably going to be running this engine for a while but i want to start collecting the pieces for a future v8 swap.

Before I go any further, I want everyone to know that I am a bit of a noob when it comes to cars, but i wanna learn. I have family friends that can give me advice and help me put everything together, but they are a bit oldschool and dont know how to use the internet. With that said, I just want some simple advice.

My dad has a 327 engine sitting in the garage with 350 smog heads on it. Im pretty sure i would be scrapping the heads for something different... perhaps 202s? This 327 has about 20k miles on it, but it was driven for 11k miles with no oil change (needs a rebuild kit). It has been in the family for quite some time and i was hoping to use it IF it would be a good idea.

Knowing that i want a reliable street car designed for torque, what would be a good low-cost build? should i use the 327 block i already have? What heads do you guys recommend? What kind of tranny should i throw in? I am looking for an automatic tranny (make fun of me all you want haha i like autos). I can get a hold of a th400 for virtually nothing thats completely rebuilt, but i heard that may be a pain for me to install. Also, i just heard from a family friend that i can get a set of 202 heads for relatively cheap from someone he knows, not sure of the price or condition though.

Any help from you guys will be greatly appreciated!!! i tried searching but most people just say "throw a 350 in". thing is, i already have an engine and really want to know if its worth building

 

Forget the "202" heads. They are going to be old, most likely, large chamber, most likely, and having larger intake valves isn't going to mean much because of poor port design.

A set of Vortec heads will work very well on a 327. They require a special intake manifold, but you would probably need a different intake manifold, anyway.

Get a V8 TH700R-4. Or, a TH700 that was behind a 4.3l V6 in a light truck or van. If you get one that came out of something other than an f-body, you will need to change out the tailshaft housing with the one from your current transmission so you have a torque arm mount. You may also need to change out your speedometer drive workings (gear on output shaft) With a TH700, you will have overdrive and lock up torque converter (you'll have to provide means to lock up the torque convert clutch, most likely), much better in a driver than a TH400.

 

There's nothing wrong with a 327, except that it's not difficult to stroke it to a 383, and if you do, your average power will be far more. You may not be inclined to do any such thing, but just be aware that it remains an option.

 

Stroke makes torque. The 327, 350 and 383 all share the same bore except the 383 is .030" overbored. The difference is the stroke. Stroke is what you feel driving stoplight to stoplight. It's the butt dyno. You'll be far happier with a 350 or 383 than the 327 and all 3 will cost about the same to build.

In the late 60's, the 327 was popular because it was replacing the 283 and the inline 6's so it had much more power than those. By today's standard, the 327 is a dinosaur and not worth rebuilding unless you're building a period car.

Putting a TH400 behind a 327 is overkill. A TH350 is more than enough and as mentioned above, if you want an OD, use the 700R4.

 

alright guys thank you SO much for your responses. yeah i talked to the family mechanic and he said that it would be a complete pain in the a** to put the 327 into my car, and that the 350 would be a lot cheaper and easier too. the th700 seems like my pick for a tranny. my dad recommended the th400 but i was a bit skeptical... no overdrive? so now im looking into finding a decent 350. what heads do you guys think would be good for a good street car?

also, i have an edelbrock torquer manifold sitting in my garage to use, if that means anything. perfect shape

 

For the record, only the '68 & '69 327 blocks are easy to stroke to 383. The '57-'67 327's used small main journal cranks.

The Vortec heads are still a good choice. A Vortec Performer or Vortec Action+ intake would work well for a street car.

The Torker intake is not good for any size engine in a street car. With the right cam & heads it'll sure start to pull above 2500-3000 RPMs, but it's a dog below that.

 

Ok so i have been doing some thinking... forget low budget haha. I want to build this car nice cuz i plan on keeping my baby for my lifetime. My dad and his friends and my uncle have all regretted getting rid of their first camaros, i dont want to make that same mistake; my camaro is my best friend. With that said, all i have is time to get the perfect parts and i dont care how long it takes me to save up for what i need.

Im a bit new to automechanics, but with everything i learn i always like to learn the hardest possible thing imaginable first. So my idea: a turbo'ed 350 fuel-injected running maybe 6psi through the turbo? i know its a huge and expensive job but im pretty sure this is what i wanna do. I am not quite sure on the tranny and heads or even what kind of turbo system to use.

Can anyone point me in the right direction or talk me out of this ridiculous idea? lol