hey guys, been looking at the site for awhile and finally decided to join. i currently dont own a camaro but im going to get one soon. im looking to do a full restore. here are my questions.

my grandpa gave me his 1966 327 block. im gunna get it machined into a 383. im told that these kits will fit into any gm car up to 85. is that true?

my other question is should i just look into getting a camaro with a v8 in it that doesnt run and just rebuild that from scratch? what would the best year be to turn into a 383? tpi or carb'd?

will wiring be a problem? my uncle told me that i would just pull the computer out of the car if i use the 66 block.


this will be my first project and im just looking for a little guidance. i have tried looking in other threads and havent really found what im looking for. thanks for the help guys

 

First off all, welcome to TGO!!! Now, on to your questions.

Your 327 is basically like any other '86 and earlier engine. In 1987 they changed to a one piece rear main seal and center bolt valve covers. If you are looking for a car to put it in I would say DEFINITELY start with a V8 car. Any 82-92 Camaro/Firebird will work. You can convert a V6 car to accept a V8 but it's really not worth the hassle.

Which year car to buy probably depends on if you want to keep the engine carbureted or put fuel injection on it. I would buy a car that had whatever system you're planning to use because the wiring, fuel pump, fuel lines, etc. will be correct. (For example, if you want to put a TPI on it go buy a TPI car, if you want to put a carb. on it go buy a carbureted car.) Doing that will definitely keep your project as simple as possible.

 

yea i looked into the v6 to v8 conversion and seems like to much of a mess right now for me to start with. im pretty sure that im just gunna leave it carb'd. i think for my first project the wiring will be alot easier. so if i do the 383 the existing wires should just hook up to it right? do i use the computer? or just wanna get a new wiring harness

 

Well, there's a couple different ways of doing it if you want to keep it carbureted. You can either run a factory computer controlled carb or you can run an aftermarket carb like a Holley or Edelbrock. If you want to keep it computer controlled you would have to use a factory computer controlled carburetor and distributor. If you want to do that I would recommend having the carb redone to your engine specs as well as having a custom chip done for the computer because the stock 305 pieces would definitely hold back the power of a 383.

If you want to run an aftermarket carb like a Holley or Edelbrock you wouldn't use the computer so you could eliminate the entire computer harness. You would have to get a normal HEI distributor as well since the computer controlled distributor won't work. The harness coming from the driver's side firewall have all the wires you need fopr gauges, starter, etc.

Running the engine without a computer is definitely the easier way to go but it's up to you what you want to do. If you plan on keeping the 383 fairly mild, you could keep it computer controlled if you want but the more power you want to make the harder it will be to keep it computer controlled.

 

well i just got off the phone with a guy that has a 83 camaro berlinetta with a 350 4bolt in it. comes with a ford 9" just needs a wiring harness. he wants $800 for it and it comes with american racing rims and good tires. i think im gonna go with the aftermarket carb. i found some awesome kits on competition products i want to get but i gotta make sure they will fit on my car. one is an edelbrock top end kit and the other is a street pro rotating assembly with all forged parts. and then ill prolly get the edelbrock thunder series carb
http://www.competitionproducts.com/p...number=EDE2096

http://www.competitionproducts.com/p...?number=SP383F