347 or 427???
- Thread starter Buckhunter125@h
- Start date
Hack
15 Year Member
I would rather have a run of the mill 347 in my car. I like to turn corners and it would be lighter. Also it won't have so much power to break other parts of the drivetrain or twist the body too much if I get sticky tires.
A fair price on a 427 is BIG MONEY! I wouldn't run a 427 in any car that I own. I would invest the money, rather than using it up. I think it would be more fun to drive the car hard and if the engine blows up build another rather than having a really rare, expensive motor that should be babied and not too many miles put on.
A fair price on a 427 is BIG MONEY! I wouldn't run a 427 in any car that I own. I would invest the money, rather than using it up. I think it would be more fun to drive the car hard and if the engine blows up build another rather than having a really rare, expensive motor that should be babied and not too many miles put on.
You won't have to remove or notch the shock towers in a '68. there is enough room there already. The '68 came from the factory with "FE" engines in them. That being said, I would go with a 347 of a 408W because of the reasons already stated. The 427 will be expensive and much harder to get parts for.
+1 and the fact the car will go around corners better with the lighter engine. Good luck on the decision. A real 427 would be hard to turn down.
Z06killinSBF
Member
How often do your REALLY push your car hard through turns?? IMHO, 99% of the time you'll be driving around town and stop light to stop light.
yep thats kinda what I was thinkin ........... heck in the long run it just might save me money ............... I wont need to spend money on stroking and heads and other parts ????? ........... shoot the stock HP and Torque will probably make me grin !!!!!
Another thing you may want to consider that I don't know the answer to is will the 427 bolt up to your tranny and will the new engine/tranny combo it affect the length of your driveshaft. How much will headers run for a 427? Do you need new engine mounts? If you have PS or AC will you be able to adapt that to the new engine? (i.e. find the correct brackets) Do you need a new big block radiator? Individually these things are small but will add up to a considerable expense. I guess what I am saying is there will be a lot of other things that will come up if you do go for the 427 and just be prepared to deal with them.
personally i would go with the 347, or better a 331. the 347 is a solid reliable combination as long as you take care of it like you would any engine. the second advantage of hte small block is in fact its lightweight. it does allow for a much better balanced package if you like to carve corners, like i do. that 427 i one heavy chuck of iron and parts are getting harder to find, and more expensive when you do find them. the third advantage of the small block is fuel economy. if you plan on driving this car on a regular basis, i think you will enjoy getting 15mpg around town as opposed to 5mpg. your choice though.
Steve McQueen didn't seem to have any problems throwing his FE equipped Mustang around corners in Bullitt.
How is a non-original bore and stroke combination going to be more reliable than a factory one?
View attachment 293157
Steve McQueen didn't seem to have any problems throwing his FE equipped Mustang around corners in Bullitt.
It was good for the movie that the car had a 390. If it had a nicely built small block the chace would not have been nearly as long.That would have been that 1% of the time the lighter small block would have made a difference.
woodsnake
15 Year Member
If money is no object, go ahead and do the FE. If you are a mortal, and don't have money tree, do the small block.
http://forums.stangnet.com/719569-302-stroker-information.html
I think he's refering to the old problem with the 347's and the piston pin intersecting the oil ring, which is why the 331 was created. This created excessive oil consumption and reduced engine life (not a 100,000 mile engine).
With new 347 as long as you have one with a 5.315 rod and not the 5.4 inch rod, the previous issue is not a problem anymore.
I vote for the 331 or 347 and sell the 427.
Generally speaking;
Lighter = faster w/ better fuel economy.
I think he's refering to the old problem with the 347's and the piston pin intersecting the oil ring, which is why the 331 was created. This created excessive oil consumption and reduced engine life (not a 100,000 mile engine).
With new 347 as long as you have one with a 5.315 rod and not the 5.4 inch rod, the previous issue is not a problem anymore.
I vote for the 331 or 347 and sell the 427.
Generally speaking;
Lighter = faster w/ better fuel economy.
Z06killinSBF
Member
Sell all the 302 stuff and get a 460. You can build a mild 460 to make 500hp + for cheap. I would but I have to keep my shock towers. Then you can save the 427 and charge admission fees for people to come see it since by the looks of things, is precious. I laugh at people who complain of "wearing out" a motor like that. How many miles do you truly put on that thing? I think it would take atleast 20 years to "wear it out". Just a thought. I live by the 99% rule.
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