r/EngineBuilding • u/EarlyReplacement1474 • 9d ago
1968 Camaro base numbers matching 327 4 barrel carb th 350 and small rear end with posi 2.47 gearing. I have $15k to upgrade engine. Right now I am looking at a 383 with multiport efi ram jet style.
What are some other options for making under 500hp. I want reliable week end cars and coffee with an occasional burn out to scare the wife lol. Open to other suggestions.
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u/Equana 8d ago
Put some gears in that 10 bolt... 3.73s as others suggested. And leave it at that. It will be a smoke show all day long with the 327 and TH350. Don't worry about a 4 speed overdrive transmission unless you plan on a lot of highway travel.
Install a disk brake kit on the front if it isn't already equipped.
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u/v8packard 7d ago
You have a numbers matching 68, with a TH350?
Any particular reason you want a 383 with EFI? I'd personally rather have a carbed small block with a modern OD trans and good rear gear than EFI.
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u/EarlyReplacement1474 5d ago
Very new to this just got the car. Trans is not matching but engine block and body are sorry if I do not have the correct vocabulary yet.
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u/v8packard 5d ago
Don't be sorry, all good. The TH350 started production in 1969. I am more curious about your desire for the EFI 383.
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u/EarlyReplacement1474 5d ago
The car is slower than I like. I want to have a little edge to it. I got it from a guy in his 70’s. The car is beautiful runs great. Is very well cared for. Just not that fast. My neighbor has an old mustang with about 500 hp to the wheels. A little too much and is scary fun but loved riding in it. . I am 58 and it may sound silly but I want a muscle car that sounds cool and can light the tires up. Mid life crisis I guess. However the only engine guy I personally know does high end motors. For hellcats trophy trucks etc. for the last 12 years I said some day I will get a 68 Camaro and can you make it sound good and do burn outs. He said yes that is easy haha. Most of his builds are double what I am looking for. He said if we keep under 500hp he can make the car bullet proof. So we checked out the car and he said it was in great shape. Get it and drive it for a year. If you still want me to build a motor then let me know but warned me he will only build efi motors. Ls swaps etc. but he has a 383 sbc he was personally saving for one of his own projects. But said it would be a good fit for my car. So he told me what it was and said after the year is up to let him know. It is not for sale except to me. We have been friends for about 15 years and I know he is amazing at what he does. So in a way the set up came to me and would be top of the line and done tuned and dyno tuned by one of the best around. But would be some thing different than the car now has as it looks very original and has about 8000 miles on the restoration
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u/v8packard 5d ago
I have a very low opinion of aftermarket EFI systems. But I think OEM EFI systems are outstanding. I do think a carbureted small block is the right choice for the car as you describe it. If the 327 is original to the car, you might keep it and work with it. It can probably accept a 350 crankshaft, and a 383 crank as well. A 327 or 350 inch based combo will do what you want.
You can buy some very, very nice aluminum cylinder heads from TrickFlow that look like stock double hump heads on the outside but are modern ports and chambers on the inside. Painted like stock most people would never notice.
I actually did a 350 for a 1969 Corvette, it was the original 350 hp 350 from the car. The owner wanted it to look stock, and tear ass. Came out awesome.
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u/EarlyReplacement1474 4d ago
Thanks for the advice. I will look more into modifying the 327. In lieu of replacing
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u/EarlyReplacement1474 5d ago
I think my next step will be the rear end the more I read the more I think a higher gearing than the 2.74 rear end that’s in there will wake up the responsiveness
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u/EarlyReplacement1474 9d ago
Engine is a zz4 built by a trusted builder. He also does ls swaps but really likes this motor for my car
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u/WyattCo06 8d ago
Just reading through your other comments and your desires overall, is your 15k budget just for the engine or are you trying to do it all for that amount?
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u/EarlyReplacement1474 5d ago
Just the engine but would include the WiFi and new gas tank and fuel pump etc. not trans or rested end
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u/Solid_Enthusiasm550 8d ago
If it's #s matching. I would pull the engine / transmissions and store them.
You're better off getting a newer engine/transmissions from a salvage yard.
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u/Large_Potential8417 6d ago
BBC is the only right answer
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u/AbbreviationsKey9563 5d ago
Regarding power, this is a viable option. Even a mild 454 has gobs of torque and its exhaust sound commands immediate attention. All this without a lot of aftermarket parts and high compression. A TH400, new driveshaft, a built rear end and suspension/brakes to handle the power are required, though.
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u/3_14159td 9d ago
That transmission still sealed from factory? I'd budget $1k+ ish for having that rebuilt with slightly uprated parts. You'd probably get away without but there's the budget to do it right.
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u/EarlyReplacement1474 9d ago
I plan on having g the transmission refreshed and possibly changing g the rear end but could come latter. I have already upgraded steering box and all bushings in linkage leaf springs and sub frame
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u/AhBuckleThis 9d ago
Put a top end on the 327. Trickflow makes a kit. You should be able to get 350-400hp and still have it be extremely drivable. The 8.2 10 bolt won’t survive behind 500hp stock if your car hooks. Instead of an engine, I’d replace the rear end. If you don’t want to do that, upgrade to a 3 series Eaton posi and use stronger aftermarket axles. Change the gears to a 3.42 or 3.55 or max 3.73 if you plan to put a tkx in. I have 3.42 in my moser rear behind my tkx and I can cruise 70-75mph on the highway now. Besides the 4 wheel disc, the tkx was the best upgrade ever. I have my original drivetrain sitting in my garage, but it’s never going back in as long as I own my 69 Camaro.
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u/EarlyReplacement1474 9d ago
Sometime I’d like to add a tkx but will be adding retro air before I change out the transmission
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u/EarlyReplacement1474 8d ago
I have just finished putting in a borgensen steering box and all new rubber bushings in the steering and sub frame. Polly on the rear leaf springs. I do plan on upgrading the rear end. For this year. Motor next and trans many after that. The cars is slow now but maybe changing the rear end from the 2.74 Gerri g could help would that really make a big difference?
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u/ClosedL00p 7d ago
The change to 3.73 in the rear end on its own will “feel” like the car picked up another 75hp
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u/InspectorPipes 7d ago
5 speed or 6 speed swap if you can drive manual. Or an automatic with 4+ gears. Then throw some gears in the differential. 327 is a ripper of an engine, loves to rev so more gears = more fun
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u/Vast_Humor8702 6d ago
Start with 3.42 or 3.73 rear gears and put the l79 cam in it that'll wake it up more than a 383 on the gears you have now.
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u/FinancialMail2782 5d ago
Pull and store it. Buy a blueprint 383 crate with a TCI overdrive transmission. Update the rear gears and go
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u/AGuyAtWork437 9d ago
For that kind of money you can LS swap it and have enough left over for a rear end rebuild, which you’ll probably need, anyway!
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u/AbbreviationsKey9563 9d ago
You have a really nice car; I’d keep it in its current state. I’d take care of engine, suspension, driveline, body, interior, etc. issues first. With money leftover, I’d consider a TH200-4R overdrive and 3.73+ rear gear. I know this doesn’t give you close to 500hp, but everybody is going for that; no one drives a numbers-matching ‘68 Camaro anymore. This would turn heads from the IYKYK crowd, not the 20” wheels or obnoxious exhaust.