Hi all - new member here. My name is John and I live in Uptown Minneapolis.
I just re-bought my 1st car, a 1966 Malibu convertible. (They have gone up in price from the $250 I paid back in 1981). The former owner thought that a 1968 307 with a 2bbl was a better choice than the 327 that came in the car, and as a result I have a smoking turd where my engine is supposed to be. I'd like to put something else in there, preferably a 327, but I really don't have the money left over to pick up a Phoenix or a crate motor. I am hoping that someone out there has a fairly-fresh mill sitting in a corner of their garage that would fit the bill. Daily driver reliability is my highest priority, and a little extra torque wouldn't hurt. Does that sound like something you have been wanting to get rid of? Now might be the time to surprise your wife with a few extra feet in the garage.
On the flip side, I plan to have a 307 available soon if anybody needs an engine that burns about a quart every 100 miles (no, I did not miss a zero there), has a handsome 2 barrel carb, and can be delivered decorated with about 20 lbs of greasy dirt. I will throw in a gently-used oil filter and a polka-dot (chrome and rust) oil filler cap for no extra charge to the right person.
Thanks for the site - I look forward to hanging out here.
John
__________________
John B. 1966 Malibu Ragtop 327, Tremec 6-speed, 4.11 10-bolt posi. And ALWAYS a work in progress.
Yours is a cool story, and there a few folks in the club that have that 'my first car was a Chevelle.... so I bought one now to recapture my youth' story. Including me!
I've been toying with building a different engine for my '72 vert this winter, so am open to selling my '74 vintage stock 350 with Edelbrock intake and Rochester carb if you want to talk about it and can hear it run until I possibly pull it this fall. It's completely stock other than I put in a new rear main seal, timing chain, and cleaned it up last winter. It runs like a top, so I've been able to keep my hands out of it until I build something else up. I would likely sell it complete from carb to pan including the distributor.
Send me a PM with your price range.
Thanks,
Stan
__________________
Stan S.-Twin Cities 'South Metro'
1972 Malibu Convertible 2nd time around
2001 Mustang GT Convertible
Forum influenced terms: 'Link Paste', 'Stanitized', & 'Revolving garage door...'
NIIIICE looking ragtop, Stan. As for recapturing my youth: the car is as close as I care to get. The poverty, the acne, the awkwardness I am happy to leave in the past. Also the funny hairstyles.
I picked up a "numbers correct" 1966 327 with 2000 miles on a rebuild yesterday for $400, which seems pretty hard to beat. It has an Edelbrock intake with a quadrajet, and right now it is in my shop with the heads off for a basic checkup and new seals/gaskets. Things look good in there (you never know what you're gonna get on Craigslist, and "just rebuilt" sometimes means "i threw a set of rings in right before I spun a bearing"), but if it doesnt drink oil, it's probably good enough for me. Your offer is a great one, though, so if I have another boat anchor, I will PM you.
John
__________________
John B. 1966 Malibu Ragtop 327, Tremec 6-speed, 4.11 10-bolt posi. And ALWAYS a work in progress.
Glad it worked out for you. Sounds like a solid deal for the money.
Sounds like you know what you're doing, but if you need a hand pulling/installing the engine feel free to put out the word and we'll be over in a jiffy.
__________________
Stan S.-Twin Cities 'South Metro'
1972 Malibu Convertible 2nd time around
2001 Mustang GT Convertible
Forum influenced terms: 'Link Paste', 'Stanitized', & 'Revolving garage door...'
I am going to take you up on the offer to help with the swap. Right now I have to figure out how to get the cam bearings out of the 327 block (and new ones back in) for the install of the new cam.
Which reminds me, I have the old cam out of this motor, a "270" by General Kinetics, along with all of the lifters indexed, with more or less no wear on it ( I just wanted a different grind). If anyone is looking for a cheap performance cam for a SBC, I'd take a case of beer for it. General Kinetics is long gone, but the grind is a pretty common 'street/performance' grind. If you are building on the cheap, this would be a good addition for some free horsepower.
John
__________________
John B. 1966 Malibu Ragtop 327, Tremec 6-speed, 4.11 10-bolt posi. And ALWAYS a work in progress.
The end of the cam says "General Kinetics" C1H270S, which I have translated (with some help from the google machine) into a Chevy Small Block Hydraulic 270 Advertised duration. I have no idea what the S is, but apparently they revised the grind over time and the last letter represents the revision (like version 2.3 or whatever). Your research may help you out a bit more.
The cam bearing races look good, the lobes are not worn beyond a little polishing and color change, and the lifters have a small wear line in each face where they say on the lobe. Overall, without being any kind of expert, it looks good. There is no pitting, scoring, or obvious wear.
I would happily trade you for some help with the installation of the new bearings, or even the loan of your cam tool. I don't expect to do this again, so I am not terribly interested in dropping a hundred bucks on the tool.
John
Oh, and I live in the 3200 block of Grand Avenue South, so very near to the intersection of Lake Street and Lyndale Avenue.
__________________
John B. 1966 Malibu Ragtop 327, Tremec 6-speed, 4.11 10-bolt posi. And ALWAYS a work in progress.
I have the cam bearing installer tool if you want to use it. Let me know when you want to use it. I work in Mounds view, so possible to meet somewhere between there and Minneapolis during lunch also.
__________________
John E - Rogers, MN
Instructions? All I need is the exploded view. 70 El Camino soon to be ls1/t56 64 Malibu SS
Thanks - I will take you up on that. I work downtown (St Anthony Main), so you are right up the road. Have you ever used this, or do you know if it is possible to use this, while the crank is still in the block? I watched a YouTube vid, but they had the crank out to make room to work. I prefer not to have to take the crank out.
The GK cam is yours if you want it - I have it wrapped up in an old t-shirt to keep it clean. If you look at it and decide that it won't work, I'll recycle it or find it a home somewhere.
John
__________________
John B. 1966 Malibu Ragtop 327, Tremec 6-speed, 4.11 10-bolt posi. And ALWAYS a work in progress.
I'll take the cam...I have a 350 that I am replacing with a LS1 engine but it's nice to have something to play round with in case I find a roller.
I have done two engines now. You can leave the crank in but if your refreshing all the bearings, you mind as well do it when it is out. You do need to knock out the rear cam plug (big plug on the back). If you have brass freeze plugs, your ok, but if there steel, I would replace them since you have the engine out. My old elky was weeping coolant and turned to be a corroded freeze plug.
__________________
John E - Rogers, MN
Instructions? All I need is the exploded view. 70 El Camino soon to be ls1/t56 64 Malibu SS