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#51 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: New Boston, NH
Posts: 456
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Re: 68 327 Piston and ring question
It's alive!! Running great. Broke in the cam this morning. I can't rotate vide on my hosting site but it's running and that's all I care right now. Time to change the oil, top of coolant and transmission fluid.
https://photos.imageevent.com/happy_...h/IMG_8210.MOV |
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#52 |
Senior Member
![]() ![]() Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: CA
Posts: 6,241
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Re: 68 327 Piston and ring question
Your engine rebuild helped inspire me to do the same. I found it to be a fun project, although putting so much money and effort into it made it a bit stressful for me toward the end when waiting to see if it would run well. How is your engine doing now, almost a year later?
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#53 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: New Boston, NH
Posts: 456
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Re: 68 327 Piston and ring question
That's great and I know exactly what you mean. Before firing it up everything I could have done wrong ran through my head and I was almost as scared firing it up as I was excited.
Sadly I sold the truck. It was too nice for me to change anything and not at all practical for me to drive. No AC and no power brakes or steering. I considered updating it all but decided it would not be fair to that awesome truck. I miss it greatly already but it was the right thing to get it to someone in a better climate to enjoy it. It is running great! |
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#54 |
Senior Member
![]() ![]() Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: CA
Posts: 6,241
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Re: 68 327 Piston and ring question
It's good to hear that it's running great. I understand the issue of having a vehicle that is too nice to enjoy. Nonetheless, I imagine it was hard to let it go.
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#55 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: New Boston, NH
Posts: 456
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Re: 68 327 Piston and ring question
It sure was, I agonized over the move. Hopefully I will find another someday, probably after I retire. One that is solid but not so original I can make it my own.
I am purist when it comes to originality so I just couldn't bring myself to ruin this truck and the new owner has exactly what he was looking about. |
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#56 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Vancouver, WA
Posts: 25
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Re: 68 327 Piston and ring question
Happy_dan - Thanks for posting all this great information. I'm planning to get my '68 327 block cleaned and see if I can get by with just an overhaul and possibly use the original pistons. It's the original one for my truck and has around 120,000 miles on it. It's also a later '68 one so it has the larger journals and a forged crank. Thanks again and hope you get another one!
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#57 |
Registered User
![]() Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Cheraw
Posts: 1,300
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Re: 68 327 Piston and ring question
At 120,000 miles I would be very surprised if you could get away without at least a .030 overbore. The older blocks a very small amount of nickel in them and they wore out quickly. It is not to expensive to bore a engine an get new pistons.
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#58 | |
Senior Member
![]() Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: North Texas
Posts: 3,666
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Re: 68 327 Piston and ring question
Quote:
Ended up using a cast 307 crank (large journal). The shop that balanced it used Mallory metal to compensate for heavier 327 pistons. Man that was a fun engine with a Muncie 4-speed and 3.42 gears! ![]()
__________________
Mike 1969 C10 LWB -- owned for 36 years. 350/TH350, 3.08 posi, 1st Gen Vintage Air, recent AAW wiring harness, 5-lug conversion, 1985 spindles and brakes. 1982 C10 SWB -- converted from 250-six to roller cam 350, Vortec heads -- sold 1981 C10 Silverado LWB, 305, TH350C -- sold, but wish I still had it! 1969 C10 (not the current one) that I bought in the early 1980s. Paid $1200; sold for $1500 a few years later. Just a hint at the appreciation that was coming. Retired as a factory automation products salesman. Worked part-time over the years for an engine builder and a classic car repair shop. Member here for 24 years! This is the very first car/truck Internet forum I joined. I still used a dial-up modem back then! |
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#59 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: New Boston, NH
Posts: 456
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Re: 68 327 Piston and ring question
I was very happy to give back in such a small way. This is one of the best boards I have ever been part of and the knowledge here is amazing. I could not have done what I did without the help of others here so I am glad is is useful to you. I still follow threads on this board and hopefully will have another 67-68 truck one day.
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#60 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Bismarck, ND
Posts: 4,300
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Re: 68 327 Piston and ring question
I was faced with the same decision with my pretty low-mileage original 327 about 15-20 years ago. The machine shop said my bore was on the edge of needing to be machined 030 over. After some sleepless nights and posting a thread on this site, I decided to go for it and get it machined. I never regretted it. It still runs like a top today. I did a valve job only on another 69 block I had many years earlier and after about a year, it started to blow by in one of the cylinders.
Oh, and don't let anyone tell you the color of your alternator bracket is wrong! There were a few 68's that came that way. The vast majority of SB alternator brackets of the time were black. I've seen several 68/327's there that were clearly orange from the factory. It's one very unique thing about some 68's. Great work on your engine. You took your rebuild exactly the same direction as I did several years ago. I'll see if I can dig up a pic from the time.
__________________
Unrestored 68 C-10 CST. Original 327. 4-Speed CH465. 50k or so miles. TREASURER, Drum Brake Club. |
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