So I just bought a 1969 Malibu 2dr Spt Cpe and I have a stock engine, which was a 307, that need to be rebuilt... however I cant handle such a little motor in such a large car.

So I did some research I found out some information of thee L84 FI 327ci motor... I like the sound of this motor mainly because its A) Fuel Injected and B) rated at 375hp in a small block.

What I would like to know is how hard these engines are to come by? and Would it be more economical to build the 307 with goals to reach the power level of the stock 327ci L84... Or buy a L84 and do some simple DIY power gainers (exhaust, DIY Port, ect)? And is it possible to do either of these under $1500 and hit anywhere close to 360 rwhp?

Thanks for the help.

A complete, fully operational, fuel injection system from a 375HP/327 will probably cost $10,000 if you can find one.

Toss the 307 and buy a 350 crate motor and add a mild cam to it.

Contact this guy for the straight scoop on this!!

http://www.jackpodellfuelinjections.com/

And fwiw, my long gone Crippeld Buddy's old '58 'Vette ragtop back in highschool in the mid '60's had an Isky Z-30 cammed 375hp/327 FI motor in it along with a 4-speed and like 3.08 rearend gears!! Talk about a ride late at night on the topend!!

pdq67

Keep in mind with a 327 like you're talking about, it will probably need a steady diet of racing gas, unless you detune it, then you might as well keep the 307.

No, not really b/c I figure the old 30-30 solid lifter cam should run fine on good pump gas..

pdq67

Toss the 307 and buy a 350 crate motor and add a mild cam to it.

Agree 100% with Chris. For what it will cost to give the 307 any amount of horsepower, you can get a crate 350 with a warranty. By the way, here is what my 307 '69 Malibu can do :D
http://www.chevelles.com/cgi-bin/video/dirwrap.cgi?rt=count&path=video//69Burnout1.wmv

I agree too you could not go wrong with a crate motor. If you had you hear set on a 327 fi motor you will not be happy the fuel injection is not as great as what you are thinking. If you want something with fuel injection you could build a nice efi motor for what you would pay getting the old vette stuff and making it work. Get a crate motor and some built on efi you will be more happy this way

If all else is built equally the 327 will always have about a 20 hp advantage over the 307 so how important is 20 hp to you?

with a 1500 dollar budget .... only thing I see is a 350 target master motor.. save a few bucks & add a cam an intake on install & your good to go for years .... or till you feel the need for speed ;)

LoL... the need for speed has been here for a while.

I have changed my mind about the 327 FI because I realized there is no computer to regulate the Atomospheric part of FI so I would have to tune it constantly.

Can anyone help me figure out what engine I can run on a $1500-$2000 budget that will produce about 400 rwhp? right now Im considering a 350 or a 383 stroker.

400 rwhp on a $2K budget? Dream on....

400 rwhp on a $2K budget? Dream on....

oh sure ..... 250 shot of NOS in your 307 .... once maybe LOLOL

yea... after some research Ive soon found that things arent as cheap as I once thought lol.

However If I can find a 406ci block I am going to try and mock this (http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/techarticles/48538_7_powerful_engine_combinations/index5.html) build up using factory heads machined to match the heads the article used. And the cool part is that wont cost a lot because theres a guy that lives beside me that has all the tools and knowledge to machine stuff who has offered to help me (which is the only reason I bought this project car in the first place).

go 383. get a stroker kit for like $800 bucks and put it together. my cuzin did that in his nove and has about 400hp at the crank. or you could just put it together and slowly biuld it up. headers, carb, intake....