1. Engine (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/DSCN2418.JPG)
2. Valve-train (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/DSCN2423.JPG)
3. Bottom End (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/DSCN2420.JPG)
4. Piston (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/DSCN2421.JPG)

This engine came with the '64 2dr wagon project seen in the background. I was told it was a "wild 427" and "ran low 12s in a '57 chevy" but really didn't care how good it was, I got a good buy on the car.

The block decodes as a '78 truck 454. The heads are '68 and '69 rectangle-port 396/427. The intake I got is an over-the-counter GM piece.

Because it's internally balanced and cast-iron, I believe that's a 396 crank. (which seems logical, as I was told it is 427 ci) The rods look to be nothing spectacular, and the Pistons have GM part #s on the bottom (I can list them if that can help determine compression ratio or whether they're forged or what-not???)

The heads and valve-train look like that's where he spent his money. I would prefer oval ports, but these will do.

I can't see the cam because of that tin shield thing. Doesn't matter, because I wouldn't know what I'm looking at anyway. Solid, hydraulic, roller... damn if I know. I hope its not too radical, as I plan to drop the engine as-is into my '69 SS and bolt an M-22 4-speed behind it. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

I was hoping to find a forged crank, splayed main-caps, and H-beam rods, but regardless, it should be a fun weekend cruiser that occassionally sees the track.

Pistons have " GM 3888304 " on the bottoms, and appear to be forged, not cast. This big-block is a far cry from the previous engines I've dissassembled, which were Model T flathead 4-cylinders :eek: (just basic enough for me to comprehend :D )

Also, the engine had sat without running for at least a few years, and had some water in the pan from condensation. Will my oil-pump be OK? it had some sludgy goo and a thin layer of ice at the bottom, as it was stored in an unheated shed.

To be absolutely sure, you really need to disassemble that beast and have the block checked for cracks. Why? This sentence..."it was stored in an unheated shed."
And you say it was kept there for 5 years so, no telling how many times it saw sub-zero temps. It would be a shame for you to put it in something and as soon as you fired it up, it started gushing water into the cylinders.
Also, you definately need to replace the oil pump. If any oil sat in it for 5 years, its probably sludge by now. And, you don't know how much wear that pump ha had. Save the oil pump pickup if you want to use a deep sump oil pan.
The heads are gonna be closed chambers but, they ARE highly sought after heads if the codes you mentioned are accurate. 375+ square ports really help the value of a restored big block in a Corvette, Chevelle or Camaro. You might consider selling them and buying the ovals that you wanted. If you keep them, remove that stud girdle. You won't need(previous owner didn't either!) it unless you are gonna turn serious rpm's. Sell it on Ebay and apply the money toward either your rebuild or those oval ports.
Hope this helps.

I believe the 427 was internally balenced but im not sure, im no B/B guru

Originally posted by Derek69SS:
Pistons have " GM 3888304 " on the bottoms, and appear to be forged, not cast. This big-block is a far cry from the previous engines I've dissassembled, which were Model T flathead 4-cylinders :eek: (just basic enough for me to comprehend :D )

Also, the engine had sat without running for at least a few years, and had some water in the pan from condensation. Will my oil-pump be OK? it had some sludgy goo and a thin layer of ice at the bottom, as it was stored in an unheated shed. Those are TRW L-72 replacement 427 pistons. Forged.

http://www.mortec.com/cranks.htm

Looks like 427's had some cranks that were cast.
Could have a big ars roller under that splash shield you never know. ;)

Jim

At a minimum do a teardown, cleanup and inspection, gaskets and an oil pump are cheap.

Fresh gaskets and an oil pump..then fire it up.No drama..

Originally posted by TJC:
[QUOTE]]Those are TRW L-72 replacement 427 pistons. Forged. So I'm guessing that means I've got standard bore, and about 11:1 or so compression?

I'm not worried about the block being cracked from freezing. When I flipped it over, all the water jackets poured out fresh looking green anti-freeze. The condensation in the crank case would not have cracked it either, I wouldn't think.

Those were my thoughts too on the stud girdles, I knew they were on there, and that's why I expected more on the bottom end.

Mr. 4-speed, That's the plan graemlins/thumbsup.gif How hard is it to pull the heads? I've never done it before. graemlins/clonk.gif

Heads are pretty easy to pull off. There is like 12 bolts per head that you take off going outside to inside in a crossing pattern. If you would be interested in trading those for some large oval ports that I have, they are freshly machined.

Originally posted by Derek69SS:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by TJC:
]Those are TRW L-72 replacement 427 pistons. Forged. So I'm guessing that means I've got standard bore, and about 11:1 or so compression?
</font>Compression would be between 11.2 and 11.5 depending on chamber size, quench, gasket thickness, etc... That is with Closed chambers of 108 to 110 cc. Dome is about 23 cc.
That was a very old reference I had for the pistons, and I could not find a current cross reference. No gaurantee on the bore size.

Derek,

Just throw everything in a crate and bring to the meeting and I will trade you my 69' 396 for it. :D

See you Saturday.

-John

If TJC is right on the compression with those slugs, then you'd be way better off swapping some new heads on it, like 049s. Get ya down to the 10's compression-wise I should think.

What I was going to say first though was, those digital pics don't have the best definition, but the piston close up does. The skirts seem to be scratched up pretty good, but maybe its the lighting.

Dont worry about the cold. As long as water didn't find a spot to feeze in. Heck I used to hear about guys PREFERRING 'seasoned' blocks, i.e. blocks that sat out in the cold. ?? ( I think my boss them that to sell them a block that needed total remachining/blueprinting.)

Freshen the motor, ring seal and valve job are very important to power.

I'm working on this in my dad's shop, and my brother stopped by to look at it. He informed me that it is a FORGED crank, graemlins/hurray.gif and then showed me one of each and how to tell the difference. I saw the rough texture and assumed it was cast graemlins/clonk.gif I guess it's true what they say about assuming :D

Still too high of compression for the street, but I feel a lot more comfortable with this engine now that I know the crank is forged. I think it has taken some serious High RPM abuse, and was a bit worried about the crank.

Just curious... how expensive is it to run octane booster in premium pump gas to make 11+ compression run good? I don't plan on putting a lot of miles on this car, because I have the malibu for cruising... this would be an occasional race and cruise car.

Acquire a set of factory open chamber heads, and it will drop your compression by about 1.3. So you would wind up with a very friendly 9.8 to 1. With a new cam of about 226 @ 0.050", you will have a really strong cruising motor.

My brother has a set of redone open chamber ovals (not sure what casting #) that I might buy from him.

Also, he thinks it's a solid lifter cam, but we haven't removed that sheild yet. We're thinking it may have been built to L72 specs.