I just picked up a gorgeous 1984 trans am in perfect cosmetic shape (was a knight rider car in a previous life) that is dead mechanically. I am not a wealthy man so I am working with what is available to me. Fortunately that means I am working with a free 327 in solid (known) shape, albeit pretty much stock. I am looking to make this a rather quick car since it is not a commuter, but just a cruising/strip car.I know nearly nothing about how to make a 327 specifically quick and would like a good starting point or reference source.


Also, is it a complete travesty to put a 327 chevy motor into a mint Pontiac?? I figure anything is better than the boat anchor LG4 305 motor in it now.


Thanks!  

Ordinarily I despise chevy engine swaps in non-chevy's, however when they come with a chevy stock no problem.  The good news for you is the 327 will bolt right in providing your heads have the accessory bracket holes in them.  The 327 is a good engine to work with and will respond well to the usual intake, cam, headers and even heads.  Just be careful picking a cam, being a smaller engine than a 350 makes the cam seem bigger when compared to the 350 spec's. (In other words a docile cam for a 350 might be pretty good for a 327)  

I did have some questions about the heads.. I have available to me, a set of world sportsman iron heads for a 350 (i think 76cc 2.02 1.60 )and the stock heads from an 84 monte carlo SS 305 (i think 54cc 1.90 1.50) as well as the stock 327 heads, though i have yet to determine what those are...


btw, digging the name... i still miss my 75 4dr regal.. 7mpg and sat 8+ comfortably..  

Go with the world sportsman heads, they're far better than those Monte Carlo heads.

The 327 has the same 4-inch bore as the 350, so they'll fit just fine.

on building the 327 for good power, that's not a problem. A healthy hydraulic cam matched for the heads you're gonna use (call Comp or one of the other cam companies, tell them the specs on your heads, and what you want thte motor to do), I'd say 9.5:1 compression so it'll be pump gas friendly, and a torque converter to match up with the rear gear and cam.  

If those really are Sportsman heads with 200cc intakes that will make a 6500rpm 327.Tell us your intentions with this Knightrider.    WIEDER  

I swapped a 327 out of a chevelle into my 86 ta, I just used heads off of an 79 chevy 350 truck. have gotten it started but it looks pretty mean  

meant haven't, sorry can't type  

The only bad thing about these cars is, there is hardly no room to work.. Ihave an 87 Firebird formula that I just swapped the 305 for an 385 stroker with the trick flow top end kit ,shift kit in trans700r4 ,with 2400 holeshot converter.I also put 3,73 gears in the rear. Expected 525 HP..Many a busted knuckle because there is no room, but I love it...Have fun,I did..BadBird...  

yeah it is tight, but compared to working on my 97 grand am, it's like a palace  

finally started cracking on pulling the anchor out.. and have about a pint less blood now than before i started... seriously..

turns out the sportsman heads are a no go.. as are the monte ss heads now  

the heads on it now are something awful ive been told .. 1.74 1.40 valves... basically trash... looks like the only other heads available for cheap/free is a set of standard 1.94 1.50 unknown 350 heads......has anyone tried the vortec heads on a 327?

thanks for all the help so far!  

Vortecs would work just as good as a 350 or OEM thick castings which you might have, Mortec.com will tell you what you have with casting #.   WIEDER  

Wieder. I am new. Do you know if 194/160 valve 350ci heads will work on 305,Due to small bore?  

I think a 1.94 intake is to much on a 305 due to valve shrouding but TrickFlow and WorldProducts have 1.94 heads that are to fit smaller bores.The main difference is these heads they have 56 and 58cc chambers to keep compression the same as OEM's besides other improvements over factory design.Never rebuilt a 305 to really see how much shrouding there is.Hope this helped    WIEDER  

305 is thrashed..  afu inside.

and the heads on it are not any good for the 327.. what direction should i go in?