68 Camaro Engine Swap Question

Hello everyone, I have a 68 Coupe non RS or SS. It has the original 327 210HP Engine. I got a friend who has a 68 #3935440 cast BB 396 and will sell it to me for a great price. I am thinking of swapping the SB327 for the BB396 and keeping the SB327 wrapped and in the corner of my garage incase I decide to sell the car. My question is. Will this lower or increse the value of my car or will it remain the same? Any input on the subject would be of great help. Thanks Everyone

Reply to
Steve's "68 Camaro
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IMO, if it is a real nice, original 68 Camaro, it would be worth more with the 327 in it. I'd keep it stock and if you buy the 396 at a steal you can offer all as a package--and save lotsa labor. s

Reply to
sdlomi2

Sounds like you have more money than you know what to do with.

Reply to
Chevy Man

I forgot to mention that the car has not yet been fully restored and the 327 will have to be rebuilt anyway. I am in the process of doing a frame off rotissery resto. I'm building this car to enjoy and maybe one day sell it to buy something else. My understanding is that most people would rather have a BB car than a SB and since this car will be a Date correct BB resto, having the numbers matching SB is just insurance that the car is complete. I doubt that the price will be lower because it has a Date correct BB unless the market gets crazy like it did with Mopar a few years ago.

Reply to
Steve's "68 Camaro

I forgot to mention that the car has not yet been fully restored and the 327 will have to be rebuilt anyway. I am in the process of doing a frame off rotissery resto. I'm building this car to enjoy and maybe one day sell it to buy something else. My understanding is that most people would rather have a BB car than a SB and since this car will be a Date correct BB resto, having the numbers matching SB is just insurance that the car is complete. I doubt that the price will be lower because it has a Date correct BB unless the market gets crazy like it did with Mopar a few years ago.

Reply to
Steve's "68 Camaro

Hi Steve. I'd think that with a rotisserie resto, your car would then be crying even more for the original 327. Sounds like you are going to do it right and have the 'right kind' when you finish. Wish I could help spin some wrenches on that darling! Bear in mind that these are just my opinions. However, I can tell already that you are going w/the BB! So! Gotta agree it would be fun to have a year-correct BB. If I were doing that, I'd be awfully tempted to turn it into the spec.-correct 396/425 hp which lotsa people never knew about. It was a 1965 'vette option--just

10 hp below the 427/435 hp. with the 3-2bbls. setup. They were both GM's (under) ratings, of course. But that 396 was designed to wind tighter than the 427 to reach its max hp. I bought one of them, brand new, when I was in college. A local Chevy dealer had bought several and I paid him $450 for one, complete with electronic dist., alum. intake, cast-iron 'headers', clutch, flywheel, press.-plate, bell housing et al--all exc. for fuel pump & the Holley carb. which I bought new for ~ $60. Steve, it was one heck of an engine. It'd be fun in your little Camaro and quite a sleeper. The specs called for like only 650 idle rpm--so it would hide its potential there with a relatively smoothe idle. But rpm-wise, it always amazed me how it'd twist up about as high my 327 that it replaced. And the torque range was unbelieveable. At 6500, you could punch it and it'd toss you back. And, in 4th gear (on wet pavement) it was dangerous to punch it at 40 mph, as street tires would break loose. All in a heavy '55 Chevy with good traction on a dry strip! All this yada just to accentuate its torque from one end to the other. Getting excited yet? Anxious? Enjoy it and be proud to tell prospective buyers, only after they start to dicker for a lower price, "Oh! I forgot to tell you. It even comes with its original, factory-installed 327 that I've got wrapped up in my garage. And I go out there and turn the crank the 1st Sunday of every month to keep it free."

Luck, sam

Reply to
sdlomi2

Yah man!!! Now I'm realy pumped!!! My dad wants me to have a SB so I can save gas. lol I want to get stoked about building this car and a BB realy gets me excited. I have been wanting a BB car all my life. I saved this rust bucket 68 Camaro in 1997 after it had been sitting for 5 years with no carb and the iterior stored indoors, I only payed $1750 for it. (Snicker snicker) I took it home and oiled up the pistons, threw a Carter AFB 650CFM on it and drove it all next summer when gas wars kept prices realy low. :) Now its time for me to show this car some respect and do a complete rotisserie resto. I have full respect for a car having the factory original motor in it but being in a possition to store the original and install a BB seems right for me. I know I'll have to beef up the suspension a bit but I'm not going to be racing this car so I want this car to look and sound original. It'll make for a nice sleeper.

By the way sdlomi2, do you recall the casting number on those heads? I was later thinking of buying a set of 840 Iron heads but if I could upgrade to alluminium even better. Cheers

Reply to
Steve's "68 Camaro

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