65 Chevy truck 327 and 4 speed ?'s

[ezbtr]

I got a REAL good deal on a 65 Chevy pickup(I had a 64) with a 4 speed granny, 327 4 bbl,full floater 3/4 ton rear axle great shape for age(all paint orig., some dings and minor rust). (WIll sell F250 to finance). Drum brakes, unlnown miles but runs great, all works good(wood bed needs some work). Question is can I run unleaded in it? Owner has had it 4 yrs and says no problems. Oil looks good, doesnt smoke, no leaks. Also in the past i replaced points ignition with Pertronix igniton on an old 302 - worked great, Im assuming I can do this to a 327? Did I mention this is a GREAT deal and I can make money from sellin F250??!!!!

 

[Marc J.]

Re: 65 Chevy truck 327 and 4 speed ?'s

Heinz, congrats on the find. Those trucks have really cool lines. As for running unleaded, get the numbers off the block and heads and try to confirm what you have. If indeed you have a 327 with the original heads, you could look into having a machine shop add hardened valve seats. I forget the exact years, but 327s were produced through the 1960s. Any engine heads manufactured after 1973 or so would already have the hardened seats. If the performance and compression numbers are good as is, it can wait until you sell the Ford. Changing out the points for electronic ignition should be just as easy as the 302.

 

[timmathis]

Re: 65 Chevy truck 327 and 4 speed ?'s

Heinz, I went with the mallory unilite electronic ignition with my 327,1965 300 H.P. it is smaller and gives me more firewall clearance in my 55 chevy and accell makes a breaker-less one for it also. If you have room you can go with a 1975 and above stock GM ignition with the built in coil. On the unleaded fuel. I have had my 55 Chevy for 30 years and drive it every day with the old valve seats! you may consider if and when you do a rebuild going with the new valve seats. Tim

 

[timmathis]

Re: 65 Chevy truck 327 and 4 speed ?'s

73Baja, Where you at on lake hartwell? I'm up here on the lake in Clemson. Tim<br />P.s. Baja you still got that mini van? how is your Tranny holding out?

 

[Marc J.]

Re: 65 Chevy truck 327 and 4 speed ?'s

Tim, I'm up by Broyles Landing, near Portman Marina. My wife's put another 12-15K on the van since changing the screen and adding the Lucas product. Either the stuff works or the tranny likes warmer weather.<br /><br />Good luck with the 65 Heinz. I learned to drive with my grandfather's 66 stepside. It had a 283 and a 3-speed on the column.

 

[ezbtr]

Re: 65 Chevy truck 327 and 4 speed ?'s

My first was a 64 w/ a 283 and a "slip and slide" Powerglide 2 spd auto - god did it have LOTS of miles on it! But the simplicity to fix!

 

[ezbtr]

Re: 65 Chevy truck 327 and 4 speed ?'s

I drove it last week, runs GREAT, man is 1st LOW, just start out in 2nd. Lots of guts too. Brakes ok for non power drums, tires NYLON and in great shape???? Love the non power steering too But boy the simplicity! IF I get a job(Im gettin close!) and sell F250, maybe I'll get it - could always sell it for more than I bought it for

 

[magster65]

Re: 65 Chevy truck 327 and 4 speed ?'s

Nothin' wrong with 'buying and selling' to supplement your income!<br />I did the same thing not long ago with a 66 Ford 1/2 ton. It had a 352 / 3 speed column. Got it for a 'song', drove it around and fixed the little things and sold it for a decent profit. I think everyone should do this as often as possible... then we can all get new boats... or a second one!

 

[LubeDude]

Re: 65 Chevy truck 327 and 4 speed ?'s

Originally posted by Heinz:<br />[QBQuestion is can I run unleaded in it? [/QB]

On an average, any old stock engine will live quite awhile on unleaded. There "is" damage being done though), Where you run into problems is with the high performance versions. The stiffer valve springs will suck (wear), up into the heads so fast it will make your head spin. If you are concerned, use a Lead substitute. Actually a little Marvel mystery oil in the fuel will help some too.