Eaton Posi should be fine but you should double check with them. Power glides will need to be beefed up is you want it to last. Good point is that the 2 speed Power glide are they cheapest transmission to build up. Bad point is the same car with 330Hp with a well built built 700R4 will out run you and get better gas mileage.

 

Depends on the rear end in your car. With a 327 you should have the 8.2" rear end which is well known for being weak. From there you have a few options. More expensive: ford 9" or GM 12 bolt. I have rebuilt a few 8.5" corporate rear ends that have stood up to some pretty hefty torque and HP. The correct one sitting in my basement I bought the housing from a 75 Nova (direct bolt in for 1st gen camaro's) for $75, set of 3.42 gears and install kit (timken bearings) for $120, Posi carrier and clutch rebuild pack for $150, cleaners/ misc supplies $25. 370 total and it will easily handle that 400 HP range.
As for tranny, depends on what you have, most of the manuals will not have a problem, not sure on the automatics.
Lastly, unibody construction means flexing, the more HP you throw at it, the more flexing you will get. Frame connectors are the way I'm going on my 69, but not sure if they are truly necessary.

 

400HP with the package you list you'll be fine if all the parts are in good shape.

PG can handle a ton of horse and hold together well. A rebuild is cheap on them also. The 3:73 and 10 bolt will hold up fine also. Everyone thinks it is a weak rear gear. When compared to the 12 bolt it is, but overall it is a dependable and cheap rear end that has proven it can handle HP.

I've seen BB Pontiacs with that package be abused for years. I've abused my own 10 bolt 3:73 and it hasn't failed me. GM's in the 60's had this rearend and trans in about everything and they held up to the abuse.

Would I want to shove much more then 500HP/500lbs. in one, no. would I have faith in one lasting a long time with the 400HP range, yes.

 

power glide trans is a very dependable unit. its been proven at the drag strip. local racers here intown use the pg and its fairly inexpesive to rebuild or replace.

 

Since you don't have the original block anyhow, I wouldn't put a bunch of money into it. You will be better off finding a 4-bolt engine to re-build or go for a nice crate engine. Either way, find out how much both will cost. At least with a crate engine, you get proven results and somewhat of a warranty. With your "reputable mechanic" you are taking more of a chance.

2-speed powerglides are used frequently, and dependable,but they must be rebuilt with the proper performance "insides". And a 3:73 gear is a decent choice. But if there is a lag in low end power, you may need to do a 4:11 or close. With the large band between shifts in a powerglide, a couple friends of mine were running 4:56 and 4:88's on the street.

 

i would pull the 327 and save it, buy another engine and install it.
you can buy any 350 block from a machine shop bored .030 over for a couple hundred dollars and start from there
tell the shop what you are looking for, and they should be able to guide you in the right direction.
i personally would not buy a complete engine unless you spend big money, i mean most engine producers build quantity and not quality.
for instance you can not see inside the engine to know what you have bought.
i have seen engines in the past that are out of warranty and passed on through many hands
then one day boom it blows, you tear it apart and everything looks good
except there are 2 cyl bored .020 and the rest are standard bore.
the engine in my ford truck i just replaced it with a 306 roller motor,
the old engine i pulled out was a mass rebuild engine,,, propably a jasper engine
the engine was bored .060 over and had a roller block with a flatt tappet camshaft what a combination the truck would not burn out in gravel,,,,, it screams now, with my rebuild that i built.
some people just dont know the difference, watch who you deal with and find someone you trust and you should be fine, a 350 turbo hydramatic tranny will be fine, you can not kill them if built right. you need to pack clutches tight ,do some mods to the valve body,remove acumilator spring and replace with a bolt, leave the third gear inner lip seal out for a good tire chirp in third, and you are good to go, i have built a hundred 350 trannys and you could pour motor oil in them and they will still work and work well. 355 gears are all around gears for street and strip

good luck

 

thanks guys for all the information and insight. i will bump this post when i make a move; and keep everyone updated!!a realistic time frame will be with a month to month and a half

thanks again

 

A great resouce is at www.morethanjustpower.com they are usually a couple hundred less that jegs and summit and will work w/you on shipping--or get their best price and have jegs or summit match it. Did that w/myZZ4 crate. The ZZ4's are great motors right from GM performance and are "build up" friendly.Ive got close to 400 Hp, completely rebuilt my own 10 Bolt- 3:23 richmond gears, auburn posi, moser axles and a TH350. Everything works beautifully. Unless you have been unusually hard on your 10 bolt, it should be just fine.

 

I was reading through this and thought I would add my 2 cents.

Personally, I think you'll end up with the same cost either way you go, rebuilding or going with a crate motor. What it comes down to is; Who's doing the building? Another question is, whats your mechanical ability? You can save a lot if you do the assembly yourself. You could also just have the rotating assembly done, or even buy a complete rotating assembly done like a crate engine.

I went through this recently and I did some serious searching around for a reputable machine shop. I was lucky enough to find a great shop. I had them do the rotating assembly, heads, then brought my engine back when it was finished for a dyno. Reputation is everything.

 

I will be going with a 383 crate. (400 to 450 hp with lots of low end ) ? who's I don't know yet. I will do the 700r at the same time. This will be in a year or so I have pay off the car 1st. Current 327 runs fine but need more power. My local hot rod shop said a built 10 inch is fine for 400 hp (WITH STREET TIRES!!! AND AUTO TRANS ONLY) They put in a Alburn (? spell) 3:55 poise in mine with a aluminum cover. I will not race car or pound the hell out of it anway.