I am having a blast with my new 68 Camaro! It currently doesn’t have the original transmissions and engine (at least not all of it) so I am trying to figure out what exactly it does have and what the best direction is to take it. Whats in it now appears to be a 350 engine with a TH350 transmission. All the codes I have been able to find so far on the engine are as follows:

Engine Casting number: 3970010
Engine vin info: 13N145650, V0215CKD
Intake manifold: 1968, 3919803

The engine and trans were supposedly installed in the car back in 1973. From what I can decipher from the block it looks like its a 1973 L48 350/200HP 4bbl, with turbo-hydromatic for California. What is odd is the intake manifold appears to be from a 1968 4bbl 327/275HP. Unfortunately I havent looked at any numbers on the heads so I dont know if it has 1968 327 heads or 1973 350 heads.


My guess is it was originally a 327/275HP car that had most (if not all) of the engine replaced. Could it be possible the engine is still 327 ci and just a new block was used (From what I found the 3970010 block was also used on the 327's)? I guess at some point I need to pull the valve covers and see what heads are on this thing. Are there any other numbers on the engine or trans I should be looking for?

As far as mods go what should I do? Would it be more worthwhile to turn it back into a numbers matching 327/275HP base Camaro with some minor internal enhancements (given its so clean and unrestored)? Right now the engine looks completely stock right down to the warm-up valve on the exhaust.


Would it be worth it to go for one of the 420+ HP Edelbrock or Holly top end kits (heads, cam, intake, carb)? Im not sure what the top end of the engine looks like inside but the bottom end is basically new. Any advice or info is greatly appreciated!

 

When you say new bottom end do you mean new and built to withstand 420 HP or just new stock? I think the 73 just has a cast crank and connecting rods I think even the pistons would need upgraded to hit 420 hp.

I am curious on what others think about the stock cast cranks. And whats its limits are.

 

Your "CKD" suffix code means it's a 350, 200 h.p., based on your determination of it being a 1973 casting.
You mentioned possibly turning it back into a "numbers matching" car. But that's impossible to do (legally) since the matching VIN numbers block is long gone. You can make the engine "casting and build date correct" by finding the right parts, just not numbers matching.
And if you're planning on pushing 420+ h.p.....and beyond (trust me, enough is never enough), it would be wise to put in a forged crank. You want to build an engine strong from the ground up.

 

From what I can tell the bottom end is stock and has 10K miles or less on it. It sounds like if I want 400+ HP my best option might be to purchase a 350 or 383 crate engine thats already built.

As far as this engine goes, what would my best option be to squeeze some more power out of it cheaply (its 100% stock)? New intake manifold, carb, headers, etc.? What sort of power can I expect? I figure I can do a few simple things now for some extra HP until I get the money for the engine build/crate motor (which may be a while).

 

Yes, all the above. You can also dig a little bit deeper if you wanted to and swap in a better cam while you have things somewhat apart. To go beyond what all those upgrades will give you would require you to open the engine up further, to rework/replace the heads, install higher comp. pistons, etc.
What do you have now, stock 4 bbl manifold/Quadrajet, cast iron exhaust manifolds? You could go with an Edelbrock air-gap, which is a pretty good streetable intake. A 650 carb is all that 350 needs, but spend your money wisely. If you plan on eventually going with a 383, you'll want a 750. With the additions mentioned, getting close to the 300 h.p. mark would be achievable.

 

Right now its 100% stock. It literally looks like and is equipped as it would have been the day it rolled off the assembly line (with the exception of being a 350 block). Cast iron exhaust manifolds, stock 4bbl intake and quadrajet carb, stock snorkel air cleaner, stock duel exhaust and mufflers, etc.

So would a Performer RPM air gap and a 650 or 750 CFM carb be best? Wouldn’t the 750 be too much right now and hurt performance? I know it would be optimal to install a cam and if so, what would be best if I went that route and what would should I expect with just the intake and carb? Would the Holly intake/cam/carb kit (from Summit) for Chevy 350’s be a good route or would something else be better? I assume a Protronix distributor and coil would also be a good option. Might as well replace the rockers while I am at if I do the cam (but cant go to tall since I need to use the stock valve covers so the AC will still fit).

I would like to go all the way right now but since I just dropped a bunch for the car I doubt my wife will let me spend another big chunk for quite a while.