'64 327/300

[Tgrshrk99]

I have two questions about a '64 I am working on. First, the car has a 327/300 engine in it, but it is not the original motor. Is there any way to tell (without original stickers) whehter or not this engine is correct for the car? The VINs back then did not inlcude an engine code as best I can tell.

Second, the motor runs/idles well, but puts out the most noxious exhaust fumes I've ever encountered. I've tried having it tuned by a "professional" with no luck. Any one else ever encountered/solved this kind of problem?

Thanks in advance for the help.

[Joe L.]

Re: '64 327/300

If by "correct", you are asking whether or not your car was originally equipped with a 300hp/327, about the only way to discern this might be to look at the redline on the tachometer, assuming, of course, that the tach is original. If your tach has a 5000RPM or so redline, it was probably originally equipped with a 300hp/327. If it is a 6000RPM or so redline, it was originally equipped with the 365 or 375 hp engine. The problem is that for 64, the base engine was the 250hp/327. I believe that this engine had a redline of 4400 RPM or so, but I don't know if it had a tach so-redlined or if it shared the 300hp tach. Perhaps someone else more familiar with 64s can offer information on this point.

If by "correct" you are asking whether your engine's components are correct for your car and correct for a 300hp/327, you can check the block and head casting numbers and casting dates. The head casting numbers and dates can be found under the valve covers on the top surface of the heads. For a 300hp/327, your car should have casting number 3782461 and a casting date which generally precedes you car's assembly date by several weeks to several months. Your block's information can be found on the rear of the block above the bellhousing flange. For your car the casting number should be 3782870.

As far as exhaust fumes go, you've got to remember that your 64 was built before the era of emissions controls. These cars generated a lot of "fumes". People didn't really notice it too much, though, because in the old days all cars were like that. Using today's cars as a frame of reference, however, these old cars seem absolutely terrible. You could do a little checking to be sure that your car is as good as it can be. The main thing you could do is to insure that your carburetor is in a good state of repair and that it is adjusted to provide the best stoiciometric air/fuel ratio. This can be checked using an engine analyzer and it should be 14.7:1. If that all checks out, your probably about as good as you're going to be.