So I am helping my buddy work on his car

[Graves]

He's got a '65 Belair and we are trying to find a company that does a disc brake conversion on the front end. Drum brakes just suck on that land yacht. Know any factory swap that might work or a company that sells a kit?


Further more what tranny would you use on a 327? It's got a worn out powerglide in it now and he needs to replace it before it goes nowhere.

[Frankie]

Disc brake conversion for a '65 Bel Air? Try junking the front end off of a Monte Carlo. Probably the cheapest way to go about it.

It's a 275hp 327, right? Any transmission you can find'll work, but a 700-R4 or Turbo 400'd be nice to have that gas saving overdrive. Shit, even a 200-4R'll work for a weak motor like that in a big boat. They should be dime a dozen, and also came in the Monte Carlo if you're going to jack a front end :D

[Graves]

Thanks Frank. I keep tryign totalk him into getting a bigger motor but he's set at keeping the 327 in there. I know a 383 would be nice in there.

[Frankie]

Thanks Frank. I keep tryign totalk him into getting a bigger motor but he's set at keeping the 327 in there. I know a 383 would be nice in there.

Shit, why? Is it a cruisin' car or a street machine? A 383 is overkill for a normal cruiser and will eat gas. 327's a tuff little motors for cruisers. I have a block, crank, rods, and pistons for a 327 if he needs any parts.

If you plan on putting something tuff in there eventually, skip the 200-4R, that thing'll explode with any decent engine in front of it.

[Graves]

He wants to keep it original, but it'll need a whole new suspension all around since the prevous owner made it a mexi mobile and lowered it. That and put a whole white interior in it. He wants to rebuild the motor but can't not have it on the road( it's his kids car). Tops I think he'd put a 350 in it.

[Graves]

Hows this?

http://www.inlinetube.com/disc%20brake%20conversion/dbrake.htm

[Frankie]

That brake conversion looks good to me. About average price. It'd be cheaper to gut a Monte, but probably way less work to get the new parts.

Why replace the 327 if he's going to do a 350? A 327 is a fine piece of equipment. Technically, they last longer between rebuilds than a 350 too since they side-load a lot less. Rings tend to last longer in those bastards :D

[Graves]

I guess cause there are 350's i nevery otehr GM you look in and the parts are more abundant, although lookign in Jegs and Summit most parts fit both.

How hard is it to change out the distributor for a newer one? HEI I think is what it's called to get rid of the points. I ofund a nice MSD HEI upgrade kit but I dunno if it's what he'll need.

[Frankie]

I guess cause there are 350's i nevery otehr GM you look in and the parts are more abundant, although lookign in Jegs and Summit most parts fit both.

How hard is it to change out the distributor for a newer one? HEI I think is what it's called to get rid of the points. I ofund a nice MSD HEI upgrade kit but I dunno if it's what he'll need.

All Chevy smallblocks from the early 60's to the mid 90's are interchangeable on parts. The only thing that makes a 327 different from a 350 is the crankshaft. Heads, exhaust, intake, carb, distributor, etc... they're all identical. If there isn't anything wrong with the 327, don't waste the money on a 350. It really isn't a worthwhile upgrade.

Distributor swaps are easy as it can get. Pull your points out, drop your HEI in with the same orientation on the rotor, plug in your ignition wire, tach wire (if you have one), and vacuum line to the carb, and fire her up. I still run an old HEI setup in my Camaro.

[Graves]

Figured it was that easy. I'm a Ford guy so it's fun to work on something different. He ordered that brake kit today but had to get the one that works with drop spindles for his cars. I see Summit being one of his new found friends, I think he's gettin ready to order all kinda shit. Something about late 30 y/o guys and cars makes them turn into kids at a candy store.

[Frankie]

Gearhead Performance in Dunedin typically had better prices than Summit when I was ordering shit, plus, they stock a lot of shit and they're local. Just an FYI.

[Graves]

Gratzi

[roracer70]

gearhead is where get almost all of my parts for my car. the entire rear suspension, minus the sway bar, was bout 400. new springs with a 2 inch lift, 2 inch shackle lift, polyeurothane bushings,kyb shocks. but try www.tirerack.com (http://www.tirerack.com) cause i noticed sme of there stuff is cheaper. sorry if there isn't anything for the car on the site.