Re: Compression ratio of 327 head; year of the engine block?

Posted by flyntgr On 2016/9/4 12:39:41

Bigkev, thank you for the information you have sent. I have yet to learn what year 327 Thunderbolt head is on my car, finding only the numbers "35-5" near the water outlet.

Perhaps you could answer a corollary question by email to my personal address: I have no experience or knowledge about EMI (Empire Motors, Inc.) in El Paso, but have had the pleasure of speaking to the owner, manager, who is very knowledgeable.Do you know of anyone who has purchased an aluminum "Edmunds" knockoff head who actually installed and used such a head on a 359 or other Packard engine? If so, I would love to know how the head performed.

I realize the head cannot be shaved, or should not be, but not knowing the CR on the 327 head, I am concerned about having too low compression. I plan to DRIVE the car if and when it gets restored because it has or will have every accessory needed for comfortable traveling: It has power seat, p/s, p/b, 3 speed with O.D., Add-on Vintage A/C, radio and heater.

I also ask you your opinion of the value of the car with the "wrong" 327 head vs. a repro Edmunds head which is readily identified as a repro by the wider ("better") fins on the head? That seems also to be a "wrong" head unless an indistinguishable repro head can be custom-made by EMI at a custom cost of $3,150. I can send EMI a series of pics of my unusable original aluminum head for him to use in reproducing the aluminum head, but I can't guess how accurate and indistinguishable such a knock-off would be, or how that would affect the value of my car. Any ideas on this?

Kev, another question is what to do about the valve seats: Do I use a lead substitute, or what can I do to prevent burning the valves/seats?