[KILLER74Z28]

My freshman year of collage (98/99) one of my Auto Body professors owned a T Bucket that he stored at the collage shop. I could not tell you what year it was because I really don’t care for that particular kind of Hot Rod, unless it involves scantly dressed women, but that’s another story. On the other hand, there was one thing about this “Rat Rod” that caught my eye, the power plant. You see, shoehorned in between the front frame rails was a Chevy BB 427 painted to match the Buckets exterior.

The story I got from my professor was he had bought the Bucket in 80 something from some guy who started to build the car in 72 and never got around to finishing it. My professor stated he had only put 500 miles on the car after finishing it and was looking to sell it for X amount of dollars.

Later that year my lab partner struck up a deal with our professor to buy the Bucket as a rolling chassis. As a result, the 427 and TH400 were pulled from the T Bucket and the engine was stored in plane sight for me to drool over day after day.

My professor now had a 427 and TH400 for sale for 3000 big ones. I could not afford it at the time but my best friend who I informed of the situation could. You see he is a proud owner of a 70 SS 396 Chevelle with a transplanted 427 and thought it would make an excellent back up. A deal was struck for 2500 hundred and we picked it up on a fall Saturday of that year. Now the 427 that I drooled over day after day was sitting in my best friends garage. Needless to say I did a lot of mopping in that garage.

Time went on, I built my 402 74 Z28, I graduated collage with honors, and scored an excellent paying job with one of “The Big Three”. Now, don’t think for one minute I ever stopped drooling over that 427. More than once I offered to take it off his hands for what he had into it but he would never give in, until yesterday. Yes folks I am now the proud owner of a 1969 427 casting # 3955270, suffix # CE851851, and heads # 3919840.

Now some of you might be thinking big deal another BB Chevy, well yeah but not quite. I don’t know what it is about the 427 but the power they are capable of is insane. For example my buddies 70 SS combo: Stock 427 & heads + roller cam + Edelbrock single plane intake + 4150HP Holley + Super Comp headers + Torque Tech 3” exhaust = 406 RWHP and 493 lbs foot of torque on the chassis dyno. First ¼ mile pass ING timed by ear and before the clutches in the 12 bolt posi went out, 12 seconds flat. The SS is now timed with a light and awaiting clutches for the posi. No doubt it is going to dip into the mid 11’s on its next run. Now imagine what my Z is going to be like with the same setup?

New project for this winter, transplanting the 427 in the 74 Z and the 402 into the 72 K5. Just think, if GM puts the LS7 in the Camaro I might have two 427 Camaros in my garage.