[fintstone]

The guys on the engine board were.right...nothing really special about a '77 S engine (all S models after '73 had CIS). In '77, the S was the same engine as in non-S cars...CIS, 8.5:1 compression, 165 hp @ 5800 rpm and 176 lb torque @ 4000 rpm. It was the only 2.7 engine available in the US in '77. Of course, as posted, you can make it a lot faster than it is now with cash (parts/labor) the same as a 3.0, 3.2 etc with pretty much the same type modifications except that you are putting your money in a magnesium case engine prone to head stud failure. Obviously you can rebuild it cheaper than buying a 3.0 to rebuild, because you already have a lot of the parts. So you would basically save the cost of buying a comparable 3.0 core...but that is all. The new parts you would need are about the same price for either engine, as is the labor. In fact, the later 3.0 might well come with some of the items you would want already...carrera tensioners, turbo valve covers, upgraded oil pump, etc. and actually save you on parts. Sure, you could add carbs and SSIs, to get up to 3.0 hp numbers, but the same things added to the SC would give approximately the same hp percentage increase to the SC. On the other hand...if you have a car that came with a 2.7, you may want to keep it that way for show, a particular racing class, or just general principles.