1969 Camaro Engines

[Vince]

I have wondered for awhile why Chevrolet discontinued the L30 327 engine after the '68 model run and why they stopped having the 327 2bl as the base V8 sometime during the '69 model year and changed it to the 307 2bl.  A lot of Chevy buffs myself included consider the 327 one of the best small blocks Chevy ever made. 
The other question I have is why did they introduce the LM1 350 for 1969 and then discontinue it during the year changing over to the L65 350? 
Did these changes come about because of Chevrolet knowing what was coming down the road, things like stricter emissions controls, gas mileage regs, and changing to low  lead and eventually no  lead gas?   I'm thinking someone on here might know something about why these changes occurred.  Thanks as always guys. 

[crossboss]

My 'guess' is because of many situations: Emissions testing/certification, too many engines offered, and lastly because of the competition from other manufacturers. Remember, Chevrolet had the (V-8s) 302, 307, 350, 396 and 427s. Ford had the 302, Boss 302, 351, 390, 428, and Boss 429. Mopar: 318, 340, 383, 426 Hemi, and 440. Also, include all of the other GM divisions engines, and you get the idea. All were pretty close in CID and HP ratings among each manufacturer for sales dominance.

[bcmiller]

Your questions won’t easily be answered. Most of those decisions were made by people that are no longer with us. You may get some “general” answers but maybe not “the whole story”.   

[BULLITT65]

Seems like having the 327 in the line up would have given chevy a leg up, vs the 307.

[crossboss]

Seems like having the 327 in the line up would have given chevy a leg up, vs the 307.

Boys,
Again this is just my 'opinion' and not based on any factual info: Having another engine from 307 to 327 to 350 CID would be costly for 'just' a 20 CID upgrade. What Im getting at is every component is costly (and remember each engine needed to be emissions certified), and the return investment is most likely 'not worth it' to a big manufacturer like GM. Also, I'm pretty sure the bean counters (accountants) at GM said no. Does this make sense?

[maroman]

yes

[jdv69z]

I read/heard somewhere that the 307 replaced the 327 because it was a better emissions engine?

[Vince]

Thanks guys for your answers.  It seems very likely that it mainly had to do with GM saving money and meeting upcoming stricter emissions standards. 

[Kelley W King]

I kind of thought the 307 was close to the 283 block with a longer stroke. Gas mileage unit using existing tooling?