If you bought something obsolete.....Here's how to fix it without breaking the bank!

In the last post I touched on cars with obsolete or virtually unattainable parts. If you have or want to buy one of these cars there is a way to make them fun and reliable. They won't be totally original, but you'll be able to get parts and can take a trip without fear of something breaking down and stranding you. For example if you have a 1964-67 Buick Skylark-one of the better looking '60's GM "A" bodies-chances are it has a 300 inch Buick V8 and a two-speed super turbine 300 automatic. No one makes parts for the 300s. However, from 1968-77 Buick put millions of 350 V8s in all of their models. Even bone-stock, the modern 350 will have much more power, and you can usually find parts at Autozone or Pep Boys. If you want to hot rod it, T/A performance offers intake manifolds and cams for Buicks, and you can buy headers from Hooker and performance distributors from MSD or Accel. As for the trans-your in luck-a BOP bolt-pattern TH350 will bolt right in. They are the exact same length as the ST300 and the rear trans mount and the driveshaft yoke is the same. You could even use the stock shifter-you just won't be able to manually engage low gear. ( Not a problem with a good shift kit ).  Believe me, the 350 / TH350 combo will give you 10 times the performance and reliability of the 300/ ST300 package, and to 99% of the population-look like it grew there. The same goes for the other GM divisions-the TH350 is a way better trans the Powerglide / ST 300. If you have a mid-'60's Oldsmobile-a later model 350 or 403 is going to make a lot more power easier and cheaper than a 330 V8. Especially Pontiacs-don't screw around with a 326 V8 -a 400 or 455 is a bolt-in swap!  The same goes for Mopars-don't try to hop up a 273 V8-a later 360 will make twice the power for half the money. And don't mess with the "Old" -i.e pre-1967 318s-nothing interchanges with the 1967-91 LA engines or 92 and later "Magnum" engines. Ditto for the "Old" big blocks-a 361 or a 413 is a money pit-your much better off getting a later model 383 / 400 or 440.  As for Fords-there is a lot of aftermarket support for "FE" engines-352/390/428-Edelbrock even makes aluminum heads-but forget the old 292 and 312 Y blocks ( Unless your restoring a 57 T-Bird to the nth degree ) a 289 / 302 will again- make twice the power for half the money. Or you could go with a 351W. Hope this helps everyone out. Mastermind