The best engines to buy and or build for your musclecar....

People ask me all the time "What engine should I use in my car?" The answer is not a simple one. Are they building a daily driver, a show car, a race car or some combination of the three? I decided to give everyone a list of what I think offer the best bang for the buck and why for each car line. # 1. Small-block Chevy. Unless your restoring a '55 Chevy or '57 Corvette to the nth degree, why would anyone even want a 265 or a 283? The 327 was and is a great engine,but since they've been out of production for over 40 years their pretty scarce. The ubiquitous 350 is your best choice. There's more aftermarket and factory equipment for this engine than anything else on the planet. The 400 was built from 1970-1980, and properly built make awesome power; however their siamesed bores can't be bored out much, and they have a history of overheating, and hot-rodders have been pilfering the cranks for 30 years to stroke 350s. Your better off putting a 383 kit in a 350, or if you must have a 400, Dart offers a complete short block that can be safely bored to 4.165 inches. Stick with a 350, and save time and money. # 2. Big-block Chevy. The 396,402,427 and 454 are all viable horsepower makers. However the the 427 has been out of production since 1969. (Although GMPP re-introduced a 480 hp 427 crate motor a couple years ago ). The 396 / 402 has been out of production since 1972. There's plenty of speed equipment available-but where are you going to find the block? On the other hand the 454 has been in use from 1970 to the present day. The 502 and 572 strokers offered by GMPP are awesome, but expensive. If you want a Rat motor, the 454 offers the most bang for the buck. # 3. Pontiac. While Pontiac engines were built from 1955-1979 and ranged anywhere from 287 to 455 cubes, there are only two that you should concern yourself with. The 287,317,347, and 370 inch V8s made from 1955-58 are useless unless your restoring a '57 Bonneville for concours. I don't know why anyone would want a 1963-67 326 when they are externally identical to the 389/400/421/428/455. Ditto for the 350 made from 1968-77. The 389 made from 1959-66 is a good engine if you have one already in the car; or if your restoring a '64 GTO to the nth degree. However their getting pretty hard to find. The same goes for the 421 made from 1962-66. If you have one, by all means use it; otherwise good luck trying to find one at any price. The 428 was only built from 1967-69 in "Big" cars. If you have one, or can buy one cheap, great. But don't search the galaxy for one. This leaves the 400 used from 1967-79 and the 455 used from 1970-76. The 400 is the best choice since there are more of them around-they were the standard engine in just about every model. And there are kits to stroke a 400 to 467 inches if you want. # 4. Small-block Mopar. Forget a 273. The 1967-91 318s are ok in a Duster or other light car; but in a heavy Charger? The 340 built from 1968-73 is a great performance engine, but try to find one. This leaves the 360 made from 1971-91 as the best buy for an "Old school" small block. Their are kits to stroke these out to 410 inches. 1992 and later "Magnum" heads will give a nice power boost and will bolt up to older blocks, but you'll need a Magnum style intake as well. The 1992 and later 318 and 360 Magnum engines are plentiful in junkyards in trucks and Jeep Cherokees. Again, the 360 makes more grunt. # 5. Big-block Mopar. Forget the early '60s 361, 413 and 426 wedge engines. They are moon rocks. This leaves you the 383 made from 1963-71, the 400 made from 1972-78 and the 440 made from 1967-78. There is a ton of speed equipment available for these engines, and kits to stroke a 400 to 451 inches or a 440 to 505. # 6. Oldsmobile. Unless your restoring a 1964 442 for concours, forget the 330 V8, their scarce and overpriced. The 350 used from 1968-1980 is a much better choice and a lot more plentiful. The 403 used from 1977-79 is a bored-out 350. This was GM's "Corporate" big-block and was used in 88s,98s,wagons,Buick Rivieras and station wagons, as well as some Pontiac Firebirds, so there fairly plentiful even though they were only made for 3 years. They will bolt right in place of a 350 or the useless 260 and 307 "smog" motors of the '80's. Might make for a good sleeper in a Cutlass or Omega. The 400 used from 1965-69 is fine if you have one; but I wouldn't go looking for one. If your restoring a '66 Toronado or if you have one in the car already, the 425 is ok, and like the 400, a lot of parts interchange with a 455, but I wouldn't waste time trying to find one; the 455 used from 1968-76 is a much better and more plentiful choice. Since their is a ton of Ford offerings I'll touch on them in the next post, as well as Buick and AMC offerings. Mastermind