It's Ok to "Run what you Brung!"

I've had a few people voice confusion over my advice on which engines to use in their musclecar projects, so I thought I'd clear things up. # 1. Obviously, unless your Camaro, Firebird, Mustang, Challenger, etc is a six-cylinder model that you bought with an engine swap in mind, the easiest and least expensive way is to use the engine that came in the car. For example, there's nothing wrong with a 350 Pontiac; They run as good or better than a 350 Chevy in stock trim, and respond well to the old hot-rod tricks-intake,exhaust,cam etc. However, if the car is missing the original engine, or needs to be replaced anyway-i.e.-a cracked block,or other damage- a 400 costs no more to buy or build, and either stock or modified makes substantially more power with the same equipment. Ditto for a 318 Chrysler-their bulletproof-in fact the 318 is Chrysler's lowest-warranty claim engine in history. In a light car-Duster, Dart etc-they can really run. But in a heavier car like a Charger or Road Runner or again-if the engine needs to replaced, be it a junkyard engine or a "Remanufactured" parts-house long block, the 360 costs no more to buy or build but makes substantially more power and torque with the same equipment. That's all I was saying. # 2. I said the 454 Chevy offered the most bang for the buck of all the big-block Chevys. This is true. If you buy a new GM crate motor the 454HO has 425 hp and 500 lbs ft of torque and retails for $5995. The 500 hp, 502 Deluxe retails for $8995. 3 grand for 75 hp??!!  Hello? You can get 75 extra hp out of a Rat motor for a lot less than 3 grand!!!  And yes, a 454 will make more power than a 396, all other things being equal. And because they were used in trucks until the late '90's they are a lot easier to find in junkyards and usually cheaper to buy than a 396/402/427 which is only sought after by people restoring a pre-1972 SS Chevelle, Impala, Camaro,Nova or Corvette and are usually overpriced, if you can find one for sale at all. That's what I meant.  However-that aside-If you buy a Chevy and it has a 396/402/427 under the hood, by all means use it!!  # 3. Remember "Biggest Motor you can Afford?"  By afford I mean again-the most bang for the buck. Here's a few examples. Let's say you have a 1970 Olds Cutlass with a 350 V8. You have $2,000 to spend on getting some extra power. Adding an Edelbrock Performer intake and matching cam, a set of headers and dual exhausts, a slightly higher than stock stall speed converter and swapping the 2.73 gears for 3.55s will make the car run a lot faster than buying a stock, maybe in need of a rebuild, used 455 for the same 2k. The same goes if you have a 1969 Mustang with a 302. Adding a performance Intake, exhaust, cam, gears, etc will give a great performance increase and cost less and be a lot less hassle than trying to buy, build and install a 351W or 351C.  On the other hand, if you buy a Camaro with a 305,unless your stone broke, the first thing I would do is start looking for a 350. The reason is 350's are the proverbial dime a dozen, and a stock 350 will run away from an identical vehicle with a 305. Modified, the gap really widens. You can build a 450 hp 350 Chevy so cheap and easy it's not funny. No matter how much money you have, you'd be very hard pressed to get 450 hp out of a 305, and it still wouldn't have the torque and drivability of the 350. That's what I was saying. # 4. "Bang for the Buck" on every part. People were confused on whether or not they should buy aftermarket heads. It depends on the situation. Here's two good examples. # 1. Your rebuilding a small-block Chevy. The short block is in excellent shape and your just freshening it with rings and bearings and an oil pump, but the valve guides are shot and you have a blown head gasket. You can buy a complete brand-new set of Vortec heads from GMPP for $650 that will add 40 hp. Most machine shops would charge $500-600 to redo your old heads, and they won't offer the power boost of the Vortecs. You'll need a Vortec-style intake, but Edelbrock and Weiand sell them for about $200, and chances are you were going to put an aftermarket intake on the engine anyway! In this case, the aftermarket heads are a screaming deal, and you'd be stupid to do anything else. # 2. You have a late-'70's Trans-Am with an L78 400 Pontiac engine. Edelbrock aluminum heads are great, but they cost $1995 per pair for Pontiacs. For 2 grand you could get a carb and intake, a cam, headers and dual exhaust and swap the 2.56:1 gear for some 3.23s or 3.42s. That's going to make the car go a lot faster than just bolting the Edelbrock heads on the otherwise stock engine. See what I'm saying?  It's all about horsepower per dollar investment. Hope that cleared thing up. Mastermind