What you say about the availability of engines in the South is true. We moved to Winston-Salem NC for a year, and the first thing I noticed it that there were very few used engines to be found, especially at a good price.

After awhile I figured out one possible reason. Your cars don't rust out, like I was used to in the North, so you tend to keep them on the road a lot longer. Up North the bodies and frames would fall apart but the engines were still in good shape, so we had lots of cheaper engines to pick from. When I lived in Pennsylvania I owned a lot of cars that wouldn't pass inspection due to rusted out frames, but the engines ran like a clock.

Regarding the truck-ish grind of the marine engine, I think that is correct also. A few years ago I rebuilt an S 10 4.3 to put in my one boat, and left the truck cam in it. The profile worked out perfect, and the boat tops out right at 4600, where it was supposed to.


Don