Not sure what to do with motor???

i have a 69 chevy C-10 with a 305 in it. i would like to get a rebuilt 350 in it. i will have about $1600 to mess with the motor. i haev been told to try to find a rebuilt 383 and save money a little bit longer and buy that. it will be my daily driver. i would like reliabilty plus hp. but i would like it to be able to drive on the highway with having to stop at every gas station. would it be unneccesary to get a 383 u tihnk. one more question. what exactly would YOU get if u had 1600-1900 to mess with. i dont have the tools or time to put it in myself so consider that too. thank you for everybody who gives there time.

austin

I think I would probably just keep saving my money til I had enough to put a brand new from Chebbie 350 crate motor. I'm not a chebbie guy, so maybe some of the others can tell you what a motor will cost ya.

280 sumtin hp GM crate engine is 1,400 but, he would have to put a few parts on it cause the engines not compleate. I do belive it's intake, carb, V covers and a few other small things.

Save your money.

Sky is the limit 69chevypkup, any engine can be built up. I would also say that any motor can be driven everyday if it is built well. I know a guy here in town that drives his 600 hp pro-stock malibu everyday to work, rain or shine. Here is a pic of him during our fall cruise in that ended up in the rain, 300 mile round trip:

If it was me, and i was building a chevy, it would probably be a 400. Lots of aftermarket mods, good HP potential, and it is nostalgic, like your truck.

Yeah, I know I am a Ford guy

But I recently built a 400 SBC for my littlest brothers Chebby Luv after he blew the 350. Personally, if I had that truck I'd look for a good used 400, rent an engine hoist, swap motors and then put on add ons like a decent manifold and carb, headers, etc, etc. You can't not beat cubic inches unless you are willing to spend cubic yards of money.

thank you everyone for your post. and do u know how much a decent rebuilt 400 goes for. and how much HP does it push out stock. well anyways thank you again.

Austin

Austin, buddy


you dopn't necessarily need a rebuilt 400. A good used one from a reputiable salvage yard would do just fine. Hotrodders have been doing that since the beginning.

I go along with streets on this one - but i think $500 is more what a bone yard will want. If you want to daily driver it, stay with 75 and newer (hardened valve seats for unleaded gas). If you want more oomph, then while the motor is out get some cast iron vortec heads and intake ($700 or so). This stays with in your budget, lets you see in side the motor, and the vortec heads and an alum intake (with proper head gasket for 9 or 9.5 compression) gets you about the best you can have. you can put in a decent cam too, for another $100.

Modding a high-er mileage motor used bto be a no-no, but seems to be much more common these days, and unless you go nuts (nitrous, blower, etc) you should be fine.