[ChevLoRay]

I am limited in my skills, and facilities. I have a cousin who does all my mechanical work...and he's good. It is at his suggestion that the crate motor becomes a realistic option.

I'd really like to have a big block, anywhere from 396 to 454 cubic inches, with a thumpin' cam and a hint of an exhaust system. What I'd like to hear is anything that would sound like an engine on steroids. Lots of steroids. It isn't that the 40-series Flowmasters don't let me smile once in a while, I just want something that would put a grin from ear to ear, everytime I fire it up. That all equates to money. I can get some of what I want with the small block, and for my purposes, that would be enough. Do I want a stroked small block? Sure, it would be nice. I suspect that my block has been bored enough to clean it up, but there are no rebuilder tags on the block, so that is a guess. If it was "just cleaned up", I'm guessing .030 over, or a 355. .060 takes it to what? A dirt track builder I know suggested using 6-inch rods, but that's not a cheap option. So, that get's it back to the crate choices. I'd like the HT383 from GMPP. That's about $4K. So, buying the basic crate engine, with iron heads and 8.4CR, then adding the cam I want along with the intake, carb and headers is not too bad. I'm not wanting to shred the tires. I just want to enjoy the ride and bask in the reliability of a streetable engine. If I found one that was running and available....I'd consider it, too.


Too many options for my damaged brain.