Quote:
Originally Posted by Branch68
Thanks for the thoughts. I spent some time doing a real price out what an rebuild/upgrade to the 12 bolt would look like...it gets more expensive than I thought. I think the 9" is worth the extra money in "resale" value and that I can just swap it when the time comes. I'll post the specifics on what I buy/build, but the $2500 all in from Strange looks hard to beat.
Those suspension setups look pretty awesome, but that is a bit of sticker shock for me. I should mention the truck does already have aftermarket front control arms. I'm not 100% positive, but they look like these from western-chassis. Not sure if they are any good...I will say they don't seem lightweight.
https://westernchassisinc.com/1963-7...Arm-Set-Lower/
https://westernchassisinc.com/1963-7...ntrol-Arm-Set/
Step68, I hear you on the LS. I've definitely thought about it. Is the lack reliability on 383s and 400s because they are carb'd? I was hoping injection would add some drivability. If I went LS, I'd would have to scrap the injection that I just built, and add on some more costs like headers, and an MS3, etc. I'll probably push out that decision until I get the suspension and rear-end figured out. I'm definitely open to it, but there is a cost/enjoyment balance somewhere in there. |
I hear ya on the sticker shock on the suspension. It seems like quite a bit, but if you figure in the cost of rebuilding and replacing all the stock stuff, the cost isn't as far off as you think, it's just all in one lump sum instead of spreading out the costs. But, I do understand everybody has to stay in a budget.
As for the 383/400 engine issues, part of it is carb issues, others seem to be valvetrain issues. Once you get to a certain point of power, and cam lift/duration, valvetrain stability comes into play. My buddy has a 650+hp 427 sbc. Everytime he drives it, something tends to break. He finally got it somewhat dependable, but he has close to $30K in it at this point!