I'm gonna have to start going to "engine buyers anonymous" meetings. Yesterday I inventoried all my small block chevy engines...all 5 of 'em and I also have 2 flatheads. Well, today at work I finally got a price from my boss for his rebuilt 71 caddy 472 motor ....he said $200 and I couldn't get my money out fast enough. I now own that caddy motor. The plan is to buy the $40 adapter to bolt it up against the 350 turbo in my 46 chevy 4X4 pickup. The present 350 in my 46 is getting a bit long in the tooth...has blow-by and it's a leaker all over my pretty new driveway. I've been looking for a good caddy motor for the truck....but damn! I really need to get rid of some SBCs..... I dunno why I can't just sell them. I have a sentimental attachment to all of 'em except the doggy 305 roller motor and I can't GIVE it away! I plan to build a 301 from one of my 283s but do I really need 3, 283s? I guess I do. Just in case I get tired of having a flathead in my 34, 5 window... I'm a sick man.... I suppose I should sell off the 350 outta my old 74 'vette to start off the selling frenzy but I was thinking I might need it in case I get tired of the 301.....Jesus.....this is stupid.
Holy shit, Rusty.....I've even involved you in my sickness......you bought my old poncho 389 for your 38 ford coupe....and Tuck ended up with my old 331 hemi...and a few more .......corncobcoupe got my 500 caddy motor...and........
Nah...it was in a 71 caddy that my boss bought for a demo car.....he likes to use SBCs in his demo cars because he can set the little engines a lot further back in the car...leaves more crunch room for those front-end bashes. The caddy's previous owner had the engine gone through about 30,000 miles ago and then got rear-ended or T-boned.....instant demo car!
Uhh...I know what you mean...I seem to have "some" Pontiac engines. I won't say how many, but I am in double digits... -Abone.
You are not alone... Me and my dad combined in one garage have this: FoMoCo: 59AB Flatty 8BA Flatty 78' 351W Pontiac: 66' 389 68' 400 68' 350 70' 455 SBC: 63' 283 ChrisCraft Marine 69' 307 68' 327 65' 327 73' 350 (X's 2) 71' 307 74' 350 4bolt 78' 350 4bolt 83' 350 "Targetmaster" crate motor 1800 miles 86' 305 TPI 87' 350 TBI 92' 350 TBI 94' 350 LT-1 BBC: 68 L-88 427 72' 402 71' 454 76' 454
Sometimes they are just too cheap to pass up. I bought a 350 fron a rolled '73 Chevrolet PU with a 4 speed truck tranny on the back for $200, sold the trans for $75. So I have a 350 for $125. A week later a guy tells me about a 283 that he pulled out of a junked farm truck with 39 thousand on the clock for $100. With all the stock car fellows around here sbcs are getting a little hard to find.
well shoot....anyone need another 283 rebuild??? I just picked one up for $25. Why? I dont know..probably because it was only $25. Where will I put it? I dont know probabaly next to the two extra transmissions I have sitting in my one car garage. Keep in mind I also have my 56 chevy in there which I have to work on while squeezing past all this stuff.
I dream about cars .I have my family on trips bird dogging for cars in fields .I am passing this crap down to my child .But we all have fun and love doing it.My 2 cents
Rocky, here want a couple more? I'm the pusher man tonight. I'm going the other direction giving away a couple of Studebaker motors to good homes if anybody wants some. (1) 289 V8 full flow that is all together and supposed to have "ran well when pulled" before I go it. Looks good from the outside and not all rusted up, etc. (1) '50 Champ 170 ci flat 6 that did run ok before I pulled it complete with 4spd truck trans. about 5 years ago. Comes with 1/4" full coat of vintage protective grease. Both have been in interior storage and great shape as long as I have had them. Don't want to hijack the thread, so PM me if interested. Not looking for cash, just good homes and no BS pain in ass stuff in return. No shipping unless someone wants to do a hamb relay for you and comes and gets it or I can maybe, (MAYBE!), deliver it not too far from Berkeley/Oakland.
Repeat after me "I'm not crazy......engines are good". I think of it more as an addiction. Some people take in stray animals and some of us take in engines. What's wrong with that? I counted 13 engines in my 24 X 24' garage recently. I certainly will never be able to use them all in my lifetime. And a couple of them are too far gone to even be rebuilt. Of course my wife doesn't understand so now I wait until she goes shopping to sneak an engine home. Is there a self-help group or a hotline I can call?
Between my dad and I we surpass this. About the same line-up of motors just add 3-4 Nailheads and one 331 Hemi. Too many, but have plans for most of them. He's 72 and I'm 47, don't think we will use them all.
Rocky, you can never have enough hot rod parts. Especially engines. Never know when your gonna need a part off of one or a rebuildable core when you scatter one on the strip. Hot rod stuff is GOOD!!!
WE'RE ALL SICK and we seem to have no problem puttin more on the pile....if i would quit draggin stuff home...maybe my cars would get done....
Yep . . . you're definitely a sick man . . . just like the rest of us! I have about 7+ good flathead blocks (and I still look for them!) and a few 392 Hemis. Even though I have more than enough for two lifetimes, I can't help but still look for good flatheads at decent prices. It is near impossible to find good 392's at decent prices - pretty much gave up on those. Then of course there are all the flatheads parts to go with them! How many Merc cranks and sets of 21A or 91A stroker rods does one guy really need? But . . . since I have all those rods, better stock up on full-floater bearings for them --- 'just in case I need them'. Then there are flathead heads . . . manifolds . . . lets not forget CAMS (don't take up much room - can never have too many good ole' race grinds can yah?). It is a sickness . . . one that most of us have on the HAMB. And if you don't have it today (due to lack of storage space) - the minute you acquire more space, then the sickness will grow at an ever increasing rate . . . Hording bastards
you cant get past this, it just changes directions. I ran out of room for more engines, I have enough to twin engine all 5 of my cars. so no more engines....now I seem to be collecting four speeds...had two, then 3...now 5.....arghhhhhhh, but hey they take up less space
Rocky, I wouldn't be pushing that 472 very hard against the T-350. Unless that trans is super built it'll never hold up to that engine. Add Edelbrock 2115 intake and have 540 lbs. of torque and watch the parts fly. Got one myself but I like my M-22 Muncie too much to use that engine with it. Looks like I gotta start buying a bunch of engines before you guys have em all
My wife just told me . . . that it is a proven fact that if you put TWO flatheads in your garage -- that the bastards will mate and reproduce -- then there are 3, 4, 5 . . . it never stops . . . Just like rabbits, you can't stop em' once you have em . . .
With todays gas, the '71-'73 Caddy motors are the prime for me when it comes to Caddy's. You did good. That Turbo 350 might need a real rebuild though since the Caddy motor doesn't really seem to care what's behind it.
Yeah? Well, I'm not helping you this time. Last time I came to your house I ended up with all this stuff!...It's dangerous for me to come down there.
Yea I've got the motor fetish also. 3-'56 265's 3-nailheads 2- 57 283 blocks. Still looking for a flathead and a 331 Caddy, plus a Hemi would be nice.
ya it sucks ,,,2 327s,2 427s,1 v6 4.3,2 pont 455,1 olds 455.2 nailheads,5 model a, keep thinkin ya gonna put that in a car 1 day.................oh well there cool to look at..........lets not even talk about cars or that two wheeled stuff,,,,,,,,,sick cant say no
So it's a sickness? Guess I need to join FA (flatheads anominus). In the last year I've ended up with 6 on the floor + 1 model B to go with the 2 in running cars. Seems every time I take one of the cars out someone will tell me they have or knows someone with a flatty they need to get rid of. I've had a couple just given to me, "street rodders" that don't want this "old junk", gotta love it!