Yesterday I picked up a '73 455 at a junk yard to rebuild and put in my '66 skylark. Well, while I was there, I found a '70 350 4 brl. (285 hp) w/350 trans. The guy said it ran when he got it in and he'd let me have it for $350. Since I'm doing a complete restification money is definately an issue and I started thinking maybe I should just go with the 350 and do a basic rebuild with a cam upgrade and then look for more performance later. Anyhow, I can't decide which motor to go with. I'm shooting for a car that could run twelves in the quarter and still drive to the mountains with the family on weekends. My wife says I should just build the 455 now instead of doing one motor now and another one later but what if the 350 could satisfy my needs? Since you guys know these motors what do you think? Mike C. '66 skylark conv. 455 or 350???
I think if you want to run 12's, and also have a good family road cruiser, you'll want to go with the 455 buildup. A 350 can run 12's, but I think you will suffer for it when driving the family around...
Your wifes gotta point...you'll spend less in the long run only building one engine. Plus saves yourself the trouble of doing all the work twice. Go with the 455.
Yah, I guess I was just looking to get the car on the road sooner as the cost of building the 455 will definately slow me down but I suppose I should just be patient and do it right and do it once. Thanks for the reality check. Mike c.
I'm just fascinated to hear that you have a wife that cares enough to let you build the bigger motor. It's hard enough to get away from mine to get into the garage, let alone work on the car!!
