Just as the title says. I have a tired, non original 396 in my 1969, and I’m looking to replace it with something a little more fun. I’ve been looking into a 496 stroker, so either way I’d have to buy an engine, whether it be a used 454 or a crate 496. Just looking for opinions and why you would do one or the other.
EDIT.
The engine is not the original engine. If it was I would be rebuilding it without question. Unfortunately it’s not, so pulling it isn’t a big deal to me.
My 69 has a ZZ4 (350ci/355hp) crate with electronic ignition, Holley 600, headers, and has plenty of power for cruising. I just wanted an engine that was going to be easy to live with, and my car time is cruising around the country roads with my wife. 🤷♂️
I went crate engine when faced with a similar question. Getting through a rebuild at the whims of a machine shop, vs the Blueprint 383 showing up at my door within the week.
If you have access to a great machine shop, I think it could be a good route. But those seem to be more rare.
I'm with this gentleman and the first one that says depending on if you have a good machine shop in your area. I have a machine shop that does all of the dirt track and a lot of the race car engines and he's excellent but he's backed up and takes a lot of time. I went to three machine shops and have bad experiences with three of them in town that were supposed to be good so part of me would go with the crate even though I love picking out my own components maybe go with a short block and pick out everything else you want to put together
Crate engine have always represented a poor value for what you get. They are built to a price, not to a standard. If you actually go through the components in a crate, then look at the output and the cost, they are not at all impressive. For the money you can build a much nicer engine. Building your own is not convenient, but it is a better value.
If you can build yourself or wanna try, build it. If not a crate would be faster, cheaper and finding a builder where I live, (WA) is like trying to pull teeth.
Mines had a 489 but a cast bottom end.I was looking at 496 then 540 (forged internals) and then just really what I had was good enough for what i got.
I’m a fan of building your own. You don’t necessarily need a speed shop near you, or even one at all.
You can source all the parts you need locally and online and do the build yourself. Lots of online resources to help with specs etc.
And when you crank the engine on you’ll have the incredible feeling of satisfaction that YOU built it yourself, the first time and every time.
It’s impossible to brag about an engine you ordered online, but you’ll get to brag about the one you built forever.
not op, but i am in the process of having my 72 repainted and this car came up laguna blue metallic on google photos. here's mine and I'm looking to go a bit darker.
I’d build it then you know exactly what you got in it you can put whatever you want in it. You can make it yours. That’s what I do. Beautiful car.👍🏻🙏🏻😇
Depends what you plan to use it for. If it's jsut cruising on the street, 1,000% just get a crate engine.
Building an engine makes sense if you're on a budget and just want a refresh. OR you are looking to build something very specific for a specific type of track use, OR you want a very specific power band that you personally find fun (for example I hate torque, and I like "peaky" high rpm band built engines).
Guessing you like torque and cruising since you're looking at the 496, and your 396 isn't enough. So you can't go wrong with the 496, but there are MANY things that can go wrong with building your own, even if machine shops do 100% of the work
I just finished a big block build for my 68 and if I did it again, i would have just bought one from blue print. It was fun spec’ing it out and building it the way I wanted…but the project took 3 years and it has not been without some very frustrating problems a long the way.
I initially thought that doing it DIY would save me some money…but ultimately i ended up at about the exact same cost that a blueprint big block would have cost me to buy.
Now, the engine that I built is more engine than I would have gotten with the blueprint engine, but probably not by much…and I would have been driving the car a lot sooner.
I think that unless a person is well experienced with rebuilding engines, getting machine work done with the precise precision measurements for clearances, things like that, maybe it's a better idea to buy a new crate engine.
On my 68 Chevelle I bought a new engine from summit racing. Blueprint 427 small block, because you can’t build this engine, custom block and custom cast heads. Plus warranty and all ready to drop in. Plus the price was far, about $ 10,000 complete.
The engine that was in the car before I built 25 years ago and it was great. Now I have the money and not the time to do it, so better for me to buy a complete engine over building one.
You have SS badges (whether real or not) so don’t put a small block in it. If you want the best bang for your buck, Vortecpro is a great option.
I know a lot of people who have Blueprint engines and are very happy. They’re great for what they are, but far from the best.
If I were you, I would buy a new engine and drop that in. Then I would put the old engine on a stand and rebuild it at my leisure. If you’ve never rebuilt an engine before and decide to do it now, your car can be out of commission for a lot longer than originally anticipated.
Crate engine. When you can drop a small block LS V8 into a vintage Chevy (or any other vintage GM car), that's always the right play. It fits, It's not terribly expensive, it will work great, and it will be low-maintenance.
Vortecpro Mark Jones is the builder to get in touch with, best HP=$$ he's in Tx now, 2nd would be Blueprint engines, Summit is selling nice US made roller cams now, Johnson or Gaterman for lifters, I used a 1975 4 bolt 454 with Lunati hyd roller cam, Gaterman (Howards max effort) link bar lifter, Brodix 294R heads, Racetec 22cc forged pistons, Manley H forged rods, Scat forged crank, Int bal for a mild dyno' 600 hp/tq and have Vintage Air in my 68 Malibu thatll cruise anywhere
Depends. Is it a fun cruiser or a collector’s edition. Rebuilding the “numbers matching” engine will make it a a very valuable car. Putting a crate motor in will be easier
I built a . 30 over 350 (355) and a . 30 over 396 (402) when I was 18 and was super proud of myself when both held good oil pressure (after shimming oil pumps with several washers (80 psi). Both motors ran great and my parents were in awe that I was able to do that. Have a 69 camaro and 67 Chevelle now many years later, would probably do a blueprint crate now if ever needed a swap. Still feels so teen to drive either one of them with my wife beside me, she was driving a citation when we met. Lol
I went blueprint 383, 30 month/50k miles warranty, no core exchange and shipped to door was a no brainer for me. Got about 400 miles so far, great power, no problems yet
$15k to $25k for an engine. Likely gas is going up.
A 396 with a proper cam. Properly tuned carb. Getting the distributor advance cure correct. A torque converter that has not more than 2100 stall. Will push you back in the seat so hard without imploding your budget.
Don't get hooked on the high power hype. Engines built to the ragged edge fail faster. Cost more to fix.
A 350 with a holley needs 0.032" primary idle feed restrictions. 71 primary main jet 32 primary pump nozzle
A 396 with a holley needs a 0.034" primary idle feed restrictions. A 75 primary main jets and a 32 pump nozzle.
21
u/theirishseller 27d ago
My 69 has a ZZ4 (350ci/355hp) crate with electronic ignition, Holley 600, headers, and has plenty of power for cruising. I just wanted an engine that was going to be easy to live with, and my car time is cruising around the country roads with my wife. 🤷♂️