Guys - The buyer of my modified '54 Kaiser - with a stock Chevy 350 and an Edelbrock four barrel (1406) - needs to know the HP for his insurance company and I haven't a clue. Any ideas would be appreciated!
Thanks Guys! I cobbled this one together from a block the machine shop had taking up space with parts I had plus the ones I didn't from Speedway in Lincoln. To be fair, I'll tell him 180.
If the block still has the suffix number on the pad on the front you could go off that but I'd bet 180 would be pretty close. Best part is that hopefully the suffix number came off something real boring as far as insurance companies are concerned. Came out of a 74 Chevy van is a lot less exciting than came out of a 74 Camaro.
I'm just a little curious as to which insurance company wants to know the horsepower. If you get into an accident, are they going to request a dyno pull before they will cover your loss?
....That's interesting for sure. They must know that almost everyone is going to either fudge that number or simply offer up some sort of "best guess" estimate.
I am sure with ANY insurance company, That if you have a big blown Hemi or BB. That it would be clause NOT to pay on a claim if you stated 180HP to keep cost down.
........Yeah, I get that for sure, but a normally aspirated SBC could be anything from a low compression 1975 era engine with 160 HP up to a 450 HP beast and outward appearance wouldn't belie the difference. I just found it interesting because my particular collector car insurance company has never asked, at least I don't remember them asking. I've had that policy on 3 cars for over 30 years so my memory of early questions is a bit fuzzy.
I mistakenly gave Hagerty a couple of engine pictures when I applied for insurance. My agent asked me a couple of times is it was a race engine... gulp... then they needed a FORD size to correlate it to so they think I run a 352 Ford in it. But never came out and asked for a HP rating.
If you paid 10,000 to build a 426 hemi then totaled the car would you like to get reimbursed for it,or would you take stock 318 money for it,and call it good?
This is a partial list from a Canadian "specialty" insurance co ... note the 700hp limit for stock or modified vehicles. I did some other Googling and it looks like there are a lot of companies that will refuse anything over 500hp and others that refuse anything over 580hp. I am not suggesting the OP's 350 is anywhere near those numbers, just pointing out that apparently hp numbers are an issue with some insurance companies. Vehicles that may not qualify Offering affordable, tailored insurance with agreed value coverage means there are some vehicles that don’t qualify, including: Vehicles used for camping, off-roading or utility purposes Late-model vehicles that have been highly customized for looks or performance (commonly referred to as “tuners”) Vehicles that are highly customized for appearance and suspension (commonly referred to as "lowriders") Commercial-use vehicles Motorcycles or scooters Replicas of the 1963-67 Shelby Cobra Vehicles that are used for racing, timed events, autocross or driver's education Vehicles modified with features such as a roll cage, wheelie casters, parachutes, nitrous components or modifications that permanently remove the roof and/or doors Vehicles with 700 hp or greater (manufactured or modified) Right-hand drive vehicles newer than 25 years, specifically those imported from Japan such as a Nissan Skyline, Toyota Supra or Toyota Land Cruiser Dune buggies Motorhomes or recreational vehicles
This was through my broker, she also was concerned that my car was not "finished" as it was in prime.
If your claim is a big buck $$$ one ? The insurance co will send their HIT MAN , it is his job to find a small loophole that will help them deny the claim. Was the engine modified? was the suspension changed? Was the welder certified? Was the serial number changed,modified,does it match the title ? the fine print list goes on and on, insurance is a gamble on a modified car !!! And how do I know all this ? I ran a auto body shop for 37 years , and saw this happen at least once or more every year . Please be careful,,,,,,,make sure you know where you and your insurance stand !!!
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