As I am on a budget build for my rambler, ($15,000 including the car) I'm having some trouble picking out a engine. This will be a daily driven car and will have to be backed up by a auto. ($1,000 just for the engine, no trans or rebuild) Oh yea, must be a v8.
sbc are plentiful and relatively inexpensive. Many times you can find a running ,driving car and get the engine & transmission fro a grand. HRP
It's an unanswerable question as presented. I bought a parts car for $1000. It had a 389 backed by an M21. I took the drivetrain out and sold the rest for more than my initial investment. Are you asking for a new out of the box engine? If so and you are on a budget I would suggest that there are less expensive ways to do it.
A visually seen good running small block chevy should fit that easily. I bought a stock 66 327 that was in a good running daily driver impala, complete, for 600 a couple years ago. Guy just wanted to upgrade.. Wanting something different is fine as well, i'm sure you can find a 302 out of an f150 or crown vic cheap as well. Im just a chevy guy so i always lean that way. Tony
304 or 360 out of a jeep. Keep it all amc. If you find a 401 or 70 390 they have forged rods and crank. Also amc motors have more head bolts than a chevy. You can probably find a running wagoneer for less than 1000 and part the rest out. A 360 is a pretty tough motor to boot
so, after buying your Rambler how much do you have left to spend? you said that you wanted a deal on a V8, then say that not a 327 or 350. so, how about a 302? small block Chevys & Fords are plentiful, and so are lower cost parts for them. if you go with a Buick, etc harder to get and parts not as plentiful. your best bet is not to close the door on anything at this point. keep your eyes open - search ads here, put a Wanted Ad here, craigslist, etc. several years ago I found a ad for a 327 for $300 in one of those advertising booklets that show up in the mail. turned out that it was a fresh built/blueprinted 1965 365Hp by one of the top engine builders in my area. guy had bills to pay, needed cash. as for $15K budget, to you and others that is pretty basic. I have owned and built many cars and have never had that much invested in any of them. have fun and keep us posted on the progress of your project.
My choice, if it was mine, would be a Mopar 318 with the early overdrive auto from a late 80's- early 90's 1/2 ton. Should be easy to find and very dependable. Yes they are throttle body injection but the older carb. intakes will bolt on and the o/d and lockup torque converter can be activated without a computer. Or just an older 318 with a 727 or 904 trans if you don't want to mess with changing things or o/d.
i would think it depends on what you can find in your price range. If you don't want a Chevy you shouldn't nail your self down to any specific make. I might look at 302 Fords or 318 MoPars. What ever you find that you like will work.
What does your cross member/suspension look like? Remember that the initial cost of the motor does not mean the final cost if you need to reverse the sump, change the oil pump, change the exhaust manifolds etc. Sometimes you spend more upfront but less overall if you spend some serious time taking careful measurements first. Are you keeping the stock suspension?
For $500 I picked up a stock '55 265, 4bbl w/rebuilt PG.....I took a compression check, disconnected the trans and dropped it into my '32 pickup.......so far, runs like a top! Was one of the easiest conversions I have done!
So, paint it gold and put some Rambler emblems on the valve covers. It will fool most of your friends until you can come up with some jing. Seriously! We used to do stuff like that all the time back in the day.
Pontiac 350 and 326 engines can be had from cheap to free in good running condition. They all use the '64 and later BOP (Buick Olds Pontiac) transmission bellhousing bolt pattern so you can use readily available TH400 and TH350 transmissions behind them. They're the same size externally as their bigger-cube brothers so many otherwise good running 350 and 326 engines are removed to bolt in 389, 400, 421, 428 and 455-cube units.
$12,000 left. I do have a 500hp 327 laying around, but as a high school student I would go broke in the matter of seconds from gas. Am thinking of a Buick 215 or a chevy 283. Nothing big power (under 350hp). I hear those 301 chevys are mean suckers.
Everyone in my area wants way too much for pontiac engines. I wouldn't buy it from those guys if the block was made out of solid gold!
I like the 302 ford and a AOD there cheap and all over the place. but on a budget its hard to beat a SBC. dont over look a 231 V-6 ther goood motors
https://columbus.craigslist.org/pts/4893210399.html My absolute favorite, add cheap 305 heads and a cam and you'll be really happy and cheap. Holy crap, check out them domed pistons http://zanesville.craigslist.org/for/4872830468.html http://dayton.craigslist.org/pts/4872027512.html https://columbus.craigslist.org/pts/4842201618.html https://columbus.craigslist.org/pts/4926026477.html https://columbus.craigslist.org/pts/4869395740.html http://dayton.craigslist.org/pts/4927928926.html
Here's an idea. If you ask around I'm sure you could find somebody who would GIVE you a 307 Chevy. There are a few threads on here on how to build one its way under 350 H.P. and no one will know it's not a 350.
http://youngstown.craigslist.org/pts/4925841346.html Pppfffft kids don't know how to shop. Oh and if you chose the right stuff 330 hp out of 307 is almost as easy as falling off a log, falling off a log is easier though.
Wants and needs are diametrically opposed at times. Keep the hood closed, and lie, like everyone else: My Harley's reliable. This here Camaro will do 0-60 in like 2 seconds, gets 35 mpg and will go over 200 mph. My kid is smarter than your dog. Cosmo
The 283 SBC is not particularly a good gas mileage engine. My '65 Studebaker came with a Canadian 283 and though reliable with parts readily available its gas mileage is not all that impressive.
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