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What mill is in your hot rod and why?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by willbierfarms, Jan 23, 2014.

  1. willbierfarms
    Joined: Oct 25, 2013
    Posts: 145

    willbierfarms
    Member
    from palmyra mo

    I've been wondering why we choose the engines for our hot rods that we do. I chose a Chevy ii banger cause its different and sounds cool plus it will take so many Chevy parts it makes for a cheap and nifty power plant. Why and what do you have and would you change it if you had the chance. I would run an offy if the budget was there
     
  2. Torkwrench
    Joined: Jan 28, 2005
    Posts: 2,713

    Torkwrench
    Member

    A 331 Caddy V8, out of a 54 Sedan DeVille. It's in my 34 Chevy coupe.

    The reason being that I bought a factory dual quad intake from a friend of mine in 1985. At the time, I didn't know what the intake fit, except that it was a GM intake, and it wasn't for a Chevy. It turned out that it was for a 57 El Dorado. In 1989 I found the engine to put the intake on. Then in 2007, I found the coupe to put the Caddy engine in. Last year I finally got the 34 into the fabrication shop and got started on it.
     

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    Last edited: Jan 23, 2014
  3. Deuce Daddy Don
    Joined: Apr 27, 2008
    Posts: 5,544

    Deuce Daddy Don
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Back in 1962, everybody was running Chevy V-8, I wanted to be different, so I bought a used 260 cid Cobra engine from Shelby when he was in Venice,Ca.---This turned out to be a very reliable choice & great performance too.:D
     

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  4. fsae0607
    Joined: Apr 3, 2012
    Posts: 872

    fsae0607
    Member

    I'll throw my decision for my mill-to-be out here.

    I am going to start building a 327 for my 61 GMC. Originally I wanted to try and hop-up the 305 V6 in it. After pricing out rebuild kits (that only one company makes) and how much money I would sink into it trying to get some performance, plus unavailability of major engine components, made my decision easy. I have a baby on the way, so cost was the primary driving factor. I also plan on driving my truck long distances, so reliability, in terms of being able to buy parts away from home at any parts store out in the sticks, was also a major factor.

    I know I'm going to catch flak for going with the bellybutton, but sometimes reality forces you to choose other options. My dad has a bunch of SBC's in storage, and is willing to give me a 327 for damn near nothing. At least with the 327, it'll be period-correct should someone have hot-rodded a truck like that back then.

    Lastly, going with a SBC just opens up so many doors when it comes time to choosing cams, bellhousings, trannies, etc. I'll be starting the engine build after Viva this year.

    That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
     

  5. nunattax
    Joined: Jan 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,052

    nunattax
    Member
    from IRELAND

    sbc , cause i hada rebuilt one in stock with edelbrock heads
     
  6. Now that's a cool story!!
     
  7. 348 Chevy because I already had it and I think they look cool in a hot rod.
     

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  8. dana barlow
    Joined: May 30, 2006
    Posts: 5,115

    dana barlow
    Member
    from Miami Fla.
    1. Y-blocks

    I built two rods when I was going to start 1959 highschool,well actuly one was a custom=Henry J with a V8 Olds Rocket and full custom body work by me,the Olds V8 was one my buddy n I got for his 40Ply coupe he had,but he had to go into the Navy an gave me that V8 becuz his Mom junked the 40coupe:eek:
    The other rod was a 1928"A" roadster that I was able to find a 292 Y-block Ford for from a 57 ford wreck. If I could of found a Studebaker V8 I would of used it,as I loved Studys,but the Ford Y was there for the getting.:D:cool: I still have the 28 but the "J" got stolden in 1965.
    The rebuild of my old hotrod is here;http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=793393
     
  9. pasadenahotrod
    Joined: Feb 13, 2007
    Posts: 11,775

    pasadenahotrod
    Member
    from Texas

    When I sold the 57 BelAir 2door sedan I kept the 327 I had built for it and the TH350. Both will find a new home in my old 23 T roadster replacing the 283 which died long ago or the 29 A Tudor.
    I bought a 250 L6 Chevy engine and TH350 from a friend when his car was totalled years ago. From a 30K rollover Nova it will find a home in either a 23 T roadster or ?
    Also have a fresh built 59AB I picked up a decade plus ago, bought a Flat-o-Matic kit and a C4 for it and it will live in a 23 T roadster or the 29 A Tudor.

    I've never been so engine poor in my life.
     
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2014
  10. xlr8er
    Joined: Jun 26, 2010
    Posts: 136

    xlr8er
    Member

    I went with a 59 Chevrolet 283 for my Model A hot rod. I went with sbc because they're cheap, reliable and since my car is sort of an old school style, that's what they would have used.
     
  11. mechanic58
    Joined: Mar 21, 2010
    Posts: 681

    mechanic58
    Member

    I'm running a '70 model 350 Olds - because it just happened to be what I had sitting around at the start of the project. But also because I already knew that I did NOT want to run a SBC - everyone has one and I didn't want my shit to look like everyone else's. I picked up the 350 for free. When I got it, it was installed in a '59 Chevrolet Apache Pickup that had been sitting in the woods here in Bremond for about 25 years. The engine was stuck when I pulled it. The truck's owner paid me to put it back on the road for him and I just happened to have a usable 307 Olds sitting in my shop, so I sold him that and he gave me the 350 after the job was done. I already had a neat set of valve covers for the Olds and I picked up a nice intake cheap on craigslist. The only thing I did to the engine was take it apart carefully and un-stuck it...cleaned it up and put a new timing chain in it and a gasket set - that's it. I'm sure it'll be a smoker, but I didn't want to blow my wad on the engine right off the bat. Once I get the car finished if I like it enough I'll yank it back out and fix it right.

    [​IMG]
     
  12. I'm using a bored out 347, '57 Pontiac engine [370 cu in] in my 34 ford coupe. In the past I've had 11 different 55-57 Pontiacs with all the different size Pontiac engines and grew to love 'em. In '57 Pontiac won the Datona 500 with this engine and in '58 Pontiac won their weight class in drag racing until the 60s when the 273 Barracuda had more advantage in that class...
    They're only marginally heavier than a SBC, and there is still a pretty good selection of speed and dress-up stuff for them.....and they'll bolt up to any modern GM manual tranny with the right factory bellhousing or aftermarket scattershield.
     

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  13. prpmmp
    Joined: Dec 12, 2011
    Posts: 1,129

    prpmmp
    Member

    My real 37 chevy truck has a SBC,My fake 32 3 window has a flatty. Pete
     
  14. Parts48
    Joined: Mar 28, 2008
    Posts: 1,579

    Parts48
    Member
    from Tucson, Az
    1. Hot Rod Veterans

    My 53 Jaguar XK120SE has a 350SBC as it was a racer all it's life as a racer converted to SBC (301) in 1956. I restored as it was then..it seemed to deserve it.
    1953 Studebaker has a 350SBC as it was that way when I got it. Now rebuilding as it rounded two cam lobes.
     
  15. Tjames
    Joined: May 26, 2013
    Posts: 51

    Tjames
    Member

    My mill of choice in my 41 ford Tudor is a 350 Chevy dressed like a 327 I built the car when I was 19 and its all I had . I'm building a 41 ford pickup for the wife and its mill will be a 230 inline Chevy (i got it for free). I'm also working on 52 ford panel truck for my uncle it will have 52 flathead iffy alum. heads and three deuces.

    Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
     
  16. 1971BB427
    Joined: Mar 6, 2010
    Posts: 8,717

    1971BB427
    Member
    from Oregon

    Many of my decisions for my engine choices, plus other major expenses on my hotrods are based on budget. Along with that I've always been a Chevy fan, so that fits well into my budget, since most SBC and BBC engines seem to be good values.
    So when I began building my Austin gasser I found a neighbor who's son had a reebuilt 327 SBC in the garage, and worked out a deal to purchase it. Right era engine, at a decent price. Perfect fit for me!
    When I started building my Falcon I wanted something with a ton of cubic inches, power, and torque, so naturally I started looking for a cheap BBC engine. A friend told me his dad had a good running 454 bored .040" over, and I struck a deal that was so cheap I couldn't buy a core engine for the price. Pulled it apart to do a quick check. Sold the heads for $300, and ended up into a 464 BBC for $200. Then did a build on it with new cam, Edelbrock heads, Weiand tunnel ram, twin Holleys, and got the brute I wanted, still well under my budget.
     
  17. 36tudordeluxe
    Joined: Oct 2, 2008
    Posts: 496

    36tudordeluxe
    Member

    276 Flathead, just seems like the right thing to do to an early Ford.
     

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  18. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    Stroked out 350 Chevy because it was a great deal and, at heart, I'm a Chevy fan. My dad was a Chevy man. The only car he ever bought, that wasn't a Chevy, was a 1999 Ford Crown Victoria. 4 months later he died.
     
  19. 54, 322 Nailhead in my 31 Model A, love the early engines.
     

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  20. In 1965 I bought a 57 Chevy from my best friend who was off to Viet Nam. That had a 348 w/Tri-power. Every other car I've built has had a small block Chevy, 1 265, a couple 327s, and several 350s including the one in my Roadster now. All my small blocks have had Rochester 2GC Tri-Power set ups, I love them and it's cheap and reliable and it's what I know how to build and fix. Here's the latest. 1992 center bolt 350 w/factory roller cam and 3 Rochesters. ;)
     

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  21. Sweet, very nice.
     
  22. hoodprop
    Joined: Oct 26, 2010
    Posts: 329

    hoodprop
    Member

    350 it is what I could afford.

    Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
     
  23. stimpy
    Joined: Apr 16, 2006
    Posts: 3,546

    stimpy

    I used to drag race Later model Pontiacs ( 69-78) and built some for others , so I have the spare blocks and heads laying around , the straight 8 would have been nice , but some times the need for speed takes over and I found out with my FIl's car ( him driving ) they have a low top end of 85ish mph pulling one of these hulks .. and I also wanted some reliablility for longer drives . I can slap a a pair of stato streak valve covers on and unless you look at the front ( water pump ) know one would know the difference or the size , so it could be a 326 or a 496 ..
     
  24. big duece
    Joined: Jul 28, 2008
    Posts: 6,830

    big duece
    Member
    from kansas

    I am using a 327 that my dad built back in the late 70's. I was in grade school and helped(watched) him assemble it. He let me load the lifters in stp oil, and got the feel of a torque wrench for the first time. That motor ended up in my 67 camaro in highschool, and now 27 years later, the same engine will be in my 32 project. Some things to me are priceless.
     
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2014
  25. norms30a
    Joined: Jul 17, 2008
    Posts: 588

    norms30a
    Member

    350 with some modifications because I grew up wearing out 283s, love em.
     
  26. r.l.r
    Joined: Dec 5, 2006
    Posts: 86

    r.l.r
    Member

    413 Wedge, because I could not afford a Hemi. The Wedges are also monsters in disguise that are a lot cooler than most people think.
     
  27. deucemac
    Joined: Aug 31, 2008
    Posts: 1,483

    deucemac
    Member

    I put a '56 354 Chrysler in my roadster because I got tired of "cookie Cutter' hot rods with 350/350 engine combos with milled air cleaners and valve covers. I originally set out to find a 291 DeSoto because I remember the Adams and Enriquez jr, fuler that used to rip peoples lips off! Couldn't find one usable and a friend called to ask if I found a hemi yet. He gave it to me as is was given to him. Turned out to be a 354 truck motor. Rebuilt it with gooooooood speed parts and have been driving the wheels of the car eve since. Got nothing againnst Chevys, but when I was a kid, we used all types of engines and it requires thought. Chryslers, Ford Y blocks, Cads, Olds, Pontiacs, Buicks, Studebakers, and even Packards. Hor rodding used to be creative not monkey see monkey do.
     
  28. daily_driver
    Joined: Jan 5, 2009
    Posts: 152

    daily_driver
    Member

    I've stil got the original yblock in my truck. It's done me good service over the years, so no need to change it. It's going to be getting a little cosmetic makeover soon along with a Fenton dual quad setup. My Nash roadster will be getting either an early nailhead or packard v8, I haven't decided which.-dd

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  29. Speed Gems
    Joined: Jul 17, 2012
    Posts: 6,433

    Speed Gems
    Member

    A 327 in my 49' Chevy Pickup because I was in high school when I built it ,it's what my dad had laying around and what I could afford to build. Not to hijack your thread because I can't answer the why or what they'd build if they did it again but check out this poll I did awhile back with almost 900 VOTES! :eek: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=793278
     
  30. I wanted to be different from the guys who want to be different, so I'm building a truck! When building a truck, one should use a truck engine, everyone else that wants a truck engine, seems to go with Cummins, so to be different I went with a Detroit Diesel. 6v53T, 318 cu. in. 2 cycle, 225hp
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb0ZGaGeAJM&list=PL1B10CB8DC1032DA8&index=4
    Yup, it's off topic!
     

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