buying a used engine

[taildragger]

if i were to buy a pulled late model chevy engine what should i be looking for, ie what should cause me to shy away from a deal. And does anyone know how hard it is to wire a vortec engne in, or would i be better off getting a 350 crate and putting howell or pulling a chevy fuel injection system and putting it on. Im also interested in which engine/fuel injection combo would have more economy and power

 

[scott anderson]

i think i like the idea of buying a crate motor and putting fi on it...the guy at this site seems real reasonable.

scott
http://www.customefis.com/TPIKIT.html

 

[PavementPounder]

Ugh!

Anything that says Ch*vy would make ~me~ shy away immediately! You'll spend a lot on adapters, mounts, etc. I'd just look for an AMC mill and add the Howell, Holley Commander system, or a GM TBI.

 

[taildragger]

engine

allright i might as well tell why im asking about these engines before this turns into a pro amc jeepers argument. 1) my 258 seems like its going to cost more to do the 4L head, rebuild, and fuel inject than its going to be worth. The reason im not really looking to getting an amc engine is because i think that later on from now im going to have problems getting parts in small towns where and if i break down, whereas with a chevy i can get parts for the engines just about anywhere i go. Im also changing out the tranny, so id either end up with a sm465 or np435, unless i found a killer deal on a nv4500. So im not to worried about adapters, and i do realize that right off the bat that i will probably spend more on the chevy than doing an amc 360 or 304

 

[PavementPounder]

Your "small town" example is a very realistic possibility that I can't really argue against. We're lucky that most of the external and replaceable service items are from other makes. However, AMC part availability isn't that bad if you know where to look. Check out this List that was recently posted on the AMC-List. I was really surprised to find a tranny guru in my immediate area.

http://www.matadorcoupe.com/vendor.htm

Jeep owners will help keep the AMC suppliers in business and while your Chevy arguements are very valid, the reality is that suppliers won't continue to supply us if more people take that route over time. However, there has been talk of companies like Indy preparing to manufacture new AMC blocks and major components, just like Indian Adventures and folks like Jim Butler do with Pontiacs.

I'm sure we'll be having similar discussions about internal-combustion engines in the coming years.