I am looking at a 1967 427/435 NOM (tripower) car that was supposedly originally a 427/390 car.

I live in the south where it gets hot and am pretty much limited to 93 octane fuel. The seller has no idea what internal mods if any were made to the L71 and I do not believe it to be a 67 block (maybe 68 or 69 if they were made then). My past experience with high compression engines, limited fuel availability, and the Georgia heat have not been great.

My thoughts are that since the motor is NOM no matter how you slice it , that I could substitute a newer generation ZZ454 or 502 with later generation fuel injection and 5 speed Tremac along with cooling upgrades and have a well behaved BB car.

I know this offends the very notion of preserving the car, but short of finding a correctly dated L36, this car will never be correct.

Therefore, I have a pretty good idea what the new engine/tranny will cost, so now I need to figure out just how much I'm willing to pay for this car, knowing what I plan to do to it.

Bottomline..... how much could I reasonably expect to get for a 427/435 L71 that is a non 67 block, correct Winters intake and Holley carbs, that is running well, with little knowledge as to it's history?

I know some will see this as a downgrade, and others will see it as an upgrade ....I understand and appreciate both points of view.

Any thoughts/comments welcomed...

Keith

 

date codes, all casting numbers and stamps correlate with the value of a engine. you might be looking at a service replacement short block with the original top half.

 

Good point! Due to this car not being local to me (immediate stamping/numbers availability) I think I would have to assume more of a "worse case" scenario that the block, heads, and tripower setup might be from various cars in coming up with a conservative estimate on what I can expect out of it.

Many thanks for the reply!

Keith

 

what that car is worth all depends on how it fares out after an inspection by someone with knowledge of these cars
the benefit is that it is bb equipped and a crate will fit right in
you could store the old engine and sell it for good money if it does have desireable #'s
have someone look at it unless you trust your own judgement
price 50-55 tops if a solid honest driver...jmo

im assuming it's a convertible

 

Many thanks for the reply Midyearvette....your pricing is in keeping with my offer so I don't think I'm that far off and the seller is crystal clear in this being a NOM....so no "delusions of grandeur" on his part when it comes to pricing.

I suppose worse case, the block, heads, and intake/carb setup could be separated and sold independently if they are from various performace car heritages and if I get lucky and they are numbers matching for a complete 427/435 engine assembly, then I might even do a little better.

BTW....there are actually 2 cars...one coupe, and one roadster....both 427/435 NOM.....roadster is original BB car, coupe is SB car.....thus my interest in the roadster since it was originally a BB car and should accept the crate "transplant" with less issues.

Thanks again for your reply!

Keith

 

Might even be a 454..did you check the block casting number and date?

Why would a newer crate motor run cooler than a old BB? Drive it for a while, then stop and let it idle for a while...if it does not pop its cork, you are ok!!

 

If this is an original big block car, with a NOM big block tri-power, and if everything else about the car is good (body, frame, birdcage, etc.), I would think this is more than a 50k driver. Why pull out the BB for a crate engine if the BB is ok? A BB is going to overheat whether it's an original 427/435 or a brand new 502. Power creates heat. If you are doing cooling upgrades, it's doesn't make any difference. Good luck.

 

nick..are you still having cooling problems??.....

 

Hello Mike....

I see from your profile you are running a 454 with 435 heads....sounds like a nice setup and maybe this is what is in the car. Bottom line, I'm going to have to travel and check the casting numbers...not sure about getting the numbers off the heads....I assume the valve covers will have to come off for that. If we are close in price (i.e. I'm not paying for a numbers matching L71) and it's running well....not as concerned...when I get it home...I can sort it out.

As to the crate motors running cooler, I assume with some of the newer technology and lower compression that the engines are running somewhat cooler....i.e. newer gen block running an aftermarket radiator and electric fans allong with pretty eficient fuel injection should combine to run cooler than say an original big block, stock radiator setup.....am I wrong here???

Thanks for the reply!

Keith

 

Nick....

I see where you are going....I just am not sure what's under the hood engine wise and thought I would figure a "worse case" scenario where I put something like a ZZ502/5 speed/FI under the hood and called it a day.....that's sort of how I priced it...thinking I would perhaps sell the present motor and start over since I know nothing about whats been done to it if anything...the owner seems like a "straight shooter" and has told me he has no history on whats been done. If the engine is cherry, then your right, maybe I could look at some cooling improvements if necessary (radiator, elec fans, etc) and not worry about the motor right now.

Thanks again for your insight!

Keith

 

Hi Frank...yeah, still having some overheating problems...not as bad as before once I got the timing issues straightened out, but it's still problematic. Symptoms same as before...runs all day at 160 until I stop for gas or a long light, then it heats up above 210 in a hurry. If I get back out and run it, then it drops back down again, but if it's stop and go, it's mostly stop. Power creates heat? Oh well, it's almost winter and she's going sleepy bye for a few months...see how she behaves next spring. Thanks for asking...Nick

 

Keith...never plan "worst case" without planning for "best case" too...let's all cross your fingers that you get what you want, whatever that is cause both "cases" sound good! Nick