Can skip down to my question if you want >>>>>

Hi guys. I'm new to the forum and fairly new to really understanding cars. I've been doing a lot of research to try to answer some of my own questions but it seems rather difficult to find information where it's broken down to a level beginners can understand.

I've always loved the look of the C3 Vettes and have been dreaming of getting one for years. I hope I don't upset people by saying I don't care if anything is original (matching engine numbers, matching interior, paint, etc.) and that being the case, I don't want to pay a huge premium just because everything on the car is how it was right out of the factory.

So I've been looking at maybe getting something pre 76', probably between 68 and 76...anddd I was thinking.

-------------------------Question--------------------------

Could I buy something around 10 grand or under (probably means a fairly low end motor for these cars) and replace the engine with some sort of crate engine? I know there's lots of details I need to learn but I'm just wondering if replacing the engine means replacing pretty much everything else with it? Transmission and such? What kind of price range am I looking at for the big parts? Any recommendations on some sort of book to give me the slightest clue on what goes into these things would really be appreciated as well.

Anyway, thanks for any advice you guys can give me!

 

you should look at the 80-82 those are the second nicest(chrome bumpers are the nicest in my opinion)you can pick a nice one for around 10k and the interior are really nice (pwr wind. brks. seats,ac.)the only downside is the horsepower but w/some work you can fix that

 

Alright I found a friend to get more answers from. Thanks for the tip on the 82's

 

First of all, Welcome to the Forum.
If answers are needed you can find them here.
Crate motors are all price ranges starting in the low $2000 area and from what I've read there are a lot of them on this forum