As I stated in our intro, we are new to this forum and learning as we go. If the engine is a 327 small block and there is a crack near the water pump is it better to weld or try to fix the crack and hope it holds or replace the engine which would then make it (not a matching number). We are also not mechanically inclined so any advice would be appreciated. One of the mechanics we have working on it suggests replacing it since he cannot guarentee it will hold up. Also my husband seems to have a new affinity for chrome...and if he starts replacing parts with chrome, won't it amount to not matching anyway?

Thanks,

P.S. I know most of you are do it yourselfers and are probably getting a good laugh out of the newbies but as I said before, we're all in now.....
Somehow I have the feeling we shall end up being poor but wiser....

 

What are your plans for the car...Drive or show?

If you are going to show the 327 would help with that "Original" Status...but is everything else in the car original?

I personally would pull the 327 store it somewhere and throw in another engine.

 

You better find someone who is if you own a vette!

 

Hi,
My thought is that the importance of the original engine depends on MANY other numbered and dated parts on the car. If the car still has the vast majority of the parts it left St. Louis with, the engine becomes #1 on the list.
Under any circumstance, I believe you should keep the original engine to pass along to the next owner of the car whenever that might be.
Good Luck!
Regards,
Alan

 

What other original parts are important? I know we replaced the gas tank and I kept the old one because it had a sticker on it. I couldn't read too much of it and tried to clean it as best as I could so that I could take a picture in case it was important but not everything is legible.
They were redoing the transmission and I took pictures of that too as I was told it was original. I don't know what all the numbers mean but I figured they might be important. The car's body is in pretty good shape but it has been painted grey from the original blue according to the door panel. The interior was painted over black, and not too well.
That is as much as I know other than it sat in my neighbors garage for over 20 years.
Basically we just want to fix it up so that the engine runs well and the car is nicely repainted and possibly re-do the interior and have fun with it for a while. However, I wouldn't want to do anything that totally takes away from the value of the car. On the other hand, if a part is in fact original but is not in good working order then what good does it do to keep the original part?
Okay, no laughing.....

 

If your car is a 69 as your profile lists, the engine should be a 350, not a 327. Otherwise it's already a NOM (non original motor), replacement won't matter.

There are some buyers who value the numbers above all else, preferring a welded together block over a replacement even if the replacement has identical casting numbers and reasonable date codes. Seems to be the way the market works. This may be a bit less so for base model Corvettes, small blocks with few options.

If you plan to use the car much, not just for an occasional show, I'm with others who advise you to hang onto the original block, replace it with a clean one with no issues. Why risk reliability issues if you're not going to maximum points in a show? If you keep the original, you'll be able to offer it to a future buyer should they prefer to attempt a repair and reinstall. Otherwise you'll see a drop in value when you go to sell your car. The difference in price is hard to estimate, you'll get a wide range from may people depending on how much value they place on numbers but 10% - 20% may be a conservative guess. With an original block though damaged, possibly a 10% drop? Just guessing...

BTW: If you were to show the car with a replacement block, you will lose very few points in NCRS judging if your replacement has the correct casting number and date code which falls within 6 months prior to the car being built. The numbers are most important to the collectors.

 

You came to the forum asking for advice, so here goes. Let's see what you are dealing with:

1. You have a cracked block...that is evidently not original to the car.
2. The original (not a big deal now) tranny is being repaired.
3. You have already replaced the fuel tank.
4. The car has been repainted in a different color than original and you want to repaint again.
5. The interior has been poorly painted and needs to be re-done.
6. The car has sat for the last 20 years and all the rest of the running gear (brakes, suspension, tires, exhaust, cooling system) is in what condition?
7. Does the car have a rusted frame or birdcage? You better be certain, now or never!

Hopefully you got the car for little or nothing, because if you do not work on the car yourselves and have to pay somebody to do everything, you are going to be so under water on this car that it isn't even funny. You may want to think seriously about cutting your losses. Let somebody else take over the project and if you really want a C3, find a car that somebody has already done all the work and is willing to sell for 50 cents on the dollar invested. It is really a buyer's market right now...use it to your advantage.

 

It sounds like a good project. Not mechanically inclined? Is it that you lack the knowledge or skill? Believe me, knowledge is golden. You simply need to arm yourself with the right tools. Shop manuals for starters.

Ok, if I understand you correctly your block is cracked. How do you know for sure? Can you physically see a crack? Or is there a leak in the area of the water pump. May it be just a leaky water pump or gasket? Dont be discouraged. Competent mechanics who can help with the diagnosis can be found. I would start with the obvious. Before I pulled and replaced the engine I would get a second opinion.

 

How did the car go from original engine (matching number's ) to NOM in so few posts?

 

327 and 1969 make a terrible match

 

LOL... in my case a 327 and 1972 make a darn good match

My 72 has a 327 in it...(68 327/350) that I installed in the late 70's and in my opinion my car now has the right wrong engine...I would not want it any other way...cause I'm not selling the car I just drive the darn thing

Bob G.
64 72 and 98 Convertibles
76 79 and 88 (35th ann) Coupes

 

I presumed the 327 was a typo and the OP meant 350...............

 

It's refreshing to note that even the pro's in this forum can disagree.

I did some digging and discovered that we do indeed have a 350. I had a few pics of the engine block and one of the sets of numbers reads V0927HY which , if I am reading correctly signifies that the engine was built in Flint, Michigan in the ninth month on the 27th day and the HY suffix means it is a 350-cid 300 hp with 10.0 compression ratio, manual transmission and four barrel carbeurator. (don't have a clue what that means but it sounds good!)
The engine does have matching vin numbers although the "S" and the last 6 show up the clearest. I guess those are the important ones and according to those last numbers the car was built sometime in early September of 69.

The car has no rust and no dents. Initially we put in a new battery and off we went. However, the battery wouldn't hold a charge and so we took it to our mechanic. We have had two separate mechanics look at it. They seem to concur. There is a definite crack where the water pump attaches. Although it doesn't look overtly large it apparently is positioned in an area that may not hold a fix. That is my understanding.
The transmission is not being replaced as there was nothing wrong with it. The only reason we replaced the gas tank was because we weren't sure how much rust and sediment were sitting in the bottom of it after twenty some years. We do have the original tank.

Originally, we did have a guy from a corvette place take a look at it and he said for $2,000 we got a deal...I don't know, but he did offer to buy it for double what we paid.

I will say that "Faster Rat" is scaring the heck out of me.

At the end of the day, even if we do end up upside down on this car, I won't feel totally bad as long as my husband has had some pleasure in driving it and as long as we have learned something in the process.
However, I am not naive enough to think we won't have some frustrating days when we will be renaming this car the "money pit"

 

Sounds like the correct engine, assuming it's not a restamp.

 

It's probably not a restamp, most restamps I've heard of are big blocks, where the money is big enough to motivate people to do so.

Now a question of whether to attempt a repair of the original block or just set it aside and run with a replacement. I'd vote for setting it aside unless your going to have the car judged. A replacement will likely be more reliable. Keep the original block for the next owner if they are more interested in show than driving.

From what I've read, you're doing quite well so far. Aybody can find themselves "upside down" if they don't keep an eye on money spent vs market value. Some don't care, some do.

 

An original engine car in running condition with little/no rust for $2K is almost unheard of. Pretty hard to get upside down at that price. Good for them.

 

lets see, a 69 original engine small block with no rust... has wrong paint and questionable interior. but was bought for 2K.. with a lady posting for her husband.. didn't know if engine was a 350 or a 327.
since you let your mechanic do your work for you, then plan on 5K to purchase and install and get running a crate engine.
see anything wrong with this story?

tell you what, I will pay you 3K for the car and you will have made immediately 50%... but that ain't gonna happen...

I would not be too concerned about matching numbers on your 2K investment.

Can you say Hoax?

 

Based on everything I read ....

- The drivetrain is sort of numbers matching.
- The paint & interior is not original.

Right there the whole "original" factor is a fail. It's either original.. or it's not. At this point -- I would guess that you're not going to totally restore it to chase a Top Flight award with NCRS.

Now, with that out of the way (these guys will drive you insane with the numbers matching crap), I would do whatever makes the most mechanical and economic sense to restore this to driver condition.

If a reliable Corvette experienced mechanic says the block cannot be fixed, then perhaps you can look for a 69 block (stamped 69') that would at least be in the realm of a correct replacement for a small piece of mind and nod towards future resale. If not, then buy a corvette engine that is correct for the car and don't worry about the numbers.

Sounds like a great project. Enjoy it!

 

I just love it when a plan comes together.
I never said that the car is worthy of an NCRS restore, nor that the OP should consider any such thing. These cars are just things and need to be dealt with accordingly...no emotions involved. I wish I had a neighbor, or an uncle, or anybody that would sell me a decent '69 with the original motor for $2k.

 

And no one quoted you as saying it anyway?