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I'm rebuilding my upper end of my 75 L-48. The question I've been toying with is what to do with the parts I've replaced (heads, manifolds, etc.) Should I hold onto them or sell them on ebay?
The question is, once they're - they're gone and if I try to sell the car sometime in the future, which in my case is highly unlikely but you never can tell, it may hurt the value of the car. The new top end is all Edelbrock and was designed by them for higher-end street performance.
I know that sometimes the more original a car is the higher the value. The problem with 75 L-48's is that they are so horribly under powered that it makes you sick.
So here is the Poll: Yes (keep the parts), or No (Sell the parts and make some money to recover the rebuild job.)
NO: You're very correct in asserting the point that keeping the original parts will help maintain the value of the car. I'm restoring an '80. I have no intention of selling the car - EVER! My L48 is sitting in the corner of the garage on a stand. It'll be replaced by a crate engine next summer. Once the new engine is in, I'll sell the L48. I don't need it taking up space in my garage. The sentimental value of my car is worth more to me than anything else.
YES Keep and store. The top end components won't really take up a whole lot of space and may be the tipping point in your car's favor for a future buyer. You won't make so much money off selling them now that it will significantly defray the costs of the upgrade, so you're better off holding on to them as leverage in the future... even if you don't plan on selling.
I put the Vortec heads, intake, HEI dist, comp-cam, headers, 750 Holley on mine but saved all the original top-end components....the need for more power in my 74 was needed....just my opinion.....Fred
If you have done a significant power upgrade to your engine, you will likely never reinstall those parts again. Also, [in all likelihood] the rest of the engine will be worn out when you have your fun, so no future buyer would consider rebuilding that engine with the original parts.
If you think keeping the heads with the VIN info on them will make a difference to a future buyer, keep them. Otherwise, I'm not sure the worth of what you are removing would be worth the trouble of trying to sell them.
Its hard to believe any part (matching # or not) from an engine producing 160 HP would ever be wanted again. But I guess it takes all kinds to make the world go round.
Thanks for your feedback. Consensus says: keep the parts. Yes they don't take up much room in the garage and who knows about the future as the parts may lend more value to the car because the buyer can have their cake or eat it too. In the C3 class the 75 has always been my favorite for the best look but its power is an embarrassment.
After watching an (incorrect) candy maroon '72 coupe with M/T valve covers, Weiand XCelerator intake, cheesy chrome radiator hoses, and chrome rally wheels fetch $29k at Barrett-Jackson tonight I'm not sure keeping the original top end parts to your '75 will have the least effect on your car's value...when you stick your foot in that sucker the first time you'll be wondering why you're keeping that old junk.
Yes keep them if you have a place to store them. I agree, you may never want to reinstall them, there are probably thousands of these parts collecting dust in garages. But, you never know, it may influence a possible resale.
If you think keeping the heads with the VIN info on them will make a difference to a future buyer, keep them. Otherwise, I'm not sure the worth of what you are removing would be worth the trouble of trying to sell them.
There's no VIN info on the heads. Those 882 heads are definitely not worth the trouble to sell, same with the intake. Hold on to them, you never know when you may want to take it back to original.
I am in the process of a restomod. I will be changing a number of things. One thing I have seen in different auction magazines and on some shows like the Barrett Jackson events is that there is a market for everything. In the end, there are as many buyers out there looking for a higher performing car as there are looking for an original car. We are upgrading the engine, brakes, suspension, etc. i feel that if I ever have to sell it, I will find the right buyer for it that is interested in the vintage look with more modern safety and performance features.
I say sell or donate the heads and anything else you remove...
keep the parts, you WILL eventually sell the car and it will at least keep the purists interested in buying the car. you want your car to appeal to the largest number of buyers. having the old parts solves this.
besides, there is not much of a market for the old low performance parts, unless you sell them locally, it is almost more costly to ship than the money you will get out of them.. plus the hassle of you boxing them up and shipping them.