well I have a odd question, why is it that most all of the c3 vettes I look at do not have the original engine in it including my two. if something goes wrong with the engine why not fix it and leave it with the car. is it not better to have the original engine with the car then to put something else in its place. both my 73 and 75 have 350's in them but not the original engine. I don't get it.

 

The original engine in my 69, 427/435 L-89, spun a main bearing in 1971. Next engine broke the cam between the 3 and 4 bearings about 2500 RPM, saved the rocker covers on that one. Engine #3, crate LS-7 454-460, pulled it after the cam went flat, couldn't afford the 110 octane fuel to make it happy anyway. Now it's a 496 that is happy on pump gas.

 

yeah I have my 75 coupe with L82 hood badges but its not an L82 so now I am looking into how to put it back to an L82 to match the hood badge in case I want to sell it.

 

Swapping an engine would have been a personal choice for a previous owner.

 

Back "in the day", we had no idea of how the values of these cars would grow!! "Numbers matching" had no meaning - didn't hear that term until after I got my first Corvette.

We would change parts, including engines, like you'd change underwear!! Someone had a more powerful engine available for sale of trade - we did it!! I had a new 66 Impala with a 283 that didn't stay stock long!

It was just the way things were back "in the day"!!!

 

In the early days it was cheaper to swap an engine verses rebuilding. Also, if you owned a C-3 during those times, do think we would considered someone 40 some years later would want it original? How many C-6 owners have swapped their motor for more HP? I know of a couple. Do you think they're worried about numbers matching for someone who may own it 40 years later?

 

Remember that for a very long time most C3s were unloved used cars. For most people it came down to economics, if it was cheaper to put a running engine in from another car then that's what they did.

My '69 has a CE engine in it dated 1969. I'm sure the original owner was thrilled to get a new engine for it for free under warranty back then.

 

Not a whole lot of choices when you have a cracked block.

 

looks like most of the points have been covered.
i don't know what percentage of owners were capable of working on their cars but
i have a feeling it was a small number.

so that leaves shops that did the work and
made financial choices based on getting it running quickly.

 

It wasn't uncommon to swap the engine back in the day when it either blew up or the owner wanted an upgrade. These cars were not collectible, just another used car.

For that reason, true originals are more coveted today, especially the higher performance versions, since they are thought to be more rare.

Now most people who own C3s with original engines will not discard the original. A true original adds value.

 

Agree. I had a 66 Mustang 2+2 fastback in 1971 when they were not considered collectables. When the engine went bad, I went to a junk yard and got a running 289 motor and installed it in my car. In 1989 I sold the car, just as they were starting to gain value. Fortunately I had kept the original motor and that added about $1k to the asking price. Wish I had that car today.

 

I sold off the OEM engine/trans over 20 years ago....put in a modern drive train...... DPFI/roller/overdrive.....serp drive/modern HVAC comp....new aluminum rad and cond.....much less the rest of the upgrades....SO do you want to DRIVE it or STORE it???

 

I have never blown a motor which was rebuildable!! You could look right through them.

 

Way back in the '70s I had a '61 and then a '67. The original motors were tired so I built LT1 small blocks from junkyard engines and swapped them out. At the time nobody cared about originality. That's just the way it was.

Fast forward to 2014 when I started looking for another Corvette to revisit my youth. I found a nice, numbers matching '70 coupe that needed a little TLC. It had racked up a lot of miles but the L46 engine was rebuilt in '89 and only had 15k miles on it. It was bored 0.020" to clean up the cylinders and the seller gave me the original 11.5:1 pistons. I'm going to do everything I can to keep it in original condition. Retaining value is one reason but there just are not that many C3s around with the original drivetrain. I see it as saving a piece of history.

 

Not to worry!
In a couple more decades when the C3's are worth a small fortune, they'll ALL be numbers matching again.
Just like the C2's!

 

If the engine in your 1998 Chevy Pickup gave up on you would you rebuild it or replace it? My guess is you would replace it because it's just a used Chevy pickup that has no real value.

A 1975 Corvette in 1990 had no real value because it was just a used Chevy.

 

The cars when new were under warranty for up to 5 years. Chevy was not interested in rebuilding the original motor, it was much easier to replace it. Many of these blew there motors within the warranty time frame and would get a CE block. Then those blew up......

 

Don't forget that 1973-up engines lacked the much desired horsepower that the older cars had. So people would want to swap out the original motor, to get more go power. Lou.

 

I see purists sometimes seem to take it as a deep personal insult when a c3 doesnt have the orginal factory engine, or a guy doesnt care about saving it,

I am trying to understand your post and question as you say you bought two c3s neither with original engines,
Did you beat up the seller and get both for 1/2 their asking price because they have nom,

I doubt it, too many people building c3 restro mods for a seller of a nom car to take much bs about the engine not being orginal,

Dont get me wrong, a 68 69 427 435 car is cool as all hell, but i wouldnt care if the engine came in it, and people do restamp blocks or use another one of that year, but thats not the original engine,

Perhaps i missed your point and question, if you are simply asking why so few c3s have orginal engines, it starts with only a very small group care about such things and those cars are all around pristine looking 100% orginal head to toe, purists dont go after restro mods normally,
If a guy demands orginal then why would he even pester a seller of a nom car?

So when c3s blew their engine or just wore them out or guys wanted more hp than stock they slapped in a whole new engine, and tossed the old orginal one or sold it or whatever, sometimes they rebuilt it,

saving the old orginal engine for some possible rainy day the car is for sale and some purist wont buy it because of the nom isnt a concern to most c3 owners, especially with restro mods being the thing,

They wanna go play with their cars driving them,

PS
When i say "restro mod" i dont mean all out radical custom i mean the c3s like the majority of guys on this forum have,
A non orginal up to par driver,

 

I thought the warranty back then was 1 year 12k miles or 12 FT
what ever came first,