What do you guys think about this [hood]?

[Flared69]

Well, the car im looking at getting, its a bb hood on a '69 ray, with a 350 under it.

Should I replace the hood, or get a bb, or just leave it cause it looks cool. I want power steering though, and power brakes, and i heard in another thread that a bb will cancel those out?

Give me your points of view? I love the extra curveyness, but it has that stigma of all show and no go if there isn't a bb under there.

So, i was thinking maybe try to find a refurbished/remanufactured/rebuilt 427. Is it worth it? Give me your points of view on what you'd do - i have the fund are not an issue if i can get an engine for around $2000.

 

[KANE]

Don't get me wrong there is a mystque and awe that only a big block has, but Mouse Motors are great because they can be built to be lighter and just as powerful. Motown 427 and 454 small blocks, or even the large displacement LS1s. Bottom line they are out there and they are being built. My next motor will be an LS1, it will just be a while!

I have an L88 hood over a small block. It allows for a lot more air under the hood to cool the engine.

I'd just keep what ya got. There really isn't a good reason to get a big block if the bottom end of your small block is still good. There are plenty of heads, cams and go fast parts to build up the block you have.

 

[matchframe]

When looking for a refurbished motor, I would look for a reputable builder, and ask alot of questions. Like, was the block bored out, what components were used, such as crank, pistons, rods, cam etc... Were the heads rebuilt, or just cleaned up and reused--things like that. Also ask about if there is any warranty. If you buy a crate motor, all parts will be new, and comes with a warranty. I think you can get a 427 crate.

As far as all show and no go--you can get some pretty decent power out of a 350. You just get more torque and HP with less effort out of a big block.

Let us hear what you decide!

Bill

 

[MaineShark]

The taller hood, in addition to allowing more airflow, will also allow you to run a taller intake, if you want to improve your top-end and midrange performance.

And, like DarkShark says, you can buy crate small-blocks that have big-block displacement. Personally, I wouldn't go with a big-block unless I wanted to displacement over 454, and some ridiculous torque and horsepower (which would probably be wasted in a 'Vette, with the limitations of the suspension and drivetrain). The weight difference will give you better handling, and you can make just as much power with a small-block as you can with a big-block, until you start getting into the "slightly ridiculous" area of truly large displacement.

On the other hand, if you're looking more for a casual/weekend/car show type car, rather than a frequently-driven car, the coolness factor of the big-block may matter (Rat motors sound great ). I'm seriously thinking that I may change my plans and build my '79 as a performance daily driver (with a small-block), and look for a mostly-stock big-block '73 as a "just occasionally" car.

I don't think that you're going to get a good engine for under $2000, though. Particularly not once you add in the cost of new accessory brackets, exhaust manifolds/headers, motor mounts, etc. But you could make a lot of modifications (cam, headers, intake, heads, etc.) to the existing Mouse with that money, and end up with better performance that you would get with a $2000 Rat.

And you could save up for one of those "bigger hammer" Mice a little at a time, and not have to add extra for all the new brackets and exhaust, like you would for a Rat conversion.

Joe