Crate Engine source recommendations

[Chris H.]

Re: Crate Engine source recommendations

I would contact Mike directly and explain the situation and tell him you’re an active NCRS member and see what he says / does.

[Nick D.]

Re: Crate Engine source recommendations

Her’s an update. I had Extreme Street Performance in Las Vegas install the blueprint engine recommended in this thread and it’s fantastic. Replace the exhaust, heater core since it was there and a couple of other little details. It’s now pretty much race car and there’s no way I can take it home to Maui so it’s time to park with it. it’s a high condition number three driver. The worst thing about it is a paint blister on the hood. Otherwise it’s got excellent tires, suspension is tight, interior is very presentable with new carpet, and restored chrome and paint console. Do you guys have any idea of what I should ask for it?

i’m seeing and hearing some numbers around 45k and if that’s all it’s worth, it’s probably not worth selling, unfortunately. I think any nice condition number three car like this was is worth 40k and if you add a nice paint job and a beautiful blueprint engine for just under nine grand, plus the cost to put it in… Doesn’t seem like this car is worth the same as a decent condition number three but if that’s what it goes for I guess…

[Terry D.]

Re: Crate Engine source recommendations

So tell me why you can't to Maui?

[Nick D.]

[Joe L.]

Re: Crate Engine source recommendations

I but the island is too small for a car like this. When I bought it with a 70 Chevelle engine, put in by the original owner and it was 300 hp with a 600 carburetor… That was doable but now you could say it’s a race car and it’s not practical there

Nick------

If the engine is so radical that it's no longer comfortably streetable, then you've made a big mistake with this engine. That will detract from the value of the car ANYWHERE regardless of how much you spent on the engine and installation. The way to add value to your car would have been to install a CORRECT CONFIGURATION engine, even if it could not be a "numbers matching" engine. A few internal tweaks could have been made but the engine, otherwise, at least outwardly of original configuration.

Your engine installation deviates markedly from original configuration in many ways. So, regardless of how much you spent on it, I would opine that it has not increased the value of the car one bit. In fact, I'd say it's DECREASED its value. I'm a perfect case in point. I converted my original owner, 1969 convertible from a 300/350 to a "ZL-1" built myself with all GM components. The engine was HUGELY expensive to build. However, I had no illusions that this was going to increase the value of my car. I know, for sure, that it DECREASES the value of my car. Of course, I have the original engine, completely rebuilt and restored, "waiting in the wings" and if I ever want to increase the value of the car, I'll re-install it. But, that's no real issue for me as I have no plans, whatsoever, to sell it. So, the car's value has little meaning for me beyond the theoretical.

Since the value of Corvettes has little meaning to me, I usually stay out of valuation discussions. However, I would say that value of your car as it currently stands would be $45K to $50K TOPS. And, I'd say that was about the value before you even did the engine exchange project. Expecting that a $10K engine project is going to increase the value of a car by $10K is, in my opinion, totally unrealistic.

By the way, I note that your car has "6 taillights". In case you're unaware, as many folks are on this point, that it not a factory-original configuration for ANY C2 Corvette. In general, that will detract from the value of the car for any buyer interested in originality. Keep in mind that those kind of buyers are the ones willing to spend the BIG $$$.

[Nick D.]