go with chevy, dont go with chevy, put a ford 302 on it for all i care. if you enjoy it that's all that matters.
i like chevys because they are plentiful and that makes them cheap. for years ive weighed the options in buying this engine or that engine vs building my own, doing the swap...and chevy DOES tend to be cheap because it has to be cheap for me. but the more i look around the more i can find other engines that dont cost an arm and a leg for me. i dont necessarily want a high HP engine, i just want a solidly built reliable V8 that gives good power and for the most part i can find some engines that will do that. not all of those engines are chevy any more.
now with any V8 i go with unless its a buick i have to swap everything out so that is pretty much a moot point for me. i kinda like buick engines but they tend to cost more than i want to spend. believe it or not ive found stock rebuilds for cadillac 500's that cost less than some 455's from buick olds and pontiac, for the most part.
i have a pontiac car but i have a buick V6 engine and i guess because of that i have no issue with another engine being something besides a pontiac. for a while i wanted a pontiac engine and for the most part i guess part of me still does but i think i may have found another engine that will give me good performance with low compression, allow me to run a slightly shorter gear to improve fuel economy and because it wont have exotic parts, fairly easy to work on. i want brute low end torque, i dont want it weighing more than a small block chevy...and it will be a choice not many others go with. if you guess cadillac you'd be right. for this car for what i want to do with it i want a cadillac engine. it doesnt HAVE to be a 500 but being able to put 8.2 liters somewhere on the car puts a smile on my face.
now am i wrong for not wanting/choosing a pontiac engine? no. my choice is based on opinion, what I think I want and need in an engine and what will serve me best for this car. now in another car for another application i may go with a SBC or a BBC or a buick, who knows! heck ive considered building twin turbo chevy V6's using a 4.3 block.
i like that i can choose whatever i want to power my car and i dont rag on anyone for what they choose to put in their car. i do think that going with a chevy is boring BUT, i can understand why many go with them and i dont knock people who may not own a chevy car using a chevy engine.
like said put a 302 or a 460 in your monte carlo. makes me no nevermind and if it puts a smile on your face each time you stomp the loud pedal then you've discovered your own nirvana in a car. as my old auto tech teacher used to say "drive and smile".
when i was younger i thought it was taboo to do things like this but really using pontiac engines only in pontiac cars seems boring and to be honest it seems very myopic and closed minded. over the years ive come to appreciate respect and even envy the folks out there who do oddball engine swaps and put a twist on THEIR car that not many others have done if anyone has done it at all. being unique and different is fun.
your car your money your rules. that's all that matters.
i like chevys because they are plentiful and that makes them cheap. for years ive weighed the options in buying this engine or that engine vs building my own, doing the swap...and chevy DOES tend to be cheap because it has to be cheap for me. but the more i look around the more i can find other engines that dont cost an arm and a leg for me. i dont necessarily want a high HP engine, i just want a solidly built reliable V8 that gives good power and for the most part i can find some engines that will do that. not all of those engines are chevy any more.
now with any V8 i go with unless its a buick i have to swap everything out so that is pretty much a moot point for me. i kinda like buick engines but they tend to cost more than i want to spend. believe it or not ive found stock rebuilds for cadillac 500's that cost less than some 455's from buick olds and pontiac, for the most part.
i have a pontiac car but i have a buick V6 engine and i guess because of that i have no issue with another engine being something besides a pontiac. for a while i wanted a pontiac engine and for the most part i guess part of me still does but i think i may have found another engine that will give me good performance with low compression, allow me to run a slightly shorter gear to improve fuel economy and because it wont have exotic parts, fairly easy to work on. i want brute low end torque, i dont want it weighing more than a small block chevy...and it will be a choice not many others go with. if you guess cadillac you'd be right. for this car for what i want to do with it i want a cadillac engine. it doesnt HAVE to be a 500 but being able to put 8.2 liters somewhere on the car puts a smile on my face.
now am i wrong for not wanting/choosing a pontiac engine? no. my choice is based on opinion, what I think I want and need in an engine and what will serve me best for this car. now in another car for another application i may go with a SBC or a BBC or a buick, who knows! heck ive considered building twin turbo chevy V6's using a 4.3 block.
i like that i can choose whatever i want to power my car and i dont rag on anyone for what they choose to put in their car. i do think that going with a chevy is boring BUT, i can understand why many go with them and i dont knock people who may not own a chevy car using a chevy engine.
like said put a 302 or a 460 in your monte carlo. makes me no nevermind and if it puts a smile on your face each time you stomp the loud pedal then you've discovered your own nirvana in a car. as my old auto tech teacher used to say "drive and smile".
when i was younger i thought it was taboo to do things like this but really using pontiac engines only in pontiac cars seems boring and to be honest it seems very myopic and closed minded. over the years ive come to appreciate respect and even envy the folks out there who do oddball engine swaps and put a twist on THEIR car that not many others have done if anyone has done it at all. being unique and different is fun.
your car your money your rules. that's all that matters.
