I generally spend 4-6 hours a day, nearly every day posting answers and info and there are several others putting in time answering questions also,and while I can,t even read or answer EVERY post I darn sure try and I find many times others have posted very good answers well before I even see the posts, at times.
If I was choosing between two engines like this, Id look at the two engines in question with a close inspection looking for corrosion damage, indicators of rough treatment or lack of care in storage, like obvious open exhaust ports or intake manifold openings showing rusty surfaces, I'd try turning the engine with a breaker bar with the plugs removed and feel for resistance that may indicate damaged bore or rings,, Id look over the valve train carefully looking for obvious wear,and looking for any previous repair work, Id look under valve covers and take the oil pan off if I could looking for coolant leaks sludge build-up , slack in the timing chain, wear on the distributor gears and rusty sludge in coolant passages, all indicators of either low infrequent maintenance or improper storage.
in an engine that old chances are fair that its corrosion that will be your major potential damage problem, if no obvious mechanical damage or wear is obvious.
the physical condition is critical and getting access to replacement parts, will be harder on much older engines, or low production number engines in any series in many cases. If both engines are very similar, the 455 and its larger displacement will always have a slight edge in resale value, as its both a bit more common and as a result better known and accepted as a performance platform.
but don,t discount the 428, I've built several and they can be very impressive
(example)
youll generally have far less problems finding parts for a 350 chevy sb than a rambler flat head 6 cylinder
I find the Quality of most of the answers I see posted is much higher than on many sites I visit also. as you may notice I will go back sometimes hours or even days later to add links and related info on threads to clear-up or make answers easy to understand
yes all the 326-455 pontiac v8 engines have very similar external appearance, and a good deal of motor mount interchangeability.
When it comes down to the basics is , that,we ALL tend to run into the same basic issue,
and thats the fact that we don,t have enough of the ready cash to dump into a project,
to just buy a complete engine. SO, we have to carefully plan how to allocate our limited finances.
now for a few basics.
your going to find your
engines DISPLACEMENT , the
CAM and
CYLINDER HEADS ability to flow air,
the
exhaust scavenging efficiency,the vehicles
WEIGHT, and the
DRIVE TRAIN GEARING,
has a good deal of effect on the car/truck performance.
the larger the displacement and the higher the compression ratio
(as long as the fuel octane will allow you too without running into detonation)
generally the LEAST expensive compromise, you may make, when you compare total cost vs available power,
will depend on what you have available ,
step back take a deep breath, and think logically, your not locked into using the current parts you have!
you might want to visit several local salvage yards and look for a deal on a complete basic engine,
if for example you could find a 396 BBC, a 383 mopar , a 460 ford or a 472 CADDY , in running and re-buildable condition,
for $500-$600 (which is not that hard in some areas)
yes we can easily show you how to build a kick ass 383, or 406,
but both options would cost more that rebuilding one of those,
if you bought the engine for under $600 and rebuilt it as your starting out with,
almost all the major components that might be re-usable
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...55-richard-wants-by-brian-r.11749/#post-55455
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/i-doubt-many-guys-notice-but.4900/
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ge-yard-engine-just-some-info.3183/#post-9403
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/pontiac-motor-id.11472/#post-52773
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/some-pontiac-related-links.4125/#post-42598
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/pontiacs.10172/page-2
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ck-butt-pontiac-engine-combo.1472/#post-48277
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...tech-you-may-not-know.11663/page-2#post-55277
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ng-at-the-circle-track-suppliers-helps.10978/