Quote:
Originally Posted by Olds64
Hi, I am an owner of a 64 98 4 door hard top. My car recently overheated and blew out an oil galley plug in the head. I had a local repair shop patch it back together; however, I think I have a couple of collapsed lifters. I am contemplating if I should repair the car, sell it, or rebuild a 455 for it. The reason I am having trouble justifying the repairs is that I am getting tired of the 394 / Slim Jim tranny combo.
The car is in fair condition, but there is alot of work I need to do on it. I rebuilt the brakes and suspension a few years ago so that is probably the best part of the car. The interior is trashed but the body is in decent condition (there are a few rust pin holes in the hood and driver's door). I freshened the block and heads up a few years ago but apparently a few of the lifters gave up on me. The tranny is a POS and doesn't shift properly. I already tore it apart and found out it has an internal pressure leak.
Anybody have any advice? Just putting out some feelers to see what other Olds enthusiasts think.
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It's mostly going to depend on what you want to do with it, and how much money you want to spend on it... If you don't plan on keeping it for while, you might not want to put a ton more money into it. You probably already know that parts for the 394 are spendy compared to more popular engines (like the 455). OTOH, you can get a used 455 and tranny fairly cheap...but then you have to find a way to install it. If the 455 needs a rebuild, plus the cost of installing it, it's going to cost more than if you fixed the 394. If you've got the fabrication skills and a welder, it's probably not a big deal to stab it in there though. If you don't, then the conversion is also going to run a bunch of money.
If the lifters really are the problem, it's not that big of a deal to replace them (if you can find them). Technically you're supposed to replace the entire cam and lifters as a set, but it's one of those things that usually only makes a difference over a long period of time. It also depends on whether or not you want to keep it original, although it sounds like that's not a big concern for you. If you want to make a project out of it, go for it. Get the interior done, put some paint on it and get it running right. Drive and enjoy. Otherwise, you might just want to sell it...you'll almost certainly lose money on whatever you have to do it with either engine setup if all you're going to do is sell it.
In the end, it pretty much just boils down to what you want out of it, and how much you're willing to pay to get there. Pretty much the same as any other project
.