I have been thinking of putting a 455 in my car, when i bought the car the engine is a late model olds 350 out of a 79-80 car. But now I found the matching number engine from the guy i bought the car from, what make the car worth more? a 455 or the matching number 350?

 

Its a Cutlass, the question is not what makes it worth more, but what makes it more fun and interesting.

 

Its not just a cutlass, it is a convertible so its a little more rare?

 

Barely. There were 10,255 Cutlass Supreme convertibles built in '71 and 60,599 hardtops.

 

The old saying "when the top goes down, the price goes up" is true. If anything, I think the value might go up a little with the 455 over the value with the original engine.

 

I'd agree that the 455 would make it more valuable. Unless its a car of pedigree I don't think matching numbers carries all that much weight.

 

I think if it were a 442 I would say yes, but a Cutlass.....not so much. I'd go for the 455 and have fun with it.

 

If you can get the original motor I would put it in the garage. Drop the 455 in and have fun. If you ever sell it you can give them the matching numbers motor with it.

 

^^^This. The 455 will be fun, fun.

 

I would not waste my money on an engine that's just going to sit in storage so the future owner can have an original engine. If you can get it for free, that's a consideration.

 

I agree with everyone's comments about value/desirability/fun of a Cutlass Supreme convertible 455 vs. a 350 (and a hardtop), but the fella asked about rarity. A Cutlass Supreme convertible may be more desirable than a hardtop but that does not make it rare.

 

Here was the original question:

what make the car worth more? a 455 or the matching number 350?

 

And here is the question I was responding to:

 

Fun71 I agree with you that they are not rare. I have a 72 Cutlass convertible and I wish it was rare. There are still lots of them and they are fun cars. People love to drive them. They are easy to maintain and most parts are readily available. They are good looking cars too. The one I have now is the 2nd one I have had. Being a convertible does make more desirable but not necessarily rare. You have a nice looking one.

 

It's true the original question I did ask was the value of the car with the original number matching 350 vs putting in a 455, this would be as a collector car standpoint, true a 455 would make the car fun to drive but even the 350 cars are fun to drive, true it not rare like say a Cutlass SX package but still they made less converts vs hardtops and less hardtop vs a 4 door, I guess we could argue forever about this because everyone has their own opinion, I will put the 350 in the car after I rebuild it, it wont smoke the tires like a 455 and wont have the eye popping wow at car shows when I pop the hood as a 455, If I had not found the correct 350 I would have gone to a 455 but I only want to do it once and be done!

 

Again, we all agree that as a convertible it has inherent worth based on its desirability comparatively. Where we disagree is future worth with a 455 vs the original 350. It would be worth more with a BBO and an OAI hood to a wider audience than in stock form with a 350 in it. Bottom line it is your car and do what makes you happy, however I would not base my decision solely on the future value.