coltsneckbob

I have several questions regarding restoration of my 442 W-30's 455. I gratefully welcome opinions/comments to following:

First, let me state I am primarily interested in maintaining the vehicle's value. In this regard I want to keep it stock as much as possible as this is what the true die hard collectors desire. Some of my questions may seem naive, but I am new to the game here....thanks!

-In rebuilding an engine there are some mandatory updates, such as hardened valves for unleaded, that almost must be made. It is my thought that doing this does not harm value. True?

-There are upgrades that can be made to pistons which while not visible I am not certain about since the result is improved performance. For example lighter pistons with lighter yet stronger ring and rods can be installed. THis would result in some HP improvements, but does this violate some unwritten "collector's code".

-THere are also other "hidden" improvements such as grinding down and smoothing out intake ports and exhause parts in both intake and exahuast manifolds. Provides some marginal, but noticeable HP improvements. Good idea or not?

-Custom ground cam. Not necessarily to make the cam "hotter", but to actually improve idle. So in other words it is basically a cam that is virtually stock, but custom ground specifically for the engine it is in.


I have also been advised that I can put headers on the engine. I believe this is truly a so-called violation of the "collector code" , but I could also save the stock exhaust should I decide in the future to sell. But, I likely won't add headers because as I said my interest is in preserving and gaining value. Getting more performance is quite secondary, though if I could do something like better pistons and not suffer in terms of collectability than yes that is something I would do.

If anyone has thoughts or experiences they's like to share with me, then let me thank you all in advance.

2blu442

My 2 cents, if this is a 1971 with H heads (or now that I look at the pictures a 1970 with F heads) I wouldn't put in hardened seats or do any port work on them. Those are very rare heads and once they've been modified you can never take them back to original.

dan2286

If that is the case for his car, would it be best to just get a completely different engine and build it? Just keep his original engine and store it in a safe place until the time comes he wants to sell the car. That would take away the risk of the heads eventually wearing out and eventually needing rebuilt and the same with the short block.

coltsneckbob

This is a 1970 and they are F heads. So, I guess I am confused. What does one do when one restores this type of engine. Granted keeping the engine untouched keeps it historically prestine, but is that necessary even if the original (43K miles) makes some engine work necessary. Are you saying that if any engine work is done it should be done only with 1970 components though they may be inferior and not compatible with today's gas? I am only trying to establish that that is what is being suggested. I have no qualms about that......if that is what it means to be "original"

2blu442

That all depends on what you want. Your post started out saying that you thought keeping it as pristine as possible would make it more valuable. I agree. So if you look at ebay, or other places the W30 heads are sold, the ones that are "untouched or unmolested" bring a higher value than ones that have had porting done to them. At 43,000 miles if everything is in good shape it might be worth more as an unrestored original car than one that was fully rebuilt from bumper to bumper. A bit of wisdom I read in a previous post, "you can always restore a car again, but it's only original once".

So if you want to keep it original then do as little to it as possible... if it's in good condition already. If the motor is burning oil or has a knock then by all means rebuild it. But if you put in/on more modern upgrades then the judge at a car show will ding you points. If you want a really fun driver then park the pristine original car and build a more common Cutlass putting on everything you want to make it as fun to drive and as fast as you want.

That's my 2 cents for what it's worth. But bottom line it's your car to do what you want to with it. Decide what your goals are, evaluate the cars condition, and have fun! For me it's a hobby that I enjoy, not just a financial investment for the future. But again that's where I'm at, and I won't slam someone else for having different views and opinions on what they want to do with their cars. John

joe_padavano

My two cents.

First, for an occasional driver, hardened seats (not valves) are unnecessary. You won't see the difference, particularly if you only drive it a few thousand miles a year. As others have said, once you cut those ultra rare heads, you can't go back. Same for porting. It is unseen, and frankly, most folks might see it as a benefit (IF done properly), but unless you plan to race the car, you are unlikely to see the benefit. Also, a poorly done porting job can ruin these heads.

Bolt-on mods are up to you. Personally, I believe the W-cars were meant to run with headers, but doing so requires you to relocate the brake distribution block, which obviously hurts originality. The cam is less detectable, but the ability to use an upgraded cam will depend on other mods (like headers). If you really want to keep the car totally original for an "investment", that's your call. Personally I'd rather drive the car.

Warhead

With only 43K on the clock, I really can not see any reason to do major work, unless there is a major mechanical need for it.

IF you go there, I agree with most of the statements above. Do not grind the heads, or manifolds (I would not even put headers on that car), you could change pistons, but why? Even a cam change would hurt the value, because that is one thing a true collector would look for-original sound, not a smooth idle. I would even think twice about changing a water pump, or alternator. Have the originals rebuilt, when they go out to keep the castings correct.
Everything you do will affect value immensely.

This is one car I would keep original. It is a low milage original that will be a fun retirement vehicle.
That's what I think.
Jim