Overhaulin'

classic cars question.?

hey , I have a 1955 buick century, but the engine is messed up , Its got a blown piston I think , anyway , the dudes at the mechanic shop say I should replace the original engine to a chevy 350. but would that lower the value of the car,because every thing else on the car is original? or would it be better to rebuild the engine. I am planning on selling the car to a classic car collector, after I get it running again.

Public Comments

1. Either sell it as is, w/ non-running original eng. or repair/rebuild orig. eng. Small block Chevys are plentiful & add no value to your Classic Buick. As a collector/hobbyist/buyer, I would only be interested in original or at least correct parts for the car, and wouldn't want to pay for another SBC to add to my collection!
2. It might actually bump up the value, if it has a new engine in it. You could also try finding an engine shop that sells brand new or rebuilt engines specific to the '55. A rebuild would be more costly, and time consuming than swapping for a 350, which you can get in the $1000 plus range for rebuilds, and it also depends on whether or not you're planning on doing this yourself.