While out treasure hunting with my cousin yesterday, I happened upon a few power supply candidates for my 68. However, my limited knowledge on engine identification kept me from making a decision on which, if any, I should buy, so I thought Id see what yall thought. There were 3 that I saw and Im not 100% sure of this info, cuz these cars literally reminded me of those pics that have been posted of the cars rotting in fields or out in the woods, etc., which also means its gonna be a chore to yank the engines. Anyways, heres what they are (as far as I could tell) and they were missing the 4-br's (of course) but still had all the accessories including the A/C systems, etc...a 73 Gran Ville with a 455, another very similar with a 400, and the 3rd one I think was maybe a Gran Sport? with a 400-455. Would any of these be worth my while or should I pass? I also saw a late 50s model Bonneville that was complete even with the orig 389, straight body, all the glass, along with about ½" of grime buildup lol. Looked very restoreable (wifey probably woulda had a fit if Id showed up with it though). Anyhow, does anyone think I should get any of these engines or should I just pass? Or if I go back, what all numbers should I try to find thatd lemme know itd make a good performance motor? Thanks for any help, Charlie

Charlie , I`d go w the 73 455 , but would not worry abut the a/c, just get a Vintage air, that way you`ll always be able to get to the 7 and 8 spark plugs....talk to Drew about the 455 , he built his pretty well, also Lee Atkinsons (which is an 11 sec car)
with the right heads and cam you`ll be fine...just make sure the blocks arent cracked...
plus Q or Banshee may give you a lot better and more detailed advice...

I'd recommend the 455, but make sure you can turn it over using a breaker bar on the damper bolt. If it's siezed walk away and check the 400s.

And skip the Gran Sport completely. You don't want a Buick motor in your Firebird. Despite the same c.i.d. numbers, those are 2 completely different engines

Thanks yall, thats pretty much what I was thinking. Its sure gonna be a fun-filled job gettin em yanked out Salmon, the third one was definitely an old Pontiac, I was just guessing at the name. It may have been another Grand Ville or even a Bonneville or Catalina or something similar, but it had a lotta stuff grown up around it and it was hard to tell. But it seemed like it had "Sport" on one the emblems. And it definitely had a Pontiac-blue motor. I may have time to go back out there tomorrow or this weekend and start dismantling/ripping/tearing/cursing, among other things. Ill let yall know what I find out, and thanks again for your advice! Charlie