The great engine debate

Unknown
Unknown
edited November -1 in HUDSON
OK progress on the Hornet had been slow due to work and buying an engagement ring! So far front suspension is off and off to powder coat, getting ready to blast the front frame and re-undercoat, pictures coming soon.



Now for the real TOPIC- since its time to start an engine now and had time to think, I'm stalled between going original 308 or chevy 350. I know both have their pros and cons so I figured I would let the experts express their opinions before I make a decision. So lets hear it let it all out!!!!



?????308 vs 350?????



Thanks

Brian

Comments

  • essexcoupe3131
    essexcoupe3131 Senior Contributor
    Dont Buy an Edelbrock crate engine they are pieces of S***

    my 2 cents worth
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Hudson53Hornet wrote:
    OK progress on the Hornet had been slow due to work and buying an engagement ring! So far front suspension is off and off to powder coat, getting ready to blast the front frame and re-undercoat, pictures coming soon.



    Now for the real TOPIC- since its time to start an engine now and had time to think, I'm stalled between going original 308 or chevy 350. I know both have their pros and cons so I figured I would let the experts express their opinions before I make a decision. So lets hear it let it all out!!!!



    ?????308 vs 350?????



    Thanks

    Brian
    If you build a 308 engine the stock factory way you will have an engine that will go better than 100,000 miles of trouble free driving. My engine just turned 130,000 miles since a complete rebuild, has never had the head off and still has 140 pounds compression. 11 trips ocean to ocean and every National since 1998. Build it stock, not souped up and you will be a happy Hudson driver. Walt.
  • Ol racer
    Ol racer Senior Contributor
    FYI

    Congratulation on your engagement.....

    Having both an original powered & Chevy powered Hudson I get far more comments about the original Hudson. Parts are readily available to rebuild your motor, however its up to you, either way its always nice to have another Hudson on the road.
  • 53jetman
    53jetman Senior Contributor
    My 2 cents - If your restoring a Hudson, keep it Hudson. I for the life of me cannot understand why anyone would want to drive a "Halfbreed" You omit the Hudson engine, you remove the heart from the automobile! ! ! !



    Jerry

    53jetman
  • Browniepetersen
    Browniepetersen Senior Contributor
    This is all personal preference. I have one of the Hudson 8's all original, just sold a 308 car with Twin H and I have a 327 with 3 duces... Over the years I have built a number of different engines for the cars I have had. Even 500 plus hp blocks. I would go with what Walt has said. If you build them right (I do not do the pined pistons and I use slotted rings) they are good solid engines and run for ever.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Browniepetersen wrote:
    This is all personal preference. I have one of the Hudson 8's all original, just sold a 308 car with Twin H and I have a 327 with 3 duces... Over the years I have built a number of different engines for the cars I have had. Even 500 plus hp blocks. I would go with what Walt has said. If you build them right (I do not do the pined pistons and I use slotted rings) they are good solid engines and run for ever.
    Do not use the pined pistons, use a good 3 ring unit and all else Hudson. Walt.
  • dougson
    dougson Senior Contributor
    Even though I am also a Chevy man, and the time tested small block has to be considered the best V8 ever developed, I would stick with the big six. If you want people to ogle and be awed, the old school and correct approach is to go with the 308. Just my opinion ;).
  • Browniepetersen
    Browniepetersen Senior Contributor
    Also, I should mention that the close tollerence machining is very important. When you take your engine in go for the extra work to prepare your block. Line bore, milled head, and do not buy into the concept of doing your cylinder walls to meet the dimensions of the standard pistons. For that fact when you have the head milled only go what is necessary to achieve flatness. I much prefer buying piston blocks and machining them to fit the cylinders. It is not that much extra work but it could be the difference of rebuilding an engine another time down stream. Also, I have had good luck in increasing the size of the valves to the 2" dimensions that were used in the 7x engines. Just some thoughts.....



    I agree with "dougson" about the small block Chevy engines. Being a chevy man also, I had to have a 327 X 3 - 2's setup just because I contend that the 327 Chevy was the best engine ever built.
  • harry54
    harry54 Senior Contributor
    I would think that if you rebuild the 308 the car will be worth more ... If you go 350 chevy, you will lose all the perspective buyers that luv the hudson marque. Go hudson all the way... you'll be better off...
  • Aaron D. IL
    Aaron D. IL Senior Contributor
    I would think about your useage too. Are you racing it? Are you going cross-country frequently or really mostly around town and to local shows? Are you going to use it as a daily driver.... I mean REALLY, be honest with yourself about that. Do you think you might sell it within the next 5 years (if you got an offer)?

    Both engines can be just as reliable and like anything else you have to keep up the maintainence. The Hudson engine you may have to order and keep some basic tune-up parts on hand but if you plan ahead that's really not a big deal. There's ways to lessen maintainence on the Hudson engine too. Electronic ignition etc.

    I would also echo what the others have said, I promise you if you open the hood to show anyone your engine and it's a SBC no one will care, but if there's Twin H on it or even just that old flat head it'll get a discussion going.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    I greatly appreciate all the comments. I had planned on going with an original 308 but using a chevy transmission. My main concerns come from maintenance and reliability. I want to enjoy this car when I am done, and not have it just sit in the garage. I wouldn't consider it a daily driver, however as I live in California there are too many beautiful days to have it sit in the garage. As for road trips not looking to go across country, but i dont want to have to worry about making it back for a trip to vegas.



    also, Im comfortable doing a lot of things, body work, blasting, rewiring, brakes and suspension work, but rebuilding an engine I would rather leave to an expert who knows what their doing vs me reading it out of a book. I have found a local shop that can do the work but their prices are high in my opinion. whats the reasonable price range difference from a complete rebuilt engine, or a rebuild-able engine???



    Again Thanks for all the help.

    Brian
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Why Chevy transmission? A properly rebuilt Hydromatic is one of the best transmissions out there. It will most probably out last the current owner AND be more attractive for resale.
  • Aaron D. IL
    Aaron D. IL Senior Contributor
    You could have a nice 308 with GM hydramatic trans, 12V, electronic ignition, maybe a reserve electric fuel pump and use it the way you describe. For comfort you could also set it up with AC and an auxilary cooling fan esp if going across the desert to Vegas. Jay Leno owns 2 and drives them.



    Price is hard to pinpoint you would probably wanna talk to or have a Hudson expert rebuild your engine, like Al Saffran or someone like that. I've gotten ball park rebuild quotes around $5-$6 K depending on what needs doing. A Hudson engine set up correctly is plenty reliable. Plenty of people were driving these cars for years after the company folded without dealer maintainence support.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    My humble opinion would be to put in a nice 308 and stay with a 2 bbl carb, unless you want to wow people with the twin carbs like me but they can be more trouble. As far as transmissions go I would lean towards a 200r4 which is a very under rated tranny ...it has 4 speed with overdrive and would be a good match up with the 308. I also prefer switching to 12 volts so you can run a stereo or satellite radio, and GPS and all the goodies which 6 volt will simply not allow. My 12 volt conversion was very easy.....my 2 cents.
  • Browniepetersen
    Browniepetersen Senior Contributor
    Back to the original question on what will it cost to rebuild a 308. That can be an open ended book depending on what needs to be done to the engine or what you want to have done. I hesitate to give you a price because my prices here in Utah seem to be somewhat below what everyone else is reporting and because of that I get a bit of "heat" about quality. I did my 308 a few years ago and the total came to $1,350.00. We machined our own pistons, used slotted rings, faced of the cam and line bored and flattened everything else trying to save as much metal as we could so down stream we could do another rebuild. As an example we only went .010 over on the line bore. The cost of the rebuild was within bucks of what my 327 cost to do. There are a lot of Hudson folks who redo these engines. I'd check out the WTN and get some prices from those folks but keep in mind any good shop can do the work--this is not rocket science.....
  • Kdancy
    Kdancy Senior Contributor
    Nothing unique in installing a chevy. I personally don't buy the logic that they are the best V-8's ever built. More dealers, more parts yada yada---

    You'll be very happy with the 308 if built properly. And it won't be just another chevy powered car that everyone and his brother has.
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    I guess I'm from a different planet, but I just can't see why one would want to go halfway in restoring an old car, by switching to a modern engine. The engine and transmission are an integral part of the uniqueness of the car. If you were doing a street rod or something, well, that's a whole different kettle of fish.



    Some people say, "hey, I ain't made of money, it's much cheaper to put in a modern engine, parts are easier to get, etc. I have a family to support." In that case, why would the person be pouring money into an antique car to begin with. Buy a nice used Toyota or Chevy, and save for your kid's college education.



    Others say, "I want to drive this car every day, so I'm gonna make it all modern under the skin". Well, these cars were driven every day when they were new. And, properly maintained, their owners thought nothing of hopping into them "back in the day" and driving halfway across the country. (And anyway, I have to wonder, how many of those people who actually intended to drive their modernized Hudsons every day, actually followed through on their intention?)



    It's your car, as they say, do as you will. But pouring thousands of dollars and hundreds of man-hours into a restoration and then punking a modern ho-hum engine in the car is like leading the pack around down the home stretch and then walking off the track just before the finish line!



    (By the way, congrats on your impending marriage!)
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    I am going with a 232 engine and overdrive manual tranmission in my 50 pacemaker. There are problems with this. Air conditioning is not striaght forward, the wet clutch is supposed to be drained and filled every 5 thousand miles, there is no oil filter so you must change at least every three thousand miles, old technology seals, especially rear main, often leak, and old brake systems are not the best in the world. These engines did not see 100k miles very often, people replaced cars more often, it is not hard to find an engine with only 35 thousand miles on it that is in sorry shape. I bought one and found that out the hard way. If you want very reliable low maintainence transportation, newer is almost always better. If you want something close to what they had in the good ole days and are willing to work on it now and then, stay close to the original.
  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor
    There ae some things one accepts in having an old car, such as regular greasing and oil changes. So if you can acccept that aspect, there is no reason to not keep original. As others have said, reilability is not a problem, and unless you are like Walt and drive across country four times a year, then you are never going to wear a rebuilt engine out in your lifetime. My Hornet is bog standard in every respect, apart from a headlamp relay. Iron head, single carby, three speed overdrive, and this is what I like to show people, the car as it was designed and marketed. In the end the decision is yours, but I concur with Jon B., if you want a Chevy V8, leave it in a Chevy and drive that.
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