Seeking advice...

[chopper]

My $0.02 here. I agree with Mr. SCOBRA, but with a couple of stipulations. First, I assume the block is still serviceable; unfortunately, I know of no way to determine this without taking the engine apart and subjecting the block to a sonic check, dye-penetrant inspection and magna-flux. These will determine whether the block has any cracks and give you an idea on how much meat remains in the cylinder walls. Assuming (again) that the cylinder walls are within spec, a clean-up bore or hone should put you back in business. As has been stated in numerous threads on this forum, the maximum recommended overbore on these blocks is about 0.030 inch. Anything over that will require sleeves, and the cost/benefit analysis shifts accordingly.

I further agree with Mr. SCOBRA that it would be imperative that you patronize someone who knows how to fix your FE properly. I didn't the first time and have the receipts and legal bills to prove it. The average mechanic was still in grade school when these engines went out of production, and the FE engines require some pretty intricate knowledge to build properly.

I don't know how you define "protracted period of time" or "big $$$" but there are several options, such as Gessford or Southern Automotive, who will rebuild the engine properly. I dealt with Southern and was pleased with the results. As a point of reference, I dropped the engine off at Bill's facility and he personally returned it about eight weeks later, ready to install. At least a couple of weeks of that delay were caused by me, when I changed my mind about something in the middle of the build. Bill graciously changed direction in mid-stream and complied with my requests with no complaints at all. I have also had some small occasion to correspond with Mr. Anderson at Gessford on a couple of questions, and he was very courteous and helpful in answering my questions. If I may make a suggestion, why don't you call these two individuals and inquire about getting your engine rebuilt? It would at least give you some kind of idea about the cost and schedule implications about such a move.

From a completely different angle, I observe that I've been told by a couple of the manufacturers that my car with a 427 is worth $5k to $8k more than my same car if equipped with a 428. While I would never advise anyone to choose one over the other based solely on the cost/value differential, it is one item to keep in the back of your mind. Yes, I am well aware that many of the original cars came with 428s in them, but the single most common question I get asked is "Is that a 427 in there?" The inquirer may not even know what a 427 is, but that seems to be what they want to see. (I did, in fact, have one person at a cruise meet pull a mechanic's mirror out of his pocket, thread it down the side of the block and check for the drain plugs and crossbolts, but that has only happened once.) If I were starting from scratch, I would have to debate the cost/benefit issues to see which one I wanted. However, since you already have the 427, it may behoove you to try to get it running correctly rather than get rid of it. My opinions, FWTW.