Value of 430 vs 352?
Value of 430 vs 352?
I am looking at a 59 bird convertible that is a project but has a rebuild 430 with it. I have been told it isn't coded as a 430 car but the story is that the original owner wanted a 430 car and had the dealer put it in prior to taking delivery. Is there any value to have the 430 over a 352 (or 390)? I am not putting together a concourse car, quite to the contrary, I want to build a street rod. Can you get parts for the 430? What about dress up stuff, like valve covers, etc? I like the uniqueness of a 430, but I can dress up an FE and make it really nice. Thoughts?
-
Alan H. Tast
- Posts: 4240
- Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2003 10:52 pm
- Location: Omaha, NE
Value of 430 over 352
My "crap detector" is going off the scale! The modifications required to install a 430 in a car originally sold with a 352 would have been prohibitively expensive for a dealer to do in the late '50s-early '60s. Different mounts, transmission, rear end, etc. all add up to this story most likely being BS. I would suspect that the car has been retagged in order to get a clear title for it. The other likely scenario is that some previous owner had access to a 430-equipped car, removed a tired or blown 352 and went to a lot of trouble to install it.
The 430 is an oddball engine that is hard to get parts for. Performance parts are very limited and expensive - about all I'm aware of would be a 3-deuce setup from a '58 Mercury Marauder or period aftermarket intake manifolds from places like Edelbrock that would only be available used. Dress-up items more than likely are limited to period finned valve covers, if you can find them.
Find a basket case with a 352 if you want to hot-rod it, and build up an FE-series engine (352, 390, 428, 427, etc.) - at least hipo parts are readily available.
The 430 is an oddball engine that is hard to get parts for. Performance parts are very limited and expensive - about all I'm aware of would be a 3-deuce setup from a '58 Mercury Marauder or period aftermarket intake manifolds from places like Edelbrock that would only be available used. Dress-up items more than likely are limited to period finned valve covers, if you can find them.
Find a basket case with a 352 if you want to hot-rod it, and build up an FE-series engine (352, 390, 428, 427, etc.) - at least hipo parts are readily available.
Alan H. Tast, AIA
Technical Director/Past President,
Vintage Thunderbird Club Int'l.
Author, "Thunderbird 1955-1966" & "Thunderbird 50 Years"
1963 Hardtop & 1963 Sports Roadster
Technical Director/Past President,
Vintage Thunderbird Club Int'l.
Author, "Thunderbird 1955-1966" & "Thunderbird 50 Years"
1963 Hardtop & 1963 Sports Roadster
Thanks Alan. The car is in pieces anyway and never advertised as anything but a project. It just happens to have a 430 that can go with the car if I want to pay for it. Sounds like for my purposes that an FE will be a better choice. I was curious because I didn't want to make a mistake by passing on the motor and find out that it made the care much more desireable.
Rich
Rich