How about a what engine thread

Guys, I'm looking for suggestions on what engine to put into a hot rod I'm acquiring parts for.

The design calls for an exposed engine so I'm looking for something that is more interesting to look at than it is performance oriented.

I have in my stash a corvair engine and 4 speed trans (though not sure how spinning them 180* would work...), a Ford 360 FE that would need a significant amount of work, a Ford 302 T5 combo, a Datsun L28ET T5 combo, and possibly a Pontiac 389 or 400.

Another possibility is the Frenchy special

So what engine do you guys think is the best bang for the buck visually?

Whats the body style? Of those I think the L28 has the best aesthetics, but depends on the overall style you're going for.

If it's something that originally had a straight 6 the datsun would be cool, otherwise a pontiac.  

The Corvair engine spins the opposite direction of most so that makes it awkward.  

I guess im going for an industrial hot rod look. I have an old 1945? Chassis that has a cool looking banjo dually rear end. I can cut the chassis to any length so it would accomodate a v12 easily. 

The body is going to start as a bug but hopefully end up with a 4" chop, rag top, safari window, and hopefully either an oval or split rear window. Going to have to fake the rear window but that's the joy of a hot rod- chop and weld until it looks good!

I like the symmetric exhaust look of the small block Ford.  I vote 302 & T5.

im a fan of a straight 6 hot rod, triple webbers or 6 single carbs

In reply to MrChaos :

I.actually do have a set of triple webers and a 4-2 set of headers...

everyone does v8's, be different do the 6

This is not one of your original choices, but no discussion of good looking engines is complete without the Alfa Romeo Busso V6.  They also happen to be cheap and very durable in racing.  I have one I am making a coffee table out of, eventually. 

In reply to Sonic :

I don't know anything about this engine. What is it's availability like un the US? 

I have a 2.316v from a 190e that I've been saving for an A pickup for twelve years now. It'll be perfect

In reply to chandler :

Put it in your new Rabbit!

Flat head?  Probably over played but I still think they look cool in a hotrod. 

In reply to Sonic :

Where do you source your Busso engines?

I would look at Milanos or 164s which I think have the bigger busso. 

MrChaos said:

im a fan of a straight 6 hot rod, triple webbers or 6 single carbs

This.

Few things look better, to my mind.

The 300ci Ford I6 is real easy to do triple 1bbls, you just get three of the same 1bbl intake and chop the external cylinders off.

http://www.inliners.org/Koesel3x1.htm

To me nothing looks as good as a Buick Nailhead with finned aluminum valve covers. Dual quad or with a StarWars air cleaner.

I'm very biased but I like the look of the 302 ford the best, Pontiac would get my back up vote. I like old hot rods too have the v8 sound.

I'm not sure I would go for visually pleasing as much as unexpected unusual.  Like you can say oh that's a Jag V12 and people are like cool I can count 12 spark plug wires.  But you say that's a Pontiac Trophy 4, it's a factory engine that's half of a Pontiac 389 V8 then you have a conversation.

Pattyo said:

Guys, I'm looking for suggestions on what engine to put into a hot rod I'm acquiring parts for.

The design calls for an exposed engine so I'm looking for something that is more interesting to look at than it is performance oriented.

I have in my stash a corvair engine and 4 speed trans (though not sure how spinning them 180* would work...), a Ford 360 FE that would need a significant amount of work, a Ford 302 T5 combo, a Datsun L28ET T5 combo, and possibly a Pontiac 389 or 400.

Another possibility is the Frenchy special

So what engine do you guys think is the best bang for the buck visually?

Let me make a case for the Jaguar.  If you buy an early V12 1971-1974  they are very simple engines  ( I'm serious one wire to the distributor  ) very few will need a rebuild as long as you can turn the engine over.   The early ones have 4 simple carburetors that are easy to get parts for. No you don't have to even take  the carb off the manifold to rebuild it. It takes me a little less than 5 minutes to rebuild one, they are that simple. They are big too. If it was a 4 barrel it would be in the Holley dominator class. 
 All the bolts are standard American sizes. ( no metric, well except once Ford bought them)  There are several sources for parts from Rock Auto to 4 Jaguar specialty places here in the states. And Jaguar dealerships ( but you will pay a lot more there ) 

If you prefer EFI Jaguar had it from 1975 on. The first few years version was a basic 4 cylinder Bosch unit(x3)  after that it went to Lucas.  After 1992 it went digital and eliminated the distributor  to go to crank fired system. it also increased the stroke by 1/4 inch and made an additional 40 horsepower. 

Transmission is a 4 speed manual with a Borg Warner Automatic as an option.  In 1975 the manual was made optional ( rare ) and the Automatic became standard until mid 1977 when it switched to the GM turbo 400  The locating pegs makes swapping to a T5 or T56 transmission  almost a bolt on deal  

I've bought rusty,  wrecked, and or fire burned cars, They had fantastic engines under all that ugly.  For as little as $300 and some had transmissions attached.  Buy a 4 door Sedan or the 2 door XJS and it's the same engine. The insurance auto auctions often sell non running cars for $500 or less and you get everything you need or want ( including gauges ) and then sell the remnants to the scrap yard for a couple of hundred. ( or make even more by selling off all the aluminum and copper.  
It's all aluminum and yes you can polish the whole motor if you want. Don't want to announce it as Jaguar?  Grind off the fins on the valve cover and pad were the Jaguar decal goes.  Most people won't know what it is. Is that a Ferrari?  

Hop up parts?  How much do you want?  Rob Beere is the source for those or there are 2x4 barrel manifolds to mount a pair of Holley's on.  Weber's are often for sale and that is the ultimate eye candy. 
 

Power?  Well,  it's more than a Chevy 454 so it will smoke  tires plenty easily. 

I'd really like to stick to carbs to try to keep the vintage look and wiring to a minimum.

I'd also like to be able to have a manual trans. I looked up Jag v12s for sale in DFW and did not find anything for less than $8k and none before 88.

Frenchy, you got any extras laying around?

In reply to Pattyo :

No you will not find cheap Jaguars on dealers lots.  It's strictly a Craigslist's  thing or buy wrecked Jaguars  at the insurance sites IAAI  or Car-Parts.  Yes you likely will have to travel a bit to find the really great deal.  Last  time I checked there is a burned out early sedan  up in Kansas you could probably get for scrap metal prices. Texas seems to have a lot of Jaguars  but older ones often sit in barns and garages until grandpa dies and they want it gone to settle the estate.  Or the previous owner gives up and wants it cleared out.  Flood cars usually have good engines  bring a long breaker bar and make sure the engine turns over  

I wound up getting them cheaper than I spoke of because up here in the rust belt there were a lot.  Plus a friend of mine running a Jag shop found out he could make a lot of money swapping Chevy's into  Jaguars his mechanics couldn't figure out the fuel injection system on. A lot more than just fixing the cars. He was happy to sell them to me for as little as $150 each.   I got one really sweet one for $50 when some hotrodder did the swap himself ( and never finished it) and a fair number I got free just because the car was rusty. 
Yes I've got three left of the 50 I originally stock piled. No I don't want to build a crate and ship them anyplace.  
Start looking and watching Craigslist. Go on the insurance sites. Yes you can buy those. No you don't need to be a dealer. Some sites you get a local dealer to broker the deal but a lot anybody can buy. 
By the way once you get the air conditioner compressor off out of the V. The air pump off and all the tubing that entails. The giant ambulance sized alternator  replaced with a little GM 1 wire unit.  The simplicity really starts to show.  If you need power steering that's a GM pump so you can use the remote reservoir ones race cars use. 

I like the idea of a v12 with zoomies.  A whole boatload of Webers in the middle (on the sides?, I don't know if they are crossflow or not) would be fun.

I also always though a hotrod with a straight six with a nice industrial looking turbo setup would be very cool. Make sure turbo is nice and high and visible.

Either way, much appreciation for not doing yet another Chevy V8.

BTW you can run a Corvair engine reversed, but it needs a different cam and distributor drive gear.  It would certainly be a unique hot rod motor (two three barreled Webers would probably be the most impressive) but I think the design would really need to embrace the lack of a radiator (e.g. something very low and flat might work).

While we are talking weird, how a bout a nice 3 rotor? That would really tweak the traditional hotrod guys.

In reply to aircooled :

One other choice is a Chris Craft KBL engine.  they actually aren't made by Chris Craft. They were made by various companies and labeled a Chris Craft. 
 The  KBL. Is made by Hercules and found in a large number of Agricultural equipment like harvesters etc. 

Its a Flathead 6  with a 3 carb manifold on it. The most mello idle and a real definite bark to it.   
 

Another engine with a great sound is  the early Cast Iron six made by Jaguar from 1948 to 1987.   Most impressive bark to it.