Mopar Vs Gm Vs Ford

having owned a few chevy's in the past (5 chevelle including a 1970 SS 396, a nova and a few impalas) I can say that they certainly have some good points:

Lots of cheap parts available
parts and engines are very interchangable
easiest brand to convert from auto to 4 speed (or visa versa)
were plentiful at a decent price back in the day (20 years ago)

The down side to bow tie ownership:

the engines have poor valve train design that wears out the valve guides
the rear ends are weak (notice how most of the chevys at the track are using FORD 9" rears!!)
the muncie 4 speed transmissions are even weaker (were basically obsolete the day they were introduced in 1964)
have very poor suspension from factory when compared to a MOPAR with SS springs and a pinion snubber

FORDs always pissed me off when working on them as an auto mechanic so I avoided FORD ownwership (except for a few boats powered by 351 W engines).

MOPARs cost more to build, but you get what you pay for!

MOPAR's also have :

very strong engines, compare a 340/275 to a 350/300 and the 340 is built way better with more performance stuff inside :

340 has : steel crank, windage tray, double roller timing chain, forged pistons, floating piston pins on bushed rods , long (6.125") rods, 2.02 intake valves. etc

350 has: cast crank, no windage tray, nylon timing sprocket with wimpy chain, cast pistons with pressed pins, 1.94 valves, short (5.7") connecting rods. etc.

That is why a 340/275 has a NHRA HP factor of 310 hp (+35 over stock rating)

and 350/300 chevys have NHRA HP factor of 285 or 290 (-5 or 10 from stock)


Bob

PS: if you haven't noticed from this post I have sold off all of my chevy stuff and now currently own three steel crank 340's