What to do with it?

Yah, it's a dilemma. If I had a 340 block it would be a no brainer, but unfortunately I don't, and I don't anticipate one in the foreseeable future. However I do have two 318s and the 273 available.

Originally I got the crank for the 273 in order to keep the stock block with the car. I figured it might make a screaming little 300 c.i. class engine by shaving down the pistons and using a set of 302 heads I have. Would have been an honest 9-9.5:1 c.r., and using flow numbers from BJR Racing, CamQuest estimated around 400 h.p. with a XE268H cam.

But then I picked up the 318s cheap and figured I could get the same h.p. with about 50 ftlbs more torque from them, non-stroked.

So then I considerd the 349, but that will depend on the cost of pistons and ballancing to determine if a junkyard 360 would just be cheaper in the long run.

If I go with a 360 though, I think I'll need a new transmission. Mine is a 904 and I'm not sure if it can be externally ballanced.

This is the problem with trying to make a combo from available parts rather than coming up with a real plan before shelling out dough for crap I really didn't need. Or the problem with not being able to make up my mind and accumulating so much crap that I lose focus.

Thanks for your thoughts on this ... eventually I'll get my mind made up.