[capev86]

yeah......CPP is awesome. they are out in cali, so i can order from them at dinner time here in maine. most of what they carry is custom chassis pieces for hot rods and a lot of trick bling parts but there are a few bits like the poly kits that will look stock but be an upgrade at the same time. i have a pair of billet tie rod adjusters that i need to get installed and still need to order the polygrahite (burb specific) body mount kit they carry. polish the chrome, a wild paint job and some nice rolling stock is all the bling these old girls could ever need.

as for Jim Carter. they sometimes have better prices than LMC and they carry a full add on kit to add the vacuum gage to the stock dash, among other things. i got a 4 core radiator from them for 90 bucks cheaper than lmc's price. it is always good to shop around. if your engine is in bad shape, just find a good temporary donor engine to get you by. a 305 may not seem like a hot ticket, but throw a stock q-jet at it and it will get you around no problem and probably beat a 350 in gas mileage. it has the same crank as the 350 and they are a dime a dozen 'cause everyone wants a 350. my dad ran a '77 monte 305 in his 72 burb with an rv cam, rebuilt q-jet and dual exhaust with stock ram horn manifolds and we pulled our 6,000 pound trailer all over the place.

you could always build a 383 for your truck down the road. also, don't forget other cool mods like a roller valvetrain. heck, i put a petronix electronic kit in the stock distributor on the 307 in my burb 'cause it just plain makes sense. i have a 406sbc to throw in my truck eventually, but that is in the future after all the other work is done. it seems aspirations always get ahead of money and time!