Is it worth it ($ wise) for ME to go big block?

[t76turbo]

My 70 short bed is a rust free California truck with an older repaint. Nice buckets out of something. Nice interior. And a newer centerbolt valve cover small block with a 700r4. The motor feels a little tired and burns just a little oil. I want to either rebuild it (it's not my daily driver) or put in a crate motor.

I just want a really strong motor. No racing. Very little towing if at all. A little wow factor would be nice to. Which big blocks bring in spades......


I tried getting a quote for a LSx pull out from someone on this board but I stopped getting replies for some reason. So I moved on to crate 350/383 or big block to have less downtime than rebuilding what I have. A friend found a running truck with a mid 80's 454 but the guy wants too much for the engine with unknown mileage, parts, etc and it doesn't even run that well. So I would have to rebuild it just to be safe.


I started looking at big block crates and read a lot about vortecpro from one of the Chevelle forums. Lots of good reviews. Awesome power and build quality. About $5k for a low 500hp mid 500tq engine. oil pan to intake, balancer to flywheel as he says on his site.


My question is, do you recoup more money going with an engine like that over something like a simple rebuilt 350? (or in other words, would the truck be worth more with a big block like that)

Or is it just money spent to increase enjoyment if that's what floats your boat? Which it does mine. But I could probably do with a nice running sbc.