newbie restoring

[bcolli3]

howdy, just found the site, and I love the forum. Im looking to bombproof my burb in prep for an upcoming move while im making good $ and have good mechs. I'll be towing a trailer and im kinda worried about the stock motor. My mech friend has a 350 he wants to sell, and promises plenty of torque w/ rv cam. Question, does anyone have experience travelling rocky mt. roads pulling weight, and do you think a built 350 can handle it? Second, I want to take care of the rust thats developing along the bottom fenders and I would like to use original metal if I can, just because it's better than the new repop. Searching past threads shows that most stuff gets sucked up fast, but I might as well ask to see if anyone has any leads on metal or a liftgate. Thanks for any suggestions.

[Hart_Rod]

Do you need the tailgate or the liftgate?

Rob

[bcolli3]

liftgate.

[Superron21]

a 350 can handle anything within reason in the rockies, you arent pulling a manufactured home are ya?

[86swb]

The 350 should be just fine. Welcome to the board from Kentucky.

[bcolli3]

Thanks fo the welcome. Yeah, I've just been hauling firewood locally, and noticed lack of power at just low speeds on the hills w/ stock 350 & 66k miles. I'd like to crate the motor for resale (not that I could dream of selling it), and put in a rebuilt in case I grenade it driving out there. I'll just be pulling a motorcyle, toolbox, generator, and a spare tranny, so no outrageous weight. I just don't want to roach the original motor.

[bcolli3]

Sold on the 350, mostly because of the universal use, I wont get in as much trouble searching for parts. I got a quote today for $3.6k for a balanced rebuilt and I thought it was a bit high, especially when I would be swapping heads. Not to mention head machining to replace the old steel valve guides made in lead gas (read higher octane) days that ping under load. While I haven't seen much about this, I have been told that the ping isn't just pre-ignition, but the valve guides melting onto the valves and then breaking free (oww!!).
Also, learning more about sheetmetal. Apparently OE and NOS are just as good as original metal in terms of thickness and nickel content. Any suggestions on bodyparts distributors?
While I'm at it, I thought a set of headers would top it off pretty nice, so again, if you've had good luck and like the guys @ a certain place, I'd appreciate the tip and they would the business. Thanks again.