WHAT DO I DO?

[FEHOLDEN]

I HAVE A DILLEMA.

I AM THE PROUD OWNER OF A 1958 MODEL FE WHICH IS BASICALLY COMPLETE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A 2 SPEED WIPER MOTOR AND PAPER TYPE AIR CLEANER. THE OLD GREY MOTOR SMOKES MORE THAN JOHN ELLIOTT AND I HAVNT HAD A CHANCE TO INVESTIGATE YET BUT O SUSPECT IT IS TERMINAL.

THE PROBLEM IS THIS: I HAVE AT MY DISPOSAL A VERY TIGHT LOW MILEAGE 186 COMPLETE WITH BITS FOR FITTING TO FE FRONT END. SHOULD I SACRIFICE THE ORIGINALITY OF THE CAR FOR THE EXTRA POWER OF THE RED MOTOR? SHOULD I PERHAPS TRY TO REPAIR/REPLACE THE GREY MOTOR? OR SHOULD I "GO THE GUTS" AND HOT UP THE 186 AND MAKE A DECENT STREET ROD?

ANY ADVICE IN EITHER DIRECTION WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED AND CONSIDERED.

DENIS

[mcl1959]

Denis,  the answer to your question depends on you.
Firstly - build the car you want to drive, not what you think other people think you should drive.
Second what are your financial reserves like ?
rebuilding the grey will cost up to a k to do.  This is fine if you want to continue to drive essentially a stock car.  The red would be a cheaper option if you bolt it up to the grey using the original front end - although I would recommend you use a d/b front end from a HR.  If you plan to fit a 4 speed or auto, then things will start to get costly and the grey will be the cheaper option.
Third what are your long term plans for the car ?  A red motor bolted up to the original grey box can always be undone later as no body mods need to be done to the car. The original radiator can be used for the red as long as it is in good nick.
Resale value in the future is not really affected if you go either way, The really big money is only gotten for extreme examples of both stock or modified cars.

Hope this helps    Ken

[coolaride]

hi denis , i guess it just depends on what you want out of a car , meening would you be content having a grey motor as a daily driver . there is nothing wrong with this , besides the lack of power at times    
personally i`d keep the originallity of the FE and stick with the trusty old grey    
besides ,you should be able to find a good running grey motor which would be alot cheaper than a re-build.
my fc`s a daily driver ,with a grey and keeps up with the trafic ( most of the time anyway ) and is very reliable aswell
hope this helps
coolaride  

p.s speak to you soon .