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crate motor choice for 69 ghia

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 12:14 pm
by dbGhiaGuy
I have just purchased a 69 karmann ghia without a motor. What are the best sources for a crate performance motor? Any suggestions on cc's.

Re: crate motor choice for 69 ghia

Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 6:33 pm
by Marc
A stock transmission (even assuming it's a healthy one, which you never know when buying a car that has no engine) can only handle so much power.
I would advise against diving into any spendy "performance" engine right off the bat.
Do what most people do, find a good-running used turn-key stocker (they come along for ~$500 if you keep an eye out). Get the car mobile and sort out all of the other issues like brakes, suspension, steering, electrical, etc. etc.
Once you have a car you can actually drive, if you still have any budget left, THEN start looking where to spend it. A sweet engine's pretty useless in a car that isn't streetworthy.

Include in your budget the cost of a transaxle that's up to the task....depending upon what you have in mind, those start at ~$1500 and can cost 2 or 3 times that before they can handle serious power.