66 valiant 170

moparkrazed said

Now that you said that I remember you posting that in another post ( read too many the past few days to remember which one). Definitely sounds like putting my own kit together is the way to go. I’d rather buy good stuff and do it one time than redo it and “save” a few bucks right now. Thanks again rustyratrod.

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I tell you how I do it. I determine all the sizes I need first. Then I goon eBay and search for older NOS hard parts like bearings and rings and lifters. I want older parts, because they're made in USA and normally they save money because they've been sittin "somewhere" for a long time and somebody's want to get rid of um. I buy all of my gaskets and seals new though.

If I were you, and you're going to use this car for a daily driver, I'd leave the 170 in it. They have a cube handicap, BUT, they also have a much lighter rotating mass and they spin up a lot quicker. That makes for a quicker and snappier ride.

On the flip side, if you're going to add some hot rod parts like camshaft, a two or four barrel and batter exhaust like an opened up stock manifold or a header, illed head for more compression and other go fast goodies, like higher numerical gears, I would opt for the 225. The bigger cubes will more readily take advantage of modifications. But trust me, a 170 in top tune will put a smile on your face. I speak from every day experience.