1972 Project
 

I am trying to decide what engine to put in a 72 Project car.
Here is the question.
I am looking to buy either a 3.2 or a 3.6. The 3.2 is about $23000 and the 3.6 is about $30K.

The 3.2 will give me about 300 Hp, what will the 3.6 give me? Obviously I will be redoing either motor I get. What is the cost and which engine will give me more bang for my buck? Will the 3.6 because of the bigger displacement give me more power? I am going to be going a MOTEC system, twin plug and cams. I want this to be a ridiculous build for a daily driver. I know it won't be cheap. ANY HELP WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED

If cost is no object, go with the 3.6 and change the pistons and cylinders to 3.8. Then you will already have twin plug heads and not have to get the 3.2 heads converted. I would look for a 993 engine and the 993 Motronic with the Varioram intake and knock sensing, instead of Motec. I would also ditch the dual distributor and install a COP ignition system, if it can be adapted to the 993 Motronic.

HP will depend on your cams and tune. With a light 1972 car you can bias your build toward more power at higher revs than torque at low revs. Nevertheless, I prefer more torque in a street car, even in a light car like my 1973. The Varioram will broaden the torque curve to provide more torque at lower RPM with more power at high RPM. Check with Steve Wong about custom tunes for different cams.

Thank you.
I am looking at 40K budget for the engine upgrade. (After I find a clean 3.6)

...or look for a 993 turbo engine and ECU!