I'm looking at a 67 Fastback right now with a 428 engine (it was originally a 390) and it looks to be in pretty good shape. Since I am new to all this, I was wondering if you guys could take a look at the writeup on it (it was just on ebay, so i'll provide that link) and tell me if you think it's worth looking into. The seller wants $30,000. This seems high, but with the condition it's in and the 428 engine maybe it's worth it. Tell me what you guys think. Link with pictures and specs is below.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...0&category=6236

Thanks,
Rob

 

I'm rooting for him. That's a lot of cash for a driver.

 

You think this is worth it Mberglo?

 

I wouldn't spend that much on a car that's not either

a) An all out performance race car, or

bee) an absolutely perfect fully loaded cruiser with all the amenities like A/C.

I don't see that having an aftermarket 428 ("heavy dog of a motor" - former GT500 owner) makes it rare. But that's just my opinion.

A local friend just sold his superstraight, supersolid Arizona-born 67 fastback with mild 302, classy custom interior, AC, CD player, etc. for just over $15k. That was a fair price for a very nice driver.

I've seen absolutely perfect concours fastback showcars bring $28k, but to give that much for a driver is insane. Again, just my opinion.

 

Thanks for the help Mberglo. As someone who is new and still learning about this whole scene, I need all the advice I can get.

 

with the 428 engine under the hood, would this be a good car to possibly turn into an eleanor clone? i don't know much about the price to do this, or what all needs to be done, i just know the shelbys used the 428 engine so maybe turning it into a shelby clone would be a nice project. any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Day-yum, that car looks familiar! *runs out to check his shop...whew! Thought a missing-classic report might be in order*

well, if ANY car is worth $30k, THAT one is! B) You gotta admire the seller's taste, class, color choice, head for value, yadayada.....

Ahem - to the situation at hand. I must, albeit reluctantly, agree with 'Glo. Thats too much $$$, at least to me, although it pains me to say 428 engines are not uncommon, as they were a popular option in Galaxies and other fullsize cars of the period. Not as common as 390s, but out there nonetheless.

Is a big-block important to you? You really need to take stock of what you want. Remember that if you get a 289/302 car now at a reduced price, you can drop in anything you want later. Otherwise you are going to pay big $$$$ for that "S" code on the VIN
________
red headed Webcams

 

Not at a $30K buy in. The Eleanor body kit is aroun $5k last I heard.

The only reason to buy one with a 390 or 428 is to say you have it. Performance wise, it doesn't take much to make a small block out run it plus the FE puts more weight on the front and negatively affects handling.

 

Looks like the current bid is 25k, but even that is pushing the top of the envelope on that car (IMO). It's very nice, but I think the owner may be cashing in on the 67-68 fastback craze...

Since you said you are new to this, my advice would be to start with a nice driver with a small-block (289/302/351), one you don't have to do a lot of work on to start. Look for a 65/66 that has been resto-mod'd with upgraded brakes and maybe power steering, or a 67/68. You should be able to find a car like that in the $12-20k range.

 

Just a couple of thoughts. For a newbie, I would suggest skipping the tempermental, overheating, starter killing big block. A nice small block car is the ticket.

The second thought, and I've read this auction over again and again, is that this IS NOT a 428. It is a 390 with 428 heads. The 390 and 428 blocks are the same. The displacement is still 390 cubic inches. The differences between a 390 and 428 were in the stroke, so unless the pistions were changed, you simply have someone who put 428 heads on a 390 block. Which is really no big deal since the 390 and 428 heads were basically the same anyway. If there was much difference, it wasn't much.

Third thought, even for an S-code 390, 30K is way too much.

 

As you can see from this chart:

http://www.woodyg.com/fairlane/finfo/feheadid.html

Depending on which "428" heads he used, they might be the same. The 68.1 chamber heads were used on both 390 and 428s. The later 428 heads had a bigger chamber, but without part numbers, who knows?