[md1twal3]

[QUOTE=Dick Boneske]No one will ever know unless it is a 2-bolt main block and the pan is removed. If you plan on keeping the car, what's the difference? The engines are identical except for the four bolt mains. The heads, intake, etc. are another story, as they are unique to RAIV.QUOTE]

If BLKBRD figured it out...others can too (and will), so I don't agree that no one will ever know. I also agree that owning it this way and selling it this way are two different birds, but lets face it, sometime down the road in someone's life, it will be sold, and then what?

I was doing some reading on restamping in the auto hobby, and it seems to happen a lot, though still considered unethical. There are machine shops that are duplicating the factory machining patterns on the front of the engine and stamping them, making it very hard to identify.

I am not sure on value, though. I tend to agree that it is becoming less and less of a consideration as the price continues to go up for all types of muscle cars, but I would bet that there will still continue to be a considerable price difference for the collector of originals, that are collecting numbers matching, factory correct vehicles.

Sorry, not much help, but I will be watching this topic as I am curious of what the more educated PY members have to say about it.