[carpoor]

My father is trading his 72' SS 454 Chevelle for a 66' GTO convertible this weekend. The car has what sounds like a 66' 325 HP 389 in it. (based on block and head stampings/castings)

Is there much difference, other than the casting number between the two? If it were mine, I would track down a correct long block. But, his goals are to just have a nice driving car. He isn't overly worried about matching numbers, etc.(He's been on a convertible kick for at least 7-8 years now, finally found the right deal recently)

The car supposedly runs good, but needs a lot of detailing under the hood. (a little crusty in the pictures I've seen) My goal is to remove the front dog house and pull the engine/transmission. While it is out, I want to replace the cam with an 068 or something similar, new timing chain, gaskets, valve springs, etc. Just to freshen it up and make sure it will serve the old man well. I plan on doing a firewall forward refresh too while I have it apart.