[wovenweb]

Originally Posted by Mcronk

The way I look at it is you would need to calculate all the work and parts needed to make the car whole again. Then subtract that from the market value of a complete and correct car. That would be what I would pay. I do recall a thread about a RAII GTO that sold on ebay years ago but was missing original engine. I have been sourcing parts for my RA II car for a few years now. With only 246 RA II GTOs built the parts are rare. However they are out there but expect to pay a lot!

Mark

Originally Posted by DANTIP

I'm sitting on a RAII as cast 2506 SR block engine waiting for a real car without the original engine. As mentioned above, this one is really too far away from stock for it to make sense.

Originally Posted by Mcronk

So the block does not have a two letter code? At Norwalk in 2023 I saw a 2506 block with a C118 date code but the area where the two letter code was acid washed. Back in the day NHRA stock racers would "cheat" and do stuff like that. This could have been a Bird or GTO block.

When you consider how few of these cars were produced, then factor in they had no visible badging or decals to alert you to what they were, many are now gone forever (crushed/trashed/etc). Finding a car with the proper tags (VIN and Data plate) is very difficult. Only 246 GTOs built and far fewer Birds. Chances of finding a car that is a legitimate RA II is almost impossible. Possibly the best chance is someone else who is sitting on a car that is missing its engine may be willing to sell. But it won't be as cheap as the car listed. You could sell off the parts you don't want. M21 4 speeds are not that hard to find. The ZL axle is a tough one. Heads come up for sale regularly, intakes are not any different that standard 4bbl. The carb and distributor are big ticket items. Exhaust manifolds are extremely rare. Most restored RA II cars are wearing reproduction RAIV manifolds. I was able to find a set of original RA II exhaust manifolds and the are very different.

I think this car is stuck in no man’s land. Seller will want a premium for it being a RA II car, but it is so far away from it right now that paying too much for it(unless cost isn’t an issue for the buyer which may be the case) ruins the economics.

I do have a set of SR RA II heads sitting on my coupe. Would pair nicely with that block.