Opinion: Original or Modified Engine

IMHO...the market for original, higher priced cars isn't as big as the market for non-original, lower priced cars.

 

Since you are selling it, I would go with the aluminum heads and include the original heads with the sale. Let someone else fix the originals.

 

You can make the engine "look" original but upgrade the parts,

 

Fix the heads and sell it. Easy.

 

I wouldn't run fixed cracked heads, but for a flip, maybe.

 

This. Paint the new ones to match the block.

 

I have had some shops tell me my stuff was cracked and I told them give me my parts back.
I looked for the cracks they talked about and never seen them.
Your heads need to be shown to you and show you the crack.
Lot of scammers out there.

And if I do have cracked Iron heads I will not have them fixed.
You are more likely to get more money from it with it being a quick car than it being a turd.

But years ago i used to buy old cars and fix them up and try to sell them.
They would be 100% reliable and I would drive them across the USA and back without hesitation.
But I could not sell them,,, No one wanted my vehicles.

My problem was I did not paint them.
People want shiny.
My buddy Paul would take the same type of vehicle and have Maaco paint them for $275 and he would paint the carpet and head liner and all interior parts.
He got good money for his vehicles and they sold very fast.

Bald tires and ticking and smoking engines.. he did not have 1 reliable car but they looked new inside and out and they sold for what he wanted.

I tried it I got some industrial polyurethane enamel, royal Blue and got a $200 Ford truck I think it was a 1977.
I did a quick sand and tape job and painted the entire truck inside the bed also.
Paint and sanding cost me right about 60 bucks. and took about 3 hours start to finish.
Sold it for $1200 the day I advertised it.
It had a bad miss but would go down the road.