Classic/Antique Car Repair: amc engine swap, engine swaps, gas consumption

Question
Dick,
Thank You for your quick reply,
I should have said its not that I want to replace it I need too, I blew up the 196.5 and figured if I'm going to change it out I would go bigger.

Answer
Well, it's up to you, of course, but you know my feelings about it.

The brakes on my 62 were decidedly marginal, and that was the 327 V8 - I was always nervous about them stopping me in time.  With the 6 cylinder brakes and wheels, it would be very scary.

The 62 with 327 had the push button transmission, but I'm pretty sure it was a different model transmission, because of the much higher torque.  Yours would probably bolt up to the V8 (although, as I cautioned you, I'm not an expert when it comes to engine swaps), but it wouldn't last long in that service, and would probably not shift at the right speeds etc.

Have you considered replacing or rebuilding your original engine?  These are pretty simple engines, and not terribly expensive to rebuild.  When you say "blew up", tell me what actually happened to it.  If you had parts flying out sideways from the block, its beyond help, but if it just go hot and siezed, it can be fixed - probably for less than $2000 if you do the work yourself.

You'll save that much on less gas consumption if you drive it far enough!

Good Luck, whatever you decide.

Dick