I'm thinking LS1 is best bang for the buck, seeing if anyone has another idea. Thanks.

Having had both small block Ford and LS power in mine -- I guess I should elaborate. "Best bang for the buck" is pretty subjective. If someone has an old school SBF or SBC hanging around their garage waiting for a home AND is on a tight budget, it's hard to argue that putting one of those into the 240 isn't a good bang for the buck. Very much enjoyed mine with SBF power for close to 20 years. Lots of mods along the way - including aluminum heads which knocked some weight off the front. My suggestion -- aluminum heads and relocate the batt to the trunk will help maintain some semblance of the front-rear balance the car had before the swap.

I'd add - the LS3 in mine is SO MUCH more refined than the old 5.0L Ford was. Quieter, smoother, more efficient (yes - my 430HP LS3 is getting about 10% better fuel mileage than a 325ish HP 5.0L Ford was), and much, much quicker than what I had before. So I'm biased - having had both. The LS3 in mine is a much better 'mouse' trap than the Ford before it.

Others may make a different choice. Opinions vary.

LS3 in my 242. Lotsa “bang”.

Wow that's great! Expensive though, right?

As my daddy used to tell me - "Son, it's only expensive if you can't afford it." Seriously though - hard to beat the LS architecture in the 200 series. Gobs of fun.

Hi Michael,

Your car's picture and post came up on the BB homepage today, and it caught my interest more than it did back in May.

While awaiting a new kickdown cable before my engine/trans goes back in, I've been scrubbing down and treating minor rust spots in the engine bay. Most are either below the battery box or where things were chaffing. I've primed the spots and was going to topcoat them with white. This burgundy car still retains it's original white in the engine bay and door frames, and with a blue interior is quite patriotic.

Being as clean and dissembled as it's likely to ever be again, I'm at the point where it wouldn't be that much work to give the bay a coat or two of something, and I'm wondering what you used. White in an engine bay shows every spec of dirt.

Secondly, I've been searching around for something to replace the disintegrated soundproofing, heat shield or whatever it is on the top of the firewall, under the wiper motor across to the cruise control. I've been looking into various flooring or roofing materials, and it looks like you found something. It's hard to tell from the photo.

Those wheels look really great on a 240, I'm told. While you probably chose them because you have good taste, I acquired an almost identical set on a parts car, and only know because so many people have made positive comments about them. I've had Virgos and Coronas and nobody has ever taken enough notice to comment. Do you know what gives them their appeal ? One woman told me they have enough bling without being overstated. I said, 'OK, Boomer'.

Even with the wrong engine, I love your car.

Peter

Peter! What's up man?

Plain ol' Krylon Satin Black rattle can paint in the engine bay. With all the black wiring loom -- a beige engine bay really makes everything that's not beige (which is everything else under the hood) stand out. I was always a fan of the old black GM engine bays. I spent a good bit of time filling holes (drove a slightly over-sized sheet metal screw in til it was tight, cut off the part that stuck up and then hit it with a tack weld, grind/sand til smooth) and cleaning/scuffing. Took all the harness and tie-wrapped it to the underside of the hood. Newspaper and aluminum foil masking, etc. Came out pretty good. Best of all - touch up is EASY.

That area on the firewall above the seam is covered with, believe it or not, aluminum gutter flashing. I used a hammer on a concrete floor to "shape" it to the curve of the firewall. Then sanded, acid-etch primer, then black pickup be liner paint. Pretty happy with how it came out. I think over by the windshield wiper motor I still have one piece of the factory rubber coated foam -- but it blends pretty well.

I get a lot of compliments on the wheels - particularly color choice. I didn't care for the silver/polished rims. I painted those myself too. 600 grit wet -- LOTS of time sanding. Acid etch primer, then 600 grit wet again, then multiple coats of rattle can paint (some antique bronze color from Duplicolor for wheels) followed by multiple coats of Duplicolor clear for wheels. Came out pretty good. They've been on there for 8-10 years. I just repainted them about a year ago.

Dang - still can't edit. I chose the wheels less on aesthetic appeal and more because they weren't terribly heavy, and they came in the 17x8 5x108 size I was looking for - in the proper offset. Came out ok.

Wow!! Fantastic!! I had a yellow 84 2 door coupe, probably my favorite of the many 240's I've owned. Nice engine compartment, nice wheels too. What wheels are those? What year is yours?

82 242DL ( now “282 GT” ) Voxx 17” x 8”

I like your badge!

Gents, whats an LS1?

Get a cup of coffee....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_LS-based_small-block_engine

LS1 - Chevy/GM V8, all aluminum, 5.7L (346 cubic inches), varying HP output depending on year, make model.

Thank you Michael