i have come across an aluminum block and the guy offered it to me for 500 dollars. what is the going rate for those blocks? also besides weight what are the other pros and cons?

I have no idea what they are worth...
Pros: they are different and cool to talk about
Cons: they are not as strong, and have some issues with corrosion.
You have to use a special head gasket

I guess you will get better answers from someone else

I bought, rebuilt, and installed an aluminum block 225 in my Valiant. Who knows what it's worth. Make sure the main bearing caps are all there and matching. Look for corrosion at the top of the cylinders. I suspect most of these blocks have some. Mine did. The rebuild gasket kit costs an extra $100 due to the special copper/laminate head gasket. There are some other differences between the aluminum and iron block you must be aware of. Study your shop manual. The cylinders are open at the top so if your doing decking or boring make sure your machinist is careful with that.

For my situation I found the complete engine in a '63 Dart 270 in a salvage yard. I didn't have any machine work done on the block. I cleaned it, honed the cylinder walls, ran a piece of 80 grit sandpaper on a metal bar across the deck lengthwise about 30 times, put new rings, gaskets, and bearings in it. I used a 1980 cylinder head that I had reconditioned at the machine shop. My engine is stock with almost 2000 miles on it. It runs good, doesn't smoke, doesn't leak, and has good power. The only advantage I see is about 88 lbs. off the front (good with manual steering) and a bit of a conversation piece. I wouldn't recommend this block for high performance work.

_________________


'63 Valiant V200 Convertible
225 Aluminum Block

See recent threads here and here.

_________________
一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.