Ok, I have a 1969 GTS 340 that I bought at auction, w/o motor or trans. I'm starting to plan the restoration out, and want to decide on a core motor to buy. Street/Strip deal, nothing crazy. My initial thought was just buy a $500 ish core 360 magnum. But from a resale point of view, an approx. $2000-3000 340 core investment may pay off when the car is sold. Both motors built similarly, 400-500 hp. I'm in my mid 60's and won't be taking the car to my grave....How much more would the 340 car be worth ? Thanks

Rhino dart (Jim) is an A body expert...I am sure he will see this and chime in!

IMO, a 69 GTS will support a profit on resale from a 340 motor. A lot of this depends on the level of restoration though, if it’s sloppy in places and modifications are made then it might not matter, if ts highly correct in detail and adherence to originality then no brainer…it deserves a date code correct 340.

The 340 will always command more coin, that is just common sense. The most I ever sold a "core" 340 for was $1200, but I have sold known good 340 engine/trans for $2800. Either core engine will cost the same to build, but the 360 will have parts that will be harder to make work on a 69 and will not look correct especially on the front of the engine, so it is all up to you what you want to do for resale...

I would believe on a GTS I would put a 340 in it. Also you might be able to find your motor or date close motor if you post your last 6 vin numbers. just my not sure what tranny auto or manual. I for one have several 69 340 motors and transmissions.

340s are more prized than 360s, according to the market.
Overall, for a modified car, a 408-418" stroker 360 is preferable to a 360, of course.
Whether that would be preferable to a 340 would depend on the build and the buyer.
There are a lot more 360s than 340s, so if I was racing it and making some power - say. 500-650 HP - with a stock block, I'd want a 360.
Reason I say that is the thin LA pan rails & webs.
Since the OP's car is not #s, I'm not sure there's a big enough resale difference to worry about the buy-in cost difference between 340 vs 360.

I do realize there's lots of factors in determining the benefit. Maybe safe to say $5K more ? End of the day either way will be fine I suppose. My initial thought was finding a re-buildable date code correct engine 340 would be a tall order. Maybe not... I've done some craigslist searching. A couple 340s, not 69 though, $2500-3500. I'm on the east coast, don't mind some driving, but there are limits......

I bought the car from an online auction out of Denver. It needs quite a bit of work, but it does have good floor and trunk pans. Under-coating adds long term value ! I asked the owner if he had the motor or anything else, nope
Engine VIN should be 9B338882

I haven't sorted out every detail of the resto yet, but I'm thinking as OE as possible build. It has factory discs, auto console, a/c. Healthy motor, 727 w'shift kit, good convertor, drag radials. Probably 95% street use.

I'll need a lot of parts, but to start, if anyone knows of a 340 and passenger door, let me know. Maybe I'll start a member projects thread. Thanks guys

Cool!! What color is it?

There's deals, I sold this complete running 340, everything included, Sanden AC, X-heads, 340 HiPo exhaust, except the air cleaner for $2500.
9B413301
I pulled it when I did my Gen3 swap

People who are willing to pay top dollar for cars put together with the correct parts are also more likely to be restoration guys who will want it all oem original - no headers, aluminum heads, Edlebrock intakes and carburetors, ect. To get real 340 money out of it over a 360 it would be better to make it look all original as possible if your building it for resale in mind.

A 340 that is built to make 400-500 horsepower likely won't look 100% stock unless it's done using a 4" crankshaft. Not easy to get there without a bunch of tricks done inside the engine with all the stock parts. 400 is totally possible, but 500 hp is pretty up there for a stock appearing 340 and the factory stroke crank.

An LA 360 with 340 valve covers and air cleaner and things painted up to match and you'll find most car guys won't know the difference. There are many "Driver" category 60's Corvettes out there that have 350's in place of the original 327, and most car show gazers don't know how to tell them apart as an example.

wow, nice deal for someone. I'll have to keep my eyes open then. Plenty to do in the meantime.

Color is a green that I'm not liking. It doesn't match the code on the fender tag. I don't know what it is, Tag is F3, which I believe is a light metallic green. I plan on painting it that color. Here's a pic from the auction

Looks like a solid project!

Good points. One way could be is add a stroker kit, aluminum heads, aftermarket carb maybe, and cam. Build it, drive it, have fun. When time to sell, reverse those changes and sell the aftermarket parts. Lots of options.

x2

Even a 360 Magnum with a dual plane, LA belt setup, and round air cleaner will fool a lot of People.

Value of 360 vs 340? Honestly, if it's a well-done car people will pay the same with either engine. All you're doing is sorting out nit-picking Buyers. A 340 is $2500 away for the Guy that REALLY needs it and they can recover that cost plus more selling your 360.

Check out Alex's Channel on his Big Red 360 Magnum project, worth a watch:

It now looks like a 340 is much more obtainable, and obviously a lot more flexibility in parts and combinations. I'm definitely going with a 340. Date-coded if I can, another year 340 if I have to.

If and when the car is sold, people will know exactly what's under the hood.

Glad you are going with a 340!

Thanks, it's the right decision after thinking it through. I think I'll try to disassemble the car, get it put on a cart and pressure wash it by the end of the month. Bottom of the car is undercoated and it's staying on. If it was good enough on a new car, it's good enough for a restored one. At least that's a plan.

Was that one of the cars at the Soneff auction? Stripe delete F3 car correct? It looked like a great builder!

It is. yes, that's correct. In fact we messaged about it last year and discussed parts.........yeah, it's in good enough shape to restore... should be fun

Question. Car has a "scheduled" Build date - March 2, 1969. What is reasonable date code for an engine ? Thanks