opinions...long block vs. rebuild

[seanrolandwood]

so long story short i decided to tear my truck apart the last month with the plans on putting everything running gear wise(engine,tranny,rearend) back fresh 0 miles and now I'm stuck at do i order everything from summit and have my existing block machined and assembled by someone(I've never assembled a block top to bottom and i want this to last a good long while) or do i buy a long block.... it looks like after ordering everything and having it put together the money is gonna be about the same only thing is who can i trust to buy a long block from I'm not exactly a expert on such things and i can't imagine a bigger frustration than putting all this money into it and having it all go to sh*t in 10,000 miles......any advise opinions or otherwise is appreciated if it helps any I'm in sacramento ca

[Mjminino]

If you're going to have it machined, get a hold of some local racing people and see who they suggest in the area. That is where I would start.

[cv65]

I ran into the same thing,only I have rebuilt several engines,so I decided to have my 327 machined and rebuilt, wound up being more expensive than a crate motor! I did all of the assembly someone else machine work,if I do it again Its crate motor,I dont know if these are any good http://www.summitracing.com/parts/na...7353/overview/
just my 2 cents

[71swb4x4]

I just rebuilt the 350 in my blazer. It was the original engine, otherwise I would have bought a crate motor. I have about twice into my rebuild as what a crate engine costs. I knew that I would have kicked myself someday if I had scrapped the original engine.

[urmyboyblue]

It is getting more and more difficult to find an engine machinist that is good and will not hold your stuff hostage for months. If you have never built an engine, I would suggest buying a stock 350 long block from Jegs. Look here-

http://www.jegs.com/p/Chevrolet-Perf...52506/10002/-1

You cannot beat that price building one. AND free shipping. Of course, I am assuming you are looking for an SBC. You would have to go with a remanufactured engine for a 6 cylinder.

[Coley]

Some excellent feedback here....very hard to beat the crate engines for cost and 'ready to go' arrangement.
One thing that often gets missed tho' is that if you do have your motor built locally you are putting money into the local U.S economy and paying Americans to do so.
A lot of those crate engines come out of Mexico so you are making a choice as to where you are spending your money....out of country (Mexico) or putting the value into businesses within the U.S and thus employing american labor and know how.
Again...its increasingly our habit to look for 'bang for buck' regardless of where it comes from....but at the end of the day we can't moan about local job and business loss when we aren't supporting it ourselves....even if it costs us a few extra bucks. Sometimes what comes around...goes around.
Just another angle on this....worth some quick thought.
All good
Coley

[rickpilgrim]

I go rebuilt the majority of the time but we have a great machinest here. Crate motor from GM is good as far as cost but that's about it. Warranty on GM crates is not great however, the fine print say when installed by a GM authorized repair center and the first thing they blame is installer. Again this is here and the machinest gives me a 1/12 warranty no questions asked.
Rebuilt offers you the chance to upgrade/enhance durability and power also and crate motor is what stock is.
Expense wise here to rebuild a 350 is $1495.00 for a more or less stock rebuild. I've spent as much as $4870 on a 511cid Caddy motor(490hp-565 tq) and as little as $1250.00 on a mild rebuild on my 9/16 stroke 350 in my plow truck.
Bottom line is good machinest, if you don't have one then crate IMHO

[GRX]

Finding a good machinist is indeed essential. Being one myself, I am obviously biased so take the following as you will.

Companies differ in quality and production methods. Some of the crates are assembled by machines, or low skilled assemblers. In my experience some are even built with rejected parts. One which came into the shop had the cam tunnel machined off center. Offset spacers were installed to bring it back into center again. Customer brought it in for an oiling issue when one of the spacers came loose and spun in the block. Then there are various casting shift situations resulting in uneven water jackets, or sharp flashing in the head ports. Just to name a few.

There is a lot to be said about an experienced set of eyes working on an engine which you already know the history of. And a local machinist will be better able to address any particulars you require. Such as certain cam grinds or blueprinting operations to achieve certain performance goals. Will most certainly cost more than a crate. All depends on what you want to spend for what.

[68post]

What engine do you have , or want to have .. 350,..283..?
Stock, modified, HP, 100,000 reliability with best gas mileage ?
Is your original engine with your truck and is that important ?

[kwmech]

Since you are in Sacramento..................contact REM.....Roseville Engine Machine, they are on Atlantic Blvd and do good work