Crate or locally built????

[Gray Ghost]

I have a quandry going on. The motor in my C-20 needs replacing. I can get a 250 hp Target motor from GM for $1340 or a local guy who's been doing business with some aquaintances of mine for 30 years can build a 300 hp motor for about $300 less.

The problem is that the warranty info from Gm's outlets (Pace, SPDC, Chevy, etc) are all different. One won't cover the motor in anything that didn't originally come with a 350 (Pace)...one covers anything you put it into (Chevy) and the third is right in the middle.

I also know that now the GM Target is no longer the LM-1, but now the center bolt valve cover LS-9 assembled in Mexico. You can still buy the LM-1 from Pace and SDPC.

The difference here is warranty length (1 yr versus 3) and power. My truck hauls several tons of lumber each month. It is a daily driver and makes a few long distance runs to camping trip destinations. Obviously, I want the best deal for the money. With the locally built motor I get the Comp Cams 262 and the motor is built by someone who has a great reputation. With the crate I get a long warranty.

So given these criteria, what would you guys do?