Need help choosing a path

[rlm316]

I am looking for a little help in making a decision on which way to go with a motor for my rebuild. I have a mid eighty's Goodwrench 350 that came out of my truck with supposedly low miles. I am doing a complete frame-off with some mild mods to a '70 C20. Should I just bite the bullet and go drop 2 grand+ on a new crate motor or rebuild what I have. The last restoration that I did was on a '65 Pontiac Lemans conv and there was no option in that,I had to rebuild a core. I am trying to be economical about the direction that this takes, but I want the most bang for my buck. Thanks for your help, Lane

[RACINJASON22]

You did the Pontiac so you have the skillz I say why not this one to.

If you are looking for the most bang for the buck I say build it then you don't have to pay for the labor end of the crate. IMO you will end up with a better engine or at least know for sure whats in there. Not knocking all crates some are hard to beat but I really think that that is in the upper crust of the crate engine world.

My thought on the matter

RJ22

[Bowtie001]

Agreed. Especially if you've rebuilt them before. If it has low miles, it's a no brainer. Take off some rod caps and some main caps and check the bearings. If they check out fine, measure the cylinder bores for taper (you can really do this while it's still in the truck). If those check out then buy some heads, some ehaders, an intake and a cam and you just got yourself a really cheap performance engine, and it's not even going to take all that long - no machine shop. The only thing you may want to the engine out for are the oil pan and the cam!


-Brian

[1969k10stepside]

If you have the skills,knowledge,tools,and a place to rebuild the motor,do it.If you,like many have no choice but to work on your truck out in the driveway and don't have tools that some do have than you are better off getting a crate motor,or paying someone big bucks to rebuild the current motor.A low mileage motor won't/shouldn't cost much to redo and get it back in tip-top shape.Now,one with 350,000 miles is another story.I just rebuilt the motor for my 71 K10.I did all the work myself in the garage with the exception of boring the cylinders out and installing the freeze plugs.I did everything else.Now,the motor had alot of miles so I redone everything.I had the tools to get the job done: Motor stand,engine lift,numerous tools for the motor,torque wrenches,ring compressors,etc so I was prepared for the task.I have around $1500 in my motor.Its fully rebuilt,ready to go.The only parts that were re-used were the block and crank.
One god thing if you don't have the tools is that some auto parts stores will loan you the tools to get the job done.

[jsbgump]

I would rebuild what you have. You can build it to the specs you want. Where the crate motors are build to a certan spec. It really depends on what you want to have a custom built motor or a crate motor.

[slomotion]

Well, this is going to go against the main stream, but I'd go crate. You get a brand new engine, it doesn't take up your time to build, there's a warranty, and a new crate isn't that expensive anymore unless you get really exotic.

Just my $.02

[PanelDeland]

I would check pricing.There are several online companies to price a new crate motor through.You can also figure out what it would take to rebuild yours.Then all you have to do is determine if the warranty is worth the price difference.Or maybe you really just want the thrill of hearing that motor start up and run the very first time.

[crossy]

Lane, the engines are easy afterwards if something happens where you want more. spend the money elsewhere on more important things. just freshen it up with a 268 or 272 Comp cam and decent valve springs and that GW engine will wake right up. there is a guy in Pennsgrove that does very inexpensive machine work and he could even whack .020 off the heads for a little bump in compression.
I did a GW engine that way for an 82 SWB I had and I was surprised at how good it ran. I had $600 in the whole rebuild.
I havea few sets of stock bore rings i would sell cheap. i buy whole kits, but then sometime only use what i need. crossy

[rlm316]

Well, I tore apart the ( low mileage ) motor this weekend. Pulled the valve covers and it looked pretty clean, wasn't too concerned. Then I pulled the intake and saw a lot of wax build-up, thought to myself maybe the PO ran Quaker State (J/K). Poked around the head bolts and found parts of a valve seal, so I decided to pull the heads and take a look. Decent ridge in the cylinder on all 8. Pulled the lifters for #2 since they are at the other end from the oil pump, you could drop a golf ball in the dish in the bottom of them. I stopped after that. I guess the definition of low mileage on a truck that is 37 y/o is somewhere between 100-150k! I think that my next move is to call the local machine shop for an estimate.

Crossy, where in Pennsville are you located. I worked there for 15 yrs, and wife is from there. Lane

[Bowtie001]

Sorry bud, that sounds bad. I'd still go with a rebuild - just get another block. If you go crate, please do not just start it up without checking some vitals first - those things scare the crap out of me.

Good luck.
-Brian

[rlm316]

Block is useable. Just need to knock the ridge down. I didn't see any scarring in the cylinders. I'll just take it to the machine shop and have them R&R the block & crank.

[KFreddy]

A GM Performance Parts, 350HO Crate Engine w/ 290 hp, part #12499529 can be had for about $1700.00 plus freight. For a daily driver it's an excellent choice, and you get the GM warranty. Granted this is a long block so you'll have to provide the intake manifold, HEI distributor, balancer, flex plate, starter, 600cfm carb, water pump and fuel pump, ect. But you might already have those parts or otherwise would have to purchase them anyway. For a comparison a good Summit brand engine rotating kit is $1079.00, Eagle's low end is around the same price. A local machine shop might do you a bit better on the parts/ labor. I'm curious to know what your esimate for a rebuild would be. Know that the GM 350HO is rated 290 @ 5100RPM, heh nice underrating, spin it to 5700 and it has 330+ hp = a healthy low compression, 87octane, just darn fun, reliable daily driver motor. I have found that the satisfaction of rebuilding a motor is equal to the satisfaction of installing a solid crate motor, you can't go wrong either way...

My .02

[Shane]

I agree with KFreddy ... crate motor if for no other reason the warranty. I have yet to see a rebuilt motor come with a warranty.

[crossy]

Lane, I'm right near the Ford dealer, born here , left here for Tx. then Pa. for 14 years and came back 14 years ago and I'm rooted now. too much junk to move. If you are truly on a TIGHT budget I'll hook you up with Alex in PG Napa and I'll teach you how to rebuild an engine cheap. The GM crates are a bargain, but to some people $1700 is out of the question. I rebuilt the 305 in PHILATRUCK truck 5 years ago for 1/4 that $ and it still purrs. I may be getting it back for one of my trucks.
no insult intended to the other guys opinions it just depends how thick YOUR wallet is. crossy
Can anyone tell me how to stop ALL the message notices i get from going into my spam mail. I belong to several forums and this getting to be a pain and makes me late to reply to many things. .

[OhNoJoe]

I'm shopping for someone to rebuild my 292. I stripped all the stuff off of it.
I have seen several different type of rebuld kits from a few hundred to 800. Since I never have brought a engine to get rebuilt I'm wondering if there are certain things I should make sure of before I choose which one to go with.
I know I could get a 350 crate motor for what i'm going to spend rebuiling the 292..... I am just a geek.
Any Thought would be helpful
Joe

[rlm316]

Well I have some info to update. After everyones input on this I was going to rebuild the 350. I called around and asked a friend who is heavy into hotrods about machining prices. Large area in pricing. I was looking to shoot for 300-350 hp. Prices ranged from around $1800 to0 $1200 according to damage/wear. While I was sitting in my garage trying to remember where all of the piggie banks were hidden when a friend stopped by and was looking at my completed frame and trash motor on the engine stand. Make a long story short, he asked me if I was looking for a motor and that he had one for sale. Turns out that his neighbor worked for the local Chevy dealer and had a crate motor in his garage When he sold his house the deal went thru so fast that he had to dump the motor and my friend bought it. That was 2 yrs ago and now he wants to sell. The motor has approx 1200 mi on it. It was pulled because it fouled a plug and this guy snatched it up and brought it home. My friend only wants $750. I need to go and look at it yet but it sounds like a pretty sweet deal if the casting numbers come out right. My friend said that the motor cost $1800 three years ago. What are your thoughts on this?Thanks, Lane

[crossy]

the reason a new crate motor fouls a plug could be serious like broken rings or a fulty valve guide. MAYBE just a bad plug? GM popped those engines out and for the most part thay are a great deal , but i do know people who have gotten bad ones.
So is a clean core worth $750.
you won't??? need any crank or rod work and you wont need the block cleaned (other than a pressure washer) , but it sounds to me like you should check the rings and have the heads checked. You might be right back to that $1200-1500 by then.
Like i said before i have a 4" bore set of rings here for $20 if you need them.
going away for 5 days, Cya, crossy.
.