I need some wisdom

[HalfTon]

Well a few months ago the cam went flat and the truck was parked. Last week I finally got around to pulling the engine. After tearing the engine down I found some bad news and discovered some things. The engine was bought from a local hot rod shop and was supposed to be a 355, double hump heads, early casting block, eagle crank, and a few other goodies. After taking the engine apart most of the things that the engine was supposed to have weren't there. Turns out they are 882 casting heads, a 350 block from the mid 70's, stock gm crank, and its bored .040 over. The damage is, two cylinders are scratched pretty bad and will probably need a bore, the crank will need work, and pretty much just a total rebuild. My question is, do I work with what I got, find another sbc to work with, or a 5.3 swap. Like everybody I'm on a budget, I'd like to stay around the $1200 range. Can the 5.3 swap be done with this budget if the right deals are made or should I stick with an ol' sbc? Also, how hard is the 5.3 swap really? Some people make it look very easy and others look like nightmares? Let me know what you guys think.
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[hugger6933]

In a word on the 5.3 swap, NO. I have lets see about six or seven 4.8 four maybe 5 5.3's and a 6.0 and I would not attempt it and think I could get by with doing it that cheap and I still have the acc. drives and trans and ecm's and wiring hooked to them in most all cases. I am afraid on the budget your talking you gonna be hard pressed to do to much on getting anything but maybe a short block from a local rebuilder or maybe a place like Auto zone or O'reillys to find you a deal on a long block maybe on sale. good luck

[HalfTon]

I kinda figured the 5.3 swap would be harder than it looked haha, but I had to ask. It sucks that I got totally screwed on the engine I bought. I don't know if the engine I have is even worth rebuilding. It's a bummer of being a broke student haha. I don't know how much longer I can go without driving my truck, I'm having withdrawal symptoms and its only been 3 months.
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[buckskins4ever]

Honestly, if you only have $1200 to play with, you may have a hard time finding anything other than a drop in used 350. Maybe another builder could possibly have a stock setup with carb and tuned sitting around that a prior customer never picked up and would unload for reasonable. Sorry to hear you got screwed. Personally I would ram that engine down the other guys throat as a lemon.

[Sammy]

Jeggs has free shipping on now...just saying for that price it would be hard to beat

[piecesparts]

I am a little nutso, and I can see that a change over to a 5.3 would not be that bad. You would have to do a fuel pump, and a change in exhaust but it is not that hard. We do not know what you have for a tranny, so there is the rub. If you have an automatic, then a complete engine and tranny with overdrive will give you advantages, that you don't have now. The 5.3s are plentiful in salvage curcuits and thus are very inexpensive to purchase. A little computer tuning afterward makes them pretty healthy on the street and they are not bad for economy.

On the other hand, you have an engine that has been bored .040 already and now you need to go further. There is a limit to how far you can go. Also consider the bore will need new pistons and rings, along with the usual items gasket set, new rod bearings, cam, and cam bearings, maybe better heads. If you are going to do this work, then at least start with a good block that is what you want to work with and not one that is running at the edge of it's useful life. Many machine shops will have a clean block on hand for a fair price, so consider that.

[hugger6933]

I am gonna install some more of my experiances here. Find a wrecked truck with a 305 or a [ugh 305] and put it in your truck . If it is n a later model say up to 93 you can remove the t.b.i. and install your h.e.i. and carb by just an intake swap and your back to running again. Also I have been dealing in salvage and rebuilt wrecks since 1987 and from my experiance the trucks[or cars] were not sitting in a shop somewhere getting worked on. Also the owners where not driving it down the road thinking how much trouble it had been and that they had to get rid of it as is the case in most of the cars or trucks at a regular sale. look on c-list or the local paper just the regular outlets for stuff and something is bound to turn up pretty quick.

[davischevy]

We have a stock 350 engine we just pulled from our 72 Blazer to put in a HP engine. PM me for particulars if interested.

Larry
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[b.eddy's72]

Dont know what prices are everywhere else but I can get a long block 350 ready to roll for about 900 (about 7 months ago). That is 3 less than 1200. If you have a shop and the know how the 5.3 install isnt rocket science either.......after all there is a reason so many people are doing them and its not because they wake up one morning and want a challange. If you dont have the ability there are several places that make the motor mounts and stands to blot it right in. Just my 2 cents...........

I would have the short block done, have the heads checked, and put it together and save some money. Most rebuilders also give a warranty.