Thread: crate vs rebuilt

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I spent a little over $800 getting a block mostly blueprinted. I didn't have the mains line honed and I didn't have the deck square decked. I did take .010 off the top of the block, but it was just a parallel mill. The rotating assembly was balanced. The motor came together for around $2600, and that includes the price of a block. I reused the crank, carb, distributor, water pump, head bolts, main bolts, etc... The rest was new. I could have bought the 350 ho crate motor from GM for the same price, and it's rougly the same motor and does come with a roller cam. I would have had a waranty with that motor, but I trust my own work. It wasn't exactly what I wanted either. When you build your own motor, you can build exactly what you want. Mine makes the same power but runs on lower octane.

Originally posted by mad hooker
yea it is all what your trying to do. right now on my project i had to come to a decision myself. i broke a connecting rod in my engine,it gored the block and ruined the whole engine. i looked at a new long block, its 1600, i can get it for 1400, through my uncle , but this engine is for a 74 van. so im aiming for 350hp. the long block im getting comes with 290hp at 5100rpm. and it comes with a cam, all new! im gonna swap it out but just add a few bolts ons and i have what i want for my engine. if i started from scratch with a yard engine, all the machine work and parts and all that.... it would cost me way more than the 1800 dollars that im putting in to it, so in the end its what you afford and what you want.

I will just say this: Complete rotating assembly from Eagle for 383 will cost 1k with balancer and flex plate included. Set of vortec heads around $500. Cam and machine work roughly another $500 and you got 2k tied up in a torquey 383. Not a bad deal especially beings you want a stock motor to pump out 350 horses. Much easier with the extra cubes.

I definately dont like the idea of a turnkey crate. when it comes to intakes, carbs, and cams etc, i wana have the final say, not the bloke down at the shop.

if i sourced a used motor, and then reused the block, rods, crank, and other fiddlies (new pistons, cam, intake, carb, ignition, heads) would i be able to keep the costs down? on one hand i want to have the fun of stripping down an old block and cleaning and rebuilding it, but then i would only be using the block and half the rotating assembly.

damn it - a new short block is so tempting.

also... the 350 i wanted to build would be designed to produce as much torque as possible (with extra hp!), so would it be worth considering a 383? is a 383 much more expensive/difficult to build compared to a 350?

Check out http//www.speedomotive.com for prices on 383 parts, short, long complete engines.

They will build whatever you want with whatever you want.

In a "real world" situation, it is hard to beat the price of a crate motor, especially when you factor in the warranty. Racing engines are a complete different story, but even then a lot of the short-block, long block combinations are hard to beat price wise. I guess I'm well beyond the "I built the motor myself" pride issue. If I can get what I want for the same money and save all that time and trips to the machinist, I will go with a crate engine. These builders buy in volume and get a far better price then I could hope to buying one at a time. Kind of becomes a time management issue, which is probably just a geezer issue, anyway!!!!!!!!!

yea, im trying to figure out more torque for my van also, i wanna go with a long block and build it up, but i also want to just build the thing myself, but it is my first build and i dont know if i can afford to build one at home. buying the parts individually is very exspensive, but very temping to me. what will i be able to keep off my old engine, so far the things that are in good shape are the carb, flywheel, intake. the rest is questionable. ther block is no good, it has a cam and it looks ok but could use a regrind, and i dont want to reuse the pistons to be safe., and also i dont know how much id get if i sold the parts for scrap. the heads are still good but i would sell them if i do a complete rebuild. what your guys advise? i can afford no more than 2500, to 3000, for the engine. thanks

To stay within your budget you are probably better off sticking with a 350. A 383 bottom end will push an extra 500-1000 into the project. My HT-383 build will finish out at about 4500 with headers and new TBI ready to drop in, using the accessories from my existing 350.

I still say that GMPP HO 350 is tough to beat for your needs while remaining within your budget. Get the long block for 2400.00, add a dual plane manifold and 600cfm vac secondary carb, water pump, balancer, flywheel and you just might squeek in under 3grand. If you change cams, go for bottom end torque.

Originally posted by Dave Severson
In a "real world" situation, it is hard to beat the price of a crate motor, especially when you factor in the warranty. Racing engines are a complete different story, but even then a lot of the short-block, long block combinations are hard to beat price wise. I guess I'm well beyond the "I built the motor myself" pride issue. If I can get what I want for the same money and save all that time and trips to the machinist, I will go with a crate engine. These builders buy in volume and get a far better price then I could hope to buying one at a time. Kind of becomes a time management issue, which is probably just a geezer issue, anyway!!!!!!!!!

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My Tthoughts exactly Dave......And besides that ya can lie & say Hell yeah I built it.

This looks a bit of a deal!

"ASSEMBLED SHORT BLOCK $1895.00
SHORT BLOCK INCLUDES:
FULLY MACHINED GM 2 BLOT BLOCK, CLEARANCED FOR STROKER CRANK
HIGH NODULAR CAST LATE MODEL 1PC.SEAL 3.750" STROKER CRANKSHAFT
GM 5.7" STAGE 1 I-BEAM RODS WITH ARP WAVE-LOC BOLTS
HYPEREUTECTIC REVERSE DOME TOP PISTONS WITH EXCLUSIVE FM244 HIGH SILICON ALLOY
SEALED POWER MOLY RINGS
CLEVITE TRI-METAL MAIN & ROD BEARINGS
BALANCED EXTERNAL TO WITHIN 1/2 GRAM
EXPERT BLUEPRINT ASSEMBLY"

is it worth saving the $500 and use the 'second hand' crate?
or go with this one suggested earlier?

"ASSEMBLED SHORT BLOCK $2395.00
NEW GM 4-BOLT BLOCK (BORE 4.030)
NEW 3.750" HIGH NODULAR STROKER CRANK 2pc REAR MAIN SEAL
NEW 5140 FORGED 5.7" I-BEAM RODS
NEW FORGED DISH-TOP PISTONS 9.0-1 COMP. RATIO
NEW MOLY RING SET
BALANCED EXTERNALLY TO WITHIN 1/2 GRAM
EXPERT BLUEPRINT ASSEMBLY
FREE SHIPPING "

For 500 more on the latter you get all new stuff with forged pistons and a new 4bolt block.

If you go with the former I'd take the $150.00 upgrade to a 4bolt block.

Another route is to buy the GMPP 383 stroker clearanced Bare Block #88962516 for 860.00 and a ready to install balanced rotating assembly with rings and bearings from www.gofaststuff.com for around 900.00 - then pay a machine shop to prep the block and put it together yourself. Might save a few hundred that way if your machine shop does'nt get too proud. If you get the internally balanced rotating assembly you can use your stock 350 balancer and flex plate. Go Fast says their balanced kits are ready to drop in with no further clearancing required.

I would go with the crate motor. The supplier (most) will build it to your specifications, so it will suit your needs. This is important, as nothing is more dissapointing as a motor that is unpleasant to drive, ie to lumpy to drive in traffic, or not enough power to pull the skin of a custard.

Another big plus is a warranty. If you build it yourself and it breaks then you pay. But someone reputable will give you a good product of the bat if they have a warranty, this saves a whole lot of grief at the end of the day.

If you are after the thrill of building it then go for it, me I would buy it already done, just bolt in and go.

Justin

For me the extra $500.00 would be a no-brainer. Looks like a good combination to me and I don't even like chebbies !!!!!!

I've always built my own for my own use. when i've installed somebody elses work, I always open it up and check things out.Guess I don't have much confidence in factory built,even though I realize they turn out hundreds each day with no problem. I have however found rod caps backwards, bolts untorqued etc. I spent some time in a large dealership and saw quite a few careless mistakes,maybe that made me paranoid ?

I agree the crate is a heck of a deal if it is everything you want - especially if you don't trust your own building skills.

HaHa i think we have a winner. Just looking at MainCap's suggestion, and for $1800 i could have a new stroker short block (internally balanced), that just requires assembly. (it doesnt look like the block needs honing, but wouldnt add too much to the cost).

compare this to the $2395 for the 383 'tow-master', and they both have exactly the same parts, except that the first option comes with hypereutectic pistons as opposed to forged. for me thats a bonus because its cheaper and for the rpm levels ill b running, the hyper will give me more horsepower anyway, due to smaller skirt clearances.

i recon around $2000 for a 383 short block is fair game, and it would probably pay off in the long run to go with 383 ci anyway, as the cheapest way to get more power is with extra cubes usually. if i built a 350, id only want a 383 afterwards!