Thread: crate engine budget

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Hi, i'm a young enthusiast who could really use some help. I got an 81 Chevy Scottsdale that I’m looking to up the power a bit. Right know my truck is all show and no go. I’m cruising with an embarrassing inline 6. I’ve been leaning towards a 350 turn key crate engine to up the power. There are so many different packages and power ratings that are leaving me clueless. I am wondering how much power I can get with a budget of about 6000$, and what ells I should get to back up the power (all this under 6000$). Please give me your input

Hi Nathan, welcome to the forum. I'll let some of the guys on here who really know engines talk to you about higher output crate engines because I have never really looked into those. However, let's talk about the swap itself and some basics you should think about.

First off, you cite a budget of $ 6000, that is pretty good and should enable you to do some nice things. But the first thing you have to answer is, do you want to put $6000 into this particular vehicle? That is not a negative question from me, I am just curious whether you intend on keeping this one long enough to make that investment in it worthwhile,and whether it will increase the value of that truck by that amount.

We all dump more money in our cars than they are ultimately worth for various reasons. Maybe you are sentimentally attached to your truck, maybe you have spent tons of money on cosmetics already, etc. Only you can make that determination. Sometimes it is better to sell one vehicle and put that money and the $ 6000 into something that is a better candidate for spending future money on. There are times when your head has to rule your heart.

Post some pictures of the truck and that will give us a better idea of how to direct you.

Don

you could have a nice 350 built for 6k, vs a crate motor and hey wahts so embarassing bout a 292 you can make those haul but to

Originally Posted by nathan672

Hi, i'm a young enthusiast who could really use some help. I got an 81 Chevy Scottsdale that I’m looking to up the power a bit. Right know my truck is all show and no go. I’m cruising with an embarrassing inline 6. I’ve been leaning towards a 350 turn key crate engine to up the power. There are so many different packages and power ratings that are leaving me clueless. I am wondering how much power I can get with a budget of about 6000$, and what ells I should get to back up the power (all this under 6000$). Please give me your input

Welcome,For 6,000$ you should be able to get a good custom engine that would make 450+ hp.
Shop around local,check the internet etc.

$6k is more than enough for a nice crate or built engine. That's a good thing too because you may also need to beef up some other things to support the engine like the transmission and rear end ......

Whatever you do, take your time, plan carefully, and research everything over and over again.

Good Luck, Kitz

what kind of transmission and rear end would you recomend? How much should i expect to spend on them?

The truck is my daily driver for the summer and i would like to go to the strip on the weakend just for fun.

Originally Posted by nathan672

what kind of transmission and rear end would you recomend? How much should i expect to spend on them?

The truck is my daily driver for the summer and i would like to go to the strip on the weakend just for fun.

What do you have now for a tranny and rear end?

You can get a new SBC crate motor, carb to pan, putting out 330 Hp, for about, $3900. Or for less then $2000, you can get a nice SBC 260 HP and then add all of the go fast goodies yourself. Your choice of cam, lifters, springs, carb, ignition, etc. etc. Lots of guys here can help you go from mild to wild with the left over bucks.

i have three speed with overdrive trany. and the rear end in a 10bolt with a 250gear ratio. I think its a 8.5 ring gear.

If that's an older 700R4 I would consider trading it for a rebuilt one with a torque converter to match your new engine and rear end. However the 700R4's can be a little expensive. Another option might be to run what you got until it goes away (and you are saving for its replacement).

For the rear end I would probably buy a new limited slip differential case and a 3.42:1 to 3.72:1 ring and pinion, put it back together with new bearings and seals.

If you do all the tear out/installation work yourself you might squeek by with $6k total. You can add bling to it later to save some money .........

Kitz

Originally Posted by kitz

If that's an older 700R4 I would consider trading it for a rebuilt one with a torque converter to match your new engine and rear end. However the 700R4's can be a little expensive. Another option might be to run what you got until it goes away (and you are saving for its replacement).

For the rear end I would probably buy a new limited slip differential case and a 3.42:1 to 3.72:1 ring and pinion, put it back together with new bearings and seals.

If you do all the tear out/installation work yourself you might squeek by with $6k total. You can add bling to it later to save some money .........

Kitz

What Kitz says here times two.