How much more would it cost to rebuild just a 350 bare block instead of a long block?
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How much more would it cost to rebuild just a 350 bare block instead of a long block?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Corvette85
:confused: Not sure I understand your question..Or are you sure about your question. A long block is a complete engine. A bare block is just that a chunk of iron with 8 + holes in it. If you use the parts from the long block to rebuild it I GUESS that would be cheaper. If you use a bare block and buy everything that is missing it would depend on what you buy.:eek:
Heres a question for you.. Do you have any idea what it takes to rebuild a SBC or any other engine????
I'm going to learn to rebuild an engine. How much extra would it cost in parts and everything if it was just a block than a long block? Or would you replace everything anyway?
Man at your age I do not want to discurage you in your indevor. What you should do is price long blocks, junk yards, news paper adds, trading times, what ever. Then do the same with short blocks. When you buy a long block to rebuild you never know what if anything you'll be able to reuse. Most of the time it depends on what you intend to use the engine for. That said maybe you'd be better off buying a new short block and build from there. There are to many posibilities here for a yes no answer.I think you could buy a long block and take it apart and see what makes it tick. Most of all decide what your building it for. Pulling stumps or driving down the highway with good gas milage.
My uncle was telling me I should look for a late 60's to early 80's long block. So even if I buy a longblock, I'll still have to replace pretty much everything? Do you suggest just going with a block and build it from there?
It's gonna depend on what heads are on the long block. If they're crap heads, you've just spent money on junk that you won't use. Pencil out a plan of what exactly you want the motor to do. If it's just a go to the grocery kind of motor, then ANY heads will work. If it's a good running street motor, then only a few heads will work. Spend some time going through these 108 dyno-proven builds and pick out what works best for you, then the members on this forum will help you fine-tune your selections and guide you. For a street motor, concentrate on the highest torque figures at the lowest rpm....
http://www.ryanscarpage.50megs.com/combos1.html
As far as money required, you can rebuild a long block for around $1,000 to $1,200 if you go with a budget rebuild kit and don't get foolish. $2,500 will build a nice running street motor with Vortec heads. $3,500 will add a roller cam and some goodies. Don't hold me to these exact figures, I'm just trying to ballpark it for you so you know what you're gettin' into.
thanks. that really helps me. im thinking the best thing for me would be to build from the block up. I want to give it alot of power.
how much is a lot of power to you? and what trans, rearend, tire size are you looking at matching it up to? every kid says they want a lot of power.... hell i did too....realize number 1... that even 300 HP can feel like riding a missle if built right..... and number 2... if you really seriously want to built 400;500;600 HP motors, you're going to pay for what you get.... seeing that you're building your first motor, i really wouldn't reccomend starting off with big HP, i'd start off, doing a good solid build.... the more powerful you build the motor, the more likely there is for something to screw up.... lower HP motors tend to be more forgiving
I built a motor from scratch, I reused only the crank, head bolts, oil pan, oil pump (it was almost new), and accessories like the carb and distributor. I came out at about $2500 including a $300 block (good 350 blocks are getting rare in California). This price included all parts and machine work. The engine in current trim makes probably makes 300 hp at the crank. For the same price but with a different cam and intake, the motor could probably make close to 400 hp.
since when are good 350 blocks getting rare in cali.... they aren't here in san diego at least..... they're alllllll over the place...... if you look on craigslist you can buy not just good 350 blocks but good 350 motors for a few hundred bucks, and theres at least one a day
well i'm not looking to put it into anything. my car already has a 350 in it, and it runs good. i was thinking 350-400 HP, but i'm not sure. I put an ad on craigslist to find a 350. I've had several responses. So are yall saying to get a block by itself, or go for a longblock? I've had people respond with both. One guy has just a block for $75, but I don't know if that's what I should do, or go for something more.
I was looking for a virgin 4-bolt block, those are hard to find.
Corvette, what do you want to do? How involved do you want to get? I wanted to build a 9.5:1 compression motor that ran on 87 octane and made close to 300 hp. I couldn't find any shortblocks that would do that so I built my own. If you want to make 350-400 hp, the ZZ4 crate motor is hard to beat. If you have most of hte parts and want to save some money, GM makes a ZZ4 short block (roller cam ready).
if i remember right you are from around san antonio texas if i remember that right, if so do not pay to have a used block shipped to you. about 3-400 bucks for shipping alone. there are probably 1000 350 blocks laying in garages and junk yards in your area. i would go for a bare 4 bolt main block and build it from there. a used long block to redo the heads, is almost the same cost to buy a set of new aluminum heads. have the block cleaned and tested for cracks and machined with new bores, then start buying parts from there after you know the block is in fact a good block.
This is good advice. Start with a standard bore block so you will at least have a chance to clean it up at 0.020"-over. The more cylinder wall you can keep, the better off you'll be.Quote:
Originally Posted by mooneye777
from there go with all forged parts as well, dont settle for cast..... find lightweight heavy duty rods, such as some manley H beams..... steel crank, forged pistons..... go with some AFR aluminum heads if you can..... from there its just a choice on what combo you want to go with.....
my i ask what you plan to do with the engine if you're going to build it and then not put it in anything? that seems to be a lot of money for a 16 year old to be spending on something they aren't even going to use
my i ask what you plan to do with the engine if you're going to build it and then not put it in anything? that seems to be a lot of money for a 16 year old to be spending on something they aren't even going to use
I don't know if anyone else remembers Zach and the merry go round we got on when he was looking for that 216 engine, but it finally wore out most of us. I see this one going the same direction. This is a dream build that isn't going to happen. Not being cruel, just honest. Zach gets bored every once in a while and posts tons of questions that never go anywhere, and he won't listen to reason. Sorry, that is just my opinion.
Don
just what i was gettin at i was just beatin around the bush to get there
thesals- I'm not sure. I may end up putting it in my car, and then rebuild the engine in my car.
mooneye777-Yeah I've been checking Craigslist and Ebay around my area (DFW). I found a bare block for $75, or a shortblock for $150. I was planning on buying the bare block. Does that seem like a good price?
Itoldyouso-Yeah I agree with you on the 216. But I've been looking into this for awhile. I have the money to get a block now, and I have a job, so I'll always have money. The reason we had a "merry go round" is because I was asking where I could get one and stuff like that, and yall werent helping me. Yall just kept arguing with me not to get the 216. The reason you think Im stubborn is because I wouldn't decide to go away from the 216. Thats my buisness what I put in it. I was just asking where to find one.
If you're only aiming for 350-400hp, I would get the short block because you can reuse the crank and rods to save yourself some money.
Don
it seems that this kid and the other are one in the same:eek:
I had enough
Some people wont listen to you until you tell them what THEY want to hear!:cool:
My Uncle told me yesterday to try and get a long block so I wouldn't have to replace all of the internal parts. I think I'll do what some of you said, and just go for a solid rebuild, and not try and just replace everything on my first build.
I will take the time to sit down with you here and exsplain some things to ya...You need to have a goal.Just dont run out the front door with no destination ,you may not get anywhere.
The best way to enter any situation is prepared, with the terminology,with a good understanding of how things work together and good resourses.
The first thing that I did was to go do as much reading as possible on the internet.I used the online magazines,online articles and many forums.I set aside approx 2 hrs a night to read this stuff and I would talk to anyone I ran across that did this type of work and asked them questions that were not answered in other places or questions I had created myself.
After all of this I realized ...other than forums like this most of the articles you read have a agenda...thats to either sell you parts or to lead you into believing that there parts perform the best......I then realized it takes time and effort to learn this stuff ,so most of the articles are very basic and to get some good info you will actually learn from and some hard facts and stats ,...you need to buy books,These people that know this stuff inside and out have spent considerable time and money on this stuff and other than forums people do not want to just give this knowledge away.
My suggestion is to buy some engine rebuilding books ,a few basic ones and a couple of high performance ones.Sit down and read these and ask questions about what you do not know or understand on the forums.After reading these and asking questions and reading some more you will be ready to actually start to think about getting a engine to start with or some parts such as a block.
In my honest opinion I would have a goal for this engine ,even if there was no ride to put it in.How are you going to know if you succeded or not if you have no goal?If the goal is to just be able to do it,you should start with a complete runninng engine ,from the junk yard or 200 dollar car.Take it apart and get a rebuild kit and put it back together.I think I have seen complete kits for less than a 150 bucks.Do this and when it comes time to build a engine with a purpose you will have a good understanding of how engines work,what works together and how all the peices fit together to do it!!!
Take it from me the first engine you assemble and fire will be stressful,I would much rather blow up 3 or 4 hundred dollars in stock parts ,than to blow up thousands of dollars my first try.By buying some good books and rebuilding a cheap complete running engine first ......you just might save your self thousands by spending a few hundred first to learn what you need to know to build a performance engine.I know I know,you have heard it before.......but untill you actually purchase a couple of good engine books and sit down to read them you will never know how much good and understandable information is actually in them for your engine building pleasure!!!!!!
"How to Rebuild Your Small Block Chevy" by David Vizard
http://www.amazon.com/How-Rebuild-Yo...4148451&sr=1-7
shawnlee28-Thanks. You've been the most help anyone on this site has given me. I'm going to go to the library in a couple days and I'll pick up a few books. My goal for this build, and what I think my uncle had in mind, is to get an engine that is running, and shouldn't be too dificult to mess with. I'll definitely do some reading and get back to yall if I have any questions. Thanks.
I keep seeing the term "roller block". What does this mean?
that means its a later model block made for fitting a roller cam, you can also get retrofit roller cams to fit into the older blocks
thanks that helps alot.
Well, Zak ole buddy ........
First off, don't go alienating a bunch of good guys who can help you the most (if you haven't done that already). You gotta realize that people here are very willing to help you, but as Bigdude indicated, simply telling you what you want to hear ain't necessarily helpful.
Sometimes we do see somebody put out some advice that leaves people scratching their heads and saying "HUH?" but for the most part, advice dispensed here is on the money, and that advice is FREE, so if a guy takes the time to sit down and give you the benefit of his hard-earned expertise, please acknowlege it courteously even if it isn't a course you would want to follow.
You and I live in the same area, and I have done my share of wrecking yard prowling around here. Your uncle suggested that you find a running engine. If you decide to go that route, we are fortunate to have lots of reputable dismantlers around here who have many engines in a big room that have been compression tested and otherwise checked out and have some sort of a limited warranty with them. That would be a better way to go than to pay fifty bucks for an engine you heard about that's laying out behind some guy's garage, and with only the owner's verbal assurance that it is a "good running motor in great shape".
We know you are in school and have football practice to contend with, so it may not be practical for you to take advantage of a great resource we have available in Fort Worth, but Tarrant County College (South Campus) has an excellent auto mechanics program that is offered in the evening. My college degreed auto restorer brother has taken the courses and does some instructing there. Just a thought. You could take these hands-on courses for a bunch less than the cost of an engine. You could learn what you want to know and not wind up with an expensive engine you don't need.
Jim
Big Tracks-Thanks. I appreciate all of your help, and I will try to listen to you guys better without just saying I don't want to do whatever youre saying. Well what do you think about this engine to rebuild, and I'll definitely look into those classes. I found it on Craigslist,
350 corvette roller block, roller lifters,crank,one piece seal
Its a bare block a standard bore. It would work great for a hot 350/383
build. You could use a gm roller cam and build a real buget engine. It is
out of a 91' vette. With the block, you get the crank, roller lifters,
timing cover, oil pump, oil pan gasket, and a few other odds and ends that I
have for the engine.
I talked him down to $175. What do you think, or do you think I should go with something else? And, this is also the same engine I already have in my 85 Vette.
Well, It sounds good to me but I'm definitely not the old toot to ask. I have a 4.3 in my work truck and for the last 141,000 miles it has been a real little work horse. Prior to this one the last Chevy I owned was a mighty 235 in my '51 four door and that was in 1954 (give or take).
TCC probably wouldn't be too offended If you asked to talk to somebody in the department and maybe see if they would permit you to sit in on a class.
I'm assuming they have classes that deal purely with engines but I'm in no way certain.
Jim
Thanks Jim.
Well what do yall think about this engine to rebuild? I found it on Craigslist,
350 corvette roller block, roller lifters,crank,one piece seal
Its a bare block a standard bore. It would work great for a hot 350/383
build. You could use a gm roller cam and build a real buget engine. It is
out of a 91' vette. With the block, you get the crank, roller lifters,
timing cover, oil pump, oil pan gasket, and a few other odds and ends that I
have for the engine.
I talked him down to $175. What do you think, or do you think I should go with something else? And, this is also the same engine I already have in my 85 Vette. Would rebuilding this engine be harder than rebuilding an older 350, or would it not be any problem?
not a bad piece to start with.... do you have a good torque wrench? if not.... you're going to need one
thesals-You think so? I was going to ask to see it this weekend. He desperately needs to get rid of it. Yeah, I'll probably have to go buy one. Oh yeah, and is it any harder to rebuild a 350 from 91 as to one from the 70's? Or is it mainly the same?
the newer they get the stricter the tolerances get.... luckily you're not getting into something that is torque to yield all over the place....should get a cylinder dial bore gauge.... as well.... find out what the motor is actually spec'd to... should be at 4" unless its been bored out
no, its standard bore
alright if it is standard look for heavy wear in the cylinders and such... check thoroughly for cracking and warping
Ok, I will. My uncle was saying I should go Magna-Flux the block to check for cracks. Do yall know about how much this would cost? He was saying $50-100, but if you guys have gotten one done recently you may know a more accurate cost. Thanks to all of you. Zak