Anyone here know of a replacement engine that you can buy from GM or some other engine company that is pretty much a replacement to that of a L98. I called the Chevrolet dealer by my house the other day and they say that they discontinued that item awhile back. -3rd

Thats wierd, wouldnt GM sell a sbc 350 with roller provisions? thats all
a L98 is essentially. Copy the cam profile or just find one, use your heads
and you have a identical block in my eyes.

Id just find a junkyard with a L98 and use that.

FYI - You can get the bare blocks themselves thru summit & jegs.

I did call summit and the guy said they that don't carry a block that's made for a computer controlled cam. Also, he said the one block that might work, has different bolt angles for the intake manifold.

I believe this is the one I was referring to: GM Performance 10105123

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...w=1&N=700+150+

It is suppose to be a Gen I block.

Okay guys so I just talked to my dad and he said were going to be building a new engine for my car. I'm trying to find a block, but I don't know how well this is going to work out.

I ordered my L98 from AC delco. It was a remaufactured long block and I just swapped my tpi system and other accessories from the original motor to the new one. I've had mine for 5 years and have had no problems with the motor.

If AC delco dosen't make them try looking at year one or classic industries, they might have one. I know you can make a better 350 then a stock L98 but I'm in school and on a tight budget so this is the way that I went and it was a good choice for me.

good luck i am building one too me and my dad is our first so it might not be that good

How much was it

Well, If you guys aren't picky about a roller block...

Any sbc 350 from a 79+ up truck would work fine with TPI.
Of course, youll have a flat tappet motor but it should behave
fine. Little things like dipstick location, oil pan, and exhaust manifolds
will no longer work.. but, Its been done many times before with
success and decent power I might add.

But, again before I would even go that route, I bet I could find
a L98 block in out here in the Arizona desert if it came to it!

3rdgen, does the replacement have to be brand new? Or
do you guys have the ability to clean and build it in your garage?

What makes or breaks a good TPI car is part matching and a solid
tune! Whether its your first time or if its a roller/non roller block, if did
you did some homework.. It should be a fun car!

Good luck with the hunt!

$1200.00

How much was itI think it was a $1200 and it had a 3 year warranty on it

Thats not bad, was it a documented L98 block with serial numbers?
Or did the remanufacturer strip them?

Yes it was documented and was from and 1989 car originally before it was rebuilt

ooo, a good year to boot too! Your route sounds the best in my opinion!

Hopefully, they still offer them!

Well its my first time but my dad built a solid 327 when he was about 17 (hes 54 now). Its been awhile now, and the more we talk about it the more and more he remembers about it. But what do you need to do to clean a engine if lets say i were to pull on from a junkyard?

I really wouldn't recommend that except if they give you warranty unless your going to change everything

Well, your dealing with the wrong cars if your first concern is warranty!

Let's say, you find a nice canidate L98 @ at junkyard, Id call your local machine
shops to see if they have the ability to hot tank it and check it for cracks. If the
block checks out and passes, then it is pretty much ready to go. Id ask locals
if they can ball hone the cylinders (piston ring cross hatch) and prep all the
little stuff if you guys don't have a ton of experience doing rebuild!

If not, most SBC rebuild information is readily available!

Id get the short block on a stand in your garage, and start organizing parts!

But, the main thing is making sure that block is 100% with no damage.
Also, examine the cylinder walls for excessive wear or pitting, and if the
block came with a crankshaft.. check that rigorously before you even
consider restoring it or grinding down to the next bearing size!

Sometimes you can't know "on the spot" because the
motor is assembled at the junkyard or whatever.

I forgot to add, when you get all the "boring stuff" taken care of, the FUNNEST hobby
ever is having that motor in your garage and building it with Dad. Then you can talk about parts and paint colors and maybe even beg him to polish your TPI for you?

*hint hint*

Ohh then nvm, im just going to buy that GM Performance block that someone posted earlier. I didn't know if me getting a block made this experience any easier. But now im just going to be starting from scratch with a little 350 build.

Haha well im going to have to see how much money im going to be able to squeeze outta my dad. I know he said he was going to be helping me with the motor part, because he loves me (not really, just cause I made deans list). So i was "hinting" that the money i have saved up, not a lot, but a decent amount to start doing some necessary mods, i can use for that. He didnt really catch my drift. All he did was sit there and look at me like i was stupid. lol. Ohhh the love of parents.

To be honest it could cheaper, if you've done it before or have a good idea about it!

Half the parts are reused, the rest is preventative maitenence to a used block.
Yea its a hassle driving it around California but, better then not doing it at all!
Plus, You miss out on quality time with pops if you get a new engine!

But, the safest route is always buying new stuff ..I suppose!

(by the way, TPI polish is a free mod! Just requires alot of love ^ ^)

So how much love are we talking here to do this TPI polish?

And what exactly do I have to do for this polish? Like what do I polish or what do I use to polish it. Is there a thread or sticky already out there with someone doing this.

i polished my with some rolok disc then with steel wool came out pretty good

Do you have a picture of the TPI polish so i can see what it looks like when it comes out?

My shots aren't the best, but are the "most realistic" results.



My setup is a few years old, it could use another polish. It has some
scratches from working on the engine and trying to keep it clean as
possible over the years..

IROCthe5.7L (admin) has some outstanding pictures of his polished
setup, mine are cheap and quick.. and it is alittle dirty, but ..you get
the idea of the dramatic effect it has inside the engine bay.

Best looking engines of all time, in my opinion.
I think there is a few threads, and I know of a few non-TGO websites that
have some info on polishing aluminum.


EDIT: don't mind the reflections of the pictures (TPI TB badge backwards!)
My cheap cell phone I used back in 2004 makes the pictures appear to be mirrored!! ..Funny!

Yeah man that looks really great. If you happen to know the websites that have the information about polishing then please, by all means tell me.

a material list on-site: I recommend this guide.
http://www.thirdgen.org/plenumpolish

A different method, with a couple pictures.
http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/dnut/TPI...hing_Page.html

Basically, when doing it without rotary tools, just keep worken it!
The more time you put into it, the better the end result will be.

For the runners you could get a rolok disk and some steel wool