Hello all, I am new to the forum but have been lurking for awhile. I have an 89 iroc convertible with an older 350 crate and the following bolt ons:

Dart steel heads,tpis intake, mild cam, edelbrock uppers and lowers manifolds, large tube runners, 24# injectors,adjustable fuel pressure regulator, 52mm throttle body, edelbrock headers and 3" dual exhaust, ypipe. 700r4 has a shift kit. Emissions removed

My question is, in your opinion. Is it worth it to rebuild the block I have, or just swap in a 5.7 ls and tranny. I'm not sure how much power I am making now but would it be somewhat comparable to a stock ls? Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

For the cost to rebuild an old gen1 engine or even the cost of a crate engine in my opinion it's not worth it and I just did both. Just can't beat the newer technology. You can get a complete 4.8/5.3 anywhere from $300-700 all day long and they've been done so many times in these cars by now that everything has been figured out.

 

Your car is already set up for the Gen I. A rebuild shouldn't cost more than $1000 (assuming you will tear out and install the engine once rebuilt) and the engine will have zero miles on it. It will cost you much more than that to swap in an LS motor with 100,000 miles on it.

 

What's wrong with the 350 that requires a rebuild?

 

It doesn't require a rebuild, just want to give the girl some new life. Leaks a little, but nothing major.

 

So you don't need to rebuild it because it's worn out. You're wondering if you should build it for more power.

Completely different answer, then.

A cam, higher stall (assuming auto transmission - you didn't say), gears, and tune can make a world of difference.

 

Yes more power and replace any parts that are worn.it has a cam, it has 3.73 gears. My question was is it worth it to rebuild what I have i.e. replace worn parts on the 350, or dump it all together and go with an LS. Being i am not going from a stock 350, I am torn.

 

The 350 in my IROC does just fine (typical high 11's, occasional mid 11's in the quarter when the weather is good). Spend your money on some nice aluminum cylinder heads if you have some spare cash.


LS motors are great and make easy power (mainly because of the better cylinder heads). But it costs a good bit of money to swap one in. It is not a $1000 switch.