Hey guys, I blew my 305 and want to get a 350. I'm leaning more towards a longblock or whatever I can get for the $3200. I've been looking at the different sites with enigines and can't figure out what to get. Give me ideas on engine and companies, and please post any links you have for engines.

 

Easy question with an easy answer: 330ho crate motor .
For less than $3000 you can have all new parts and that's including a stewart waterpump and ALL gaskets, new RPM vortec intake and room for spending $350 on a carb or intake parts.
I did my swap for less than $3000. Reused flexplate, dissy (duh), and pulley system. Get an 8" balancer and bolt it in, be done and be fast. Easy 13's in the 1/4 if you get traction and over 100mph every time. Depending on your intake system you might have to get a new dissy.
Later on you can pull the heads (get like $50 work done to them), install a hot cam, make over 410hp and be back on the road running 12's. Depending on what you reuse and what kinds of deals you can get on the parts you could get a very healthy 350 for $3200.
Shop around, maybe a 383 short bock built, I don't know, look around and price it all out.

 

Just because a block is new, doesn't mean that it doesn't have faults/problems.

A block that managed to go 100k miles proves that it is a solid foundation.

You could probably pick up a builder engine for $100 from a junkyard.

Find a good machine shop and spend $200 to $600 on machine work.

The parts to use, you select. You can get stock rebuild kits for as cheap as $150. And it only goes up from there.

Look around (Jegs, Summit, Paw).

 

Does NJ have emissions testing? If so you may consider a ZZ4 short block and reuse your TPI setup with some 22 or 24lb/hr injectors. Be careful about your choice of components if it will be a daily driver.

 

Of course NJ has sniff test. They even put the car on the dyno. It's a joke though. I went to the DMV on rt.1, bakers bason, and it's a huge facility. You'de think I would fail just by visual but nope. The guy looked at it, said if it passes the sniff he'll pass me. It's the same if you go to any local garage that has the equipment. I had NO connections but I did have a few 50 state legal papers to show that the parts were street legal. He never asked to see them but it was the backup plan.
As for EGR, I don't miss it. One less thing for me to tune my car around and one less thing to break. Sure you can run more timing and get better gas milage but I've got 3.73 gears and a small block chevy. I don't REALLY care about mpg.
As for the new block not being better than a conditioned block. That's probably true in most cases. You have to keep in mind that it is very rare that a new GM crate motor craps out on you because of a flaw! I understand how the block is stress relieved and all that jazz but I've heard of just as many if not more problems of people getting a 350 block from a junkyard or a friend. The reason the block is in a junkyard or a friends selling it is because there was something wrong with the vehicle to begin with. I've seen too many cracks in old blocks to think that older is better. The only time I would consider an older block is if it was the older castings that could be punched out a lot .
Besides, the new vortec motor is a 4 bolt main and roller ready block. When you save up enough money to do a cam swap in a few years you'll have a conditioned block that you KNOW was taken care of. Sometimes it just isn't worth all the time to get a block, get it checked out, bore, hone, deck, stress relieved, and prepped (freeze plugs, bearings...). Not to mention you'll need to build the block. You'll need a water pump, oil pump, timing chain/gear set, balancer, intake, heads (assembled), cam, lifters, gaskets, oil pan, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some other stuff. The fact is I have no idea how GM can afford to sell the vortec motor for $2000. The heads are $500, 4 bolt roller block with nod iron crank, rods, cast pistons, and one piece rear seal is what, $1000 and then they assembled it with valve covers, gaskets, timing chain/gear set, oil pan, oil pump, cam, lifters, rocker arms, pushrods for less than $500. That's just amazing after you price everything out.
If I had to do it again I would just because I never have lots of time on my hands and I'm an impatient person...that's why I drive a quick car .
If I had the cash I would have gotten the 383 stroker but the price is $3850!!! Way too much$$$. $1800 for a stroker crank and hypertech pistons with a small dinky roller cam with less than 200 intake duration

 

this is what i wanted to do b4 i knew anything about cars and that it is too much work and money to change over from V6 - V8. but here is a link that i thought was pretty nice... they got lots more than this one, u can search on the left hand side

Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center

 

hey, i have a friend selling his new motor for about $2500. its a 350 2 piece rear main seal block bored .030 with all high performance parts, heads, machine work and everything done. this motor screwed in his '78 z28. the motor is all broken in and runs great, it only has about 1500 miles. it will safely rev well past 7 grand. i dont know the specifics on the parts but i remember them being all top quality parts. it has a holley carb and intake on it, but if you dont want to go this way, just sell them on ebay and make some money back. the reason he's selling it is becuz he found a bigger motor at a great price that he wants to run in his car. if you are interested, let me know soon, thanks!

email me at:
johndo1707@hotmail.com

 

Thanks for all the replies. I should have been a little more specific, i want to keep the T.P.I. intake.

Opinions on a deal I found: complete 350 T.P.I. with 78K miles for $800 out of a 91 TA, tranny can come along for another $350.

Thanks

Dave

 

I was curious if the $3200 was for the entire job, or just the engine.

Sounds like you found yourself a deal. The tranny is just gravy, but for that price you should take it (then sell it to me for the same price). Spend the rest of your money on upgrades for the exhaust and TPI. And subframe connectors.

By the way, does the entire TPI come with that engine? Your '87 and the '91 use different systems. Your '87 setup would work on the '91, just use the injectors and fuel regulator from the 350, everything else from your 305.

 

The 91 comes complete and so I will use everything that does comes with it. The $3200 will be used on parts, me and my dad can do all the mechanical work. Going to the place today to put a deposit on it and later i'm gonna push the car out of the garage to make space for the engine. (We have a 3 car garage that is filled with cars, 36 Buick which is undergoing restoration and an 88 Alfa Romeo Spider.)

Thanks for all the replies and advise,

Dave

 

Good plan. The SD TPI is considered superior by most with an opinion (not that I'd have any opinion).

If you want, you could send the 305 injectors, fuel rails, and regulator my way. I'd even pay the shipping...

 

If I had the much money I would be in Heaven $3200 is a lot of money!!!! go here
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cg...tem=1804397071
A 383 Stroker making 400HP for only 2295 HOLY **** I would talk to this guy who makes these for a living! These are such good deals! You can then use the rest of ur money to by a new rear end and transmission!

 

For 3200 you could find a used/wrecked LS1 and T56. Granted you'd have to be lucky, but steals are out there.

 

For what it's worth...

I checked with Jasper Engines for a replacement for my L98 and the price came to about $2,100 complete with 3/36,000 warranty.