I have an 86 IROC and I am going to drop a 350 in it. GM Goodwrench has a 350 w/a 3 yr/50,000 mile warranty rated at 249 hp for $1290. I heard PEP BOYS sells 350's for cheaper, but I have heard some negative things about this as well as good. Has anyone had any experience with the Pep Boys 350 and what kind of warranty they offer.

 

Mark,

The Pep Boys engine is a remanufactured unit. Used crank, rods, etc. And 99% of them are two-bolt main caps and cast iron cranks. You risk have a very mismatched set of parts in the rebuilt.

The Goodwrench engines are brand new. That's gotta be worth the extra cash. The GMPP engines are nodular iron cranks or forged cranks, new cases, new everything. And most of them are heavy duty of high performance parts. You can get a 330HP GMPP complete engine (except intake and carb) for about $2,000.00.

The Goodwrench engine seems to be a pretty good deal.

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Later,
Vader
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"I'm gonna talk about some freaky sheet now..."
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I have to agree with Vader. Unless you rebuild a 350 yourself with parts that you choose, the Goodwrench engine would definitely be better than the Pep Boys motor. I've heard all sorts of horror stories about the engines from Pep Boys, Checker, Auto Zone, etc. Like using cast pistons that only cost about $7 a piece, using reground camshafts, reusing valve springs, etc. The list of scary thoughts goes on and on.

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89RS w/350 TPI; 69RS/SS w/450 HP 350/Muncie 4-Speed "Too weird to live, too rare to die."

 

When the thermostat in my 4.3 stuck the engine wasn't even a candidate for a rebuild so I got another one from schucks. I have had only one problem on the engine since I got it in and that was due to the shop I had do the work ( you tell your wife she'll be with out a car for two weeks, then ask why I had a shop do it ). Turned out to be the very start of an exhaust leak. The engine was rebuilt by a company called spartan engines and I haven't had any problems and am very happy with the power and workmanship. After 3000 miles I checked the compression and came up with 145 psi +/- 3%, it doesn't use any oil, smoke or show any indications of that anything is substandard. I paid $1013 for the longblock and $300 + a 12 pack to have my friends shop do the work. Came with 12 month/12k warranty and could get the 3/36 for $200 more. Usually if anything is going to go wrong it will happen in the first 10k and I had the shop pad my mileage figure bay 3k so I got a 1yr/15k

That $1290 GM engine you ask about is a "GM Remanufactured" i.e.: Rebuilt! This is not a new engine. Don't be fooled, read the fine print. GM quoted me $2600 for a brand new not reman 4.3 + installation, the only read advantage was it came with a 3/36 and intake.

If you're trying to get a performance engine the best way is do it yourself, but if you're only looking for a reliable daily driver I wouldn't have a problem with buying the pep boys engine. As for the horror story's, Ask the commercial manager at the store about how many they sell and how many come back under warranty.

 

I don't know about the pep boys 350's, but my 2.8 truck engine from them blew up in 30,000 miles. Threw a rod through the block.

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1990 5.0 AOD lx
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thanks for the help, I am not going to bother with pep boys , especially since it is rebuilt, I am just going to go with the GM Goodwrench 350.

 

I thought the mexican made Goodwrench 350 was like $1200? All new too.

 

The Goodwrench engine is @ $1200.00 with all new parts. It doesn't have any speed equipment. It has a cast nodular iron crank, cast pistons. It may have forged powdered metal rods, because they are less expensive than anything else now days.
The engine with the forged crank, forged rods, and hypeutectic (spelling?) pistons is the ZZ4, and it is priced around $2500.00.
CHP magazine got quite a bit of horsepower out of the goodwrench engine in their series on it, but they didn't put it into a vehicle, and run it to see about reliability.
It had a lot of dyno pulls by the time they were through with it, but I'm not sure how that compares with daily use for a lot of miles with a little racing thrown in.

 

my brother in law bought a 350 from advanced auto for 900, and yes, its an option as to a 2 or 4 bolt.. about a hundred more for the 4bolt... he's had it for roughly 20k miles now, who knows how many cars its been in(he's not the best driver) but i drove his 68 firebird when it was in there and it was damn snappy.. the car weighed(now a hunk of metal, thats why i say it in past tense) right at 3000. i wouldnt discount them as 'crappy', but yes, i think the 330hp deal is better also, and your sure to get much better parts

 

The goodwrench engine is all new stuff, and it is low performance. Super low. Heres a quote from the scoggin-dickey website:
"Have you heard about the Goodwrench 350 that is only $1,289.95? All new components assembled into a NEW 4 – bolt main block. Not Remanufactured / Not Rebuilt! An all-new 350 Chevy engine backed by the best warranty in the USA!"

What isnt here is the 8.5:1 compression (low) and peanut camshaft. I am 99% sure this motor is cast and assembled south of the border, since it has a 2-piece rear main. It also has the pre-87 intake bolt pattern. I'd bet it doesnt have a roller cam either. Still, it is new and has a good warranty. Keep in mind the warranty will be void if you modify it. Many times they mark bolts and such, so be careful if you are planning on changes.

 

no flame at all.. but i wouldnt think a $1200 engine would have a roller cam