I have an '89 IROC-Z 350 TPI and it blew a head gasket and caused extensive engine damage. The rest of the car is modded fairly well with suspension, stereo, trans kit, etc. 105k miles. My question is what do I do now. I don't necessarily need the car so I have time to make the right decision. I will either sell as is or build up the motor pretty good.
Any suggestions, GM crate motor, local rebuild, etc. Thanks,
Steve

 

IROC,

The prices of some GM crate engines are hard to beat. If you want a reliable NEW engine, that might be the way to go. If you get an engine minus the intake and exhaust, you could spend around $2,000. You could easily spend that much on building a used case. A 330HP / 350 CI engine sells for under $2,100.00 at SDPC.

If you want to build something more exotic, you'll spend more. In that case, a 385 fast-burn or something along those lines is not a bad crate engine for under $4,000.00.

If you are patient and don't mind shopping for some bargains, you can build 400+ HP into a 355 SBC without a lot of trouble for under $2,500.

If you do a little searching, you can probably scrounge in the recycler yards for a low-mileage SBC factory performance engine like an LT1/LT4 and spend a lot less.

It all depends on what you want adn how much you intend to spend.

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Later,
Vader
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"Click - Click - BOOM!"
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

That's what I thought 3 years and many, many thousands of dollars ago.

But the wheezy 700R4 is coming out soon, and the crap 85 computer is getting upgraded shortly after.

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Starting with a good case, you should be able to get 400 crank HP from a carbed SBC for less than that in parts, as long as you provide most of the porting, some simple machining, fitting, static balancing, and assembly.

The transmission and rear end losses are going to knock that number down a bit, but even the Fastburn 385 does just that - 385HP at the crank - on 9.6:1 compression, relatively small 2.00/1.50 valves, and a pretty mild cam profile, all in undressed factory heads and a carburetor. Spend a few more bucks on the pistons, and a little more time opening up the factory head castings for real Manley valves (pun intended), and 400 is very realistic on a moderate budget. And there's no real reason to even need a four-bolt block at that power level, so a base engine could be a real bargain if you shop for one with the right crank.

Then again, I know for a fact it's very easy to spend a lot more than that, and very quickly.

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Later,
Vader
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"Click - Click - BOOM!"
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

Well, as someone who just recently (as in the engine was dropped in today) went through having the engine ENTIRELY rebuilt, let me offer this advice:

1) Figure out your main goal w/ the car and be HONEST with yourself-ie. I wanted a VERY streetable car that I will take to the track maybe 2-3 times a year, it will be on the street 95%+ of the time and I wanted it to kick butt on the street.

2) Do your homework very well-Like most people here at thirdgen, I've spent a lot of the last few yrs. reading posts here and reading mags for ideas that I'd someday use. Then when it came time, I had a good idea of what I wanted and had to make a decision between 2 setups, as opposed to the hundreds of setups out there. Take your time and see what other people are running and what they say about their setups. I've found thirdgen.org to be invaluable and have gotten answers to questions that I have posted and even emailed others with. People here really help each other.

3) Get a setup that is matched very well together, as verified by your research, or buy a crate engine (it's already matched for you). Trust me, look at what others here and at other message boards have and what they are running and what they say about their setups. Ask them what'd they would do different if they could do it over. Call parts manufacturers like TPIS or Lingenfelter and ask what they recommend to achieve your goal. If you honestly think you will add nitrous or a supercharger or something w/ the engine you are looking at, then research what you need to make that a viable option for you when you have money for the power adder and see if it fits w/in the budget. Just don't buy a huge cam and put it in and wonder why it doesn't work w/ the stock TPI intake. Find out what parts work with each other.

4) Set a budget that you WILL stick to, then decrease it by about $500-$1000. Trust me, one thing leads to another which leads to another, and so on. It happens VERY quickly and the money adds up even quicker. Set your budget on the low side b/c things ALWAYS come up that you need just to make the car run that you forgot about and didn't budget for.

Do this and you should be happy w/ whatever you decide. Of course we would all like the 1000 HP daily driver, but you have to get as close to that goal as your budget allows.

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89 IROC-To see mods go to: http://www.geocities.com/buckeyeroc

[This message has been edited by BuckeyeROC (edited September 06, 2001).]