hello everyone!

I picked up a complete L98 350 two weeks ago. it was pulled from a 1991 Z28 camaro and was told it was sitting for 2 years. i've started to tear down the engine to inspect it before put it in the GTA. the rust out side is somewhat heavy so i figured i would sand/wire wheel it, paint it and replace the freeze plugs. i'll get more pics of the block's sides. my immediate concerns right now are now are: 1) noticed a rear cylinder head water jacket port is clogged with coolant/corrosion (see second picture, right-most port on top). and 2) the lifter valley is black. i'm concerned with the valvetrain. i haven't gotten around to doing a compression test or oil pressure test. when i do i'll post them. based on the photos, should i tear deeper into the motor or should i prime the oil up good and see if she runs? (aka take a gamble?)

all advise is welcome

 

i would rebuild it, or atleast tear the heads off, from the looks of it water got in there somehow

 

I would keep tearing into that thing and do a full rebuild if I were you. Unless you have access to an engine dyno or something and can start it without putting it into a car then maybe I'd see how it runs. Other than that there is not much sense in dropping it into the car and then having to pull it out to rebuild it anyway.

 

shanep: ok. what did you see that means water got in?

pound: yeah i don't know anywhere that has a dyno. since you're in NJ too, do you know any places that do? or is it even worth it to at this point?

 

I don't know of any places that do and even if I did I'm not sure that I would pay and go through the hassle of transporting a motor just to see if it runs. Safest route is to do a full rebuild, but you might be able to get away with less.

 

yeah u already have it down that far.why not just rebuild it,then u know what u got!

 

agreed guys! i'll keep you all posted.

 

update: took the heads off today. they really need to be rebuilt! the cylinders are amazingly ok. no damage. i swabbed them with oil. checked the roller lifters and they look good too. rollers roll without bind. oil passages in lifters appear good too (put oil on top of lifter and pushed down with my thumb, oil came out, then stopped after the second time), i rotated the engine multiple times and everything moved real smooth and without noise. i'm going to turn it over and inspect the bottom end tomorrow. check out the picture below. it's only one cylinder but they all looked like that. you're gonna see some chunks of head gasket in there. i sucked out the loose stuff and then wiped out the rest when i oiled and rotated the engine.

 

i flipped the motor over and took a look at the bottom end. everything looks good. oil was clean with no sludge build up anywhere. looks like the only problem is the gunk in the water jacket and the rust on the outside. i'm waiting to hear back from 2 shops for quotes. how much do you think i should be paying for a long block rebuild?

 

it looked like in the exhaust and intake ports but maybe not, and are those flat tops in there? if so it was already rebuilt

 

there was some soot in the intake and exhaust ports, but it looked in good used condition. they're getting rebuilt or getting vortecs. as for the pistons, they don't look like the the stock pistons from my 1988 305. the 305 had the 4 reliefs and it looked like it was slightly dished with a vent groove in the circumference. the only similarity the 350 pistons share are the 4 reliefs. i guess the flat tops upped the compression ratio? my 5 litre had 9.3:1, my research said this 350 had a comp ratio of 9.5:1.

 

I recently paid about 850 at a local shop for decking, cylinder hone, line hone, block cleaning, cam bearings and freeze plugs. They also balanced the rotating assembly and pressed pistons on the rods for about 300. I have no idea if those are good prices or not but this seemed like a pretty reputable shop. The guy had all kinds of stuff in there from lots of locals who run at englishtown, wall speedway, and even some marine engines.

 

wow that's the cheapest quote from a NJ shop i've seen! the average quote i've gotten has been around $1900. was this price with or without cylinder head work? the lowest quote i got to rebuilt a complete long block was $1800 from this place in sayreville.

 

I bought a set of new heads, so I only needed them to work on the bottom end.

 

cool. what's the name and town of the shop you used?

 

Name of the place is Bison Engine and Machine located in Wall. Its in the Allaire industrial complex which is basically the Allaire airport. The guys name is Rich and he is real knowledgeable and friendly. Plus he is a Chevy guy and has a 1st gen too

 

awesome thanks! if anyone else knows of any good shops in jersey let me know!