i have a 87 lg4 with 700r4. edelbrock 1406 carb and new hei dist. the lg4 spun a bearing so i pulled it out.

my budget is $1500 total and i want a 350. what would be the best way of doing that? should i just pull a vortec from a pick n pull and pray its a good engine? mild rebuild? a crate short block and reuse my heads? ive never rebuilt an engine before but im not scared to learn

 

Well the last time i looked for a good used 1 piece rear seal 350" i found a corvette junkyard in San Diego that had good used L98 engines they would guaranty run - less than $1000. If i found a L98 w/less than 100,000mi i would just have the heads rebuilt and put it in. Dont know where u live but it sounds like u have junkyard access.

U should look in Craigs List also as some areas of the country have much better deals than others. Los Angeles/Orange county have some great buys if u can get there first. Las Vegas a good deal is rare but still possible. Dont pay much more than $100 just for a rebuildable core as u never know what u got until u tear it down and theres plenty sbc out there. If your thinking rebuild w/new pistons and brgs u have a mouth full as the block will need boring, cleaning, cam brgs and freeze plugs then new cam & lifters, timing set and the heads rebuilt too.

Now u can buy a Autozone or O'Rielly's rebuild for something near $1500. Not anymore powerful but a 350" motor that is rebuilt.

Hope this can help and good luck.

 

You could also look on Craigslist for a wrecked car that you can hear/see run. Might be hard to find, but can be a good deal when you do.

 

For $1500 you can't build a motor, or buy a "rebuilt" one, that's worth a crap.

Not the right road to go down.

Go to a junkyard that specializes in trucks (I realize that in TX, trucks are kinda rare, but be patient, you'll come across one eventually ) and look for a 96-2000 that looks to be well-maintained and all that, that they're willing to sell the motor as "running" and guarantee it. Pay whatever it takes to get that motor; should be no more than $800 or so. Then buy a Performer intake for Vortec; another $150 or something.

Spend the rest of your $1500 on the exhaust. Replace EVERY SINGLE PIECE, from the heads to the bumper, with GOOD QUALITY, CHASSIS-SPECIFIC parts (not "universal"), but NOT for LG4. Get headers for something like 88 350, and the cat & cat-back for the same, and just bolt it all up.

Again, DO NOT hallucinate that you're going to buy a core and "rebuild" a motor for $1500 and come out with anything better than what you've got now; or even worse, that you're going to buy a "rebuilt" one and be happy with it, either.

 

sofa said exactly what I was thinking as I read your post. Running 1996-2000 L31 Vortecs go for $500-$800 around here. I've beat the livin **** out of them and they still run strong at 250k miles.
And no, don't even think of re-using your heads; they're crap. Use the entire Vortec longblock with the Edelbrock Performer 2116 manifold.

 

If you have the ability then...

and..

...would be the way to go. That would lave enough of your budget for the complimentary parts.

 

You can build a good 350 for $1500 but that price will not include intake, carb, dist., water pump, fuel pump.

Core $150
Machine work.. Hot tank, bore & hone, install cam bearings & freeze plugs, pin fit pistons. $400

Northern auto upgraded rebuilt kit with new scat 9000 crank $600

Used vortec heads $300
Howards valve springs $40
Grind the retainers $free

Puts you at $1490
That is a flat top hyper piston, 214/224*@.050" cam, moly rings, etc kit and new crankshaft

Best way though is to find a good used vortec engine and go from there really.

To bad you are not local to me. I have an engine that would be perfect for you, for sale.

880 block (vortec or ZZ4) , 40K miles, roller cam, comp roller tip rockers, holley intake and carb, accel dist. Read to drop in, hook up and drive. I'm wanting $1250 for it.

It does have 882 heads on it though. Put a better set of heads on it and you would have a pretty mean little engine. Even with the 882's it's got pretty good power.

Point is.. Deals are out there, if you look for them.