I'm looking into buying a 350 to swap for my 305, I was already planning on having engine rebuilt and I found one for sale and the guy says it has a knock, so that's clearly a must. I work on cars and have decent knowledge on them but have never rebuilt a motor and don't know how hard it would be. So I'm looking to see if anyone knows a good place around the Chicago land area that specializing in rebuilding 305 and 350. Any place would work but figured there might be someone who ones a Camaro themselfs that can do it so I know it will be done right.

 

I would post this question in the region boards.

 

I would go hang out at yer local dirt track (NOT the drag strip); get a pit pass, and hang out with the teams; and talk to the people with cars THAT WIN or at least FINISH; and find out who builds their motors. That's who you want.

https://www.racingin.com/track/illinois.aspx

I notice several right close to Chicago; Mattoon, Kankakee, Joliet, Rockford, Beloit, a couple in the Quad Cities area which is a bit farther but not too much of a stretch, and so forth. Seems like there's A BUNCH in Indiana and Wisconsin as well that would be good candidates.

 

In most cases, the cost to buy a rebuildable engine + the machining cost + the cost of parts + the labor cost is going to be equal to you buying an engine from a magazine. Summit has some decent deals on engines. The cost of machining alone can equal the cost of mail order bare engine block. The problem with having a private citizen mechanic rebuild an engine for you is that 99% of the time there is no enforceable warranty. So if Joe left a metal shaving or metal dust in the pan or lifter valley and it ruins your bearings in the first hour of start up your sol. The scenarios are endless. I would only go to through a business and then I would try to get a written warranty for at least the first few hundred miles. I lived in the Chicago burbs for 5 years, there are lots of used engines that pop up on craigslist. Find one that sounds good that is still in a vehicle that the owner can start up or better yet you can drive. I sold one of my 355s that way, left it in the car till it was sold, had the dyno sheet too.