73-87chevytrucks.com
73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Performance => Topic started by: HerpDerp1919 on December 30, 2015, 05:26:57 PM
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So in my project, I'm gonna have the whole body off the truck. So what better time to pull a motor? I don't have a ton of money to throw into an engine build. With everything ill have into the body. The cheaper the better. I'm also not looking for a race truck, just gonna use it as a driver, no heavy towing or off-roading or anything. I just want to "wake it up" a bit. I'll set my motor budget at about $1,000 for now. Any tips, advice welcome.
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Having rebuilt my motor recently 1000 doesn't go very far at all. I think My machine work was almost that. My guess is you'll be able to cam/intake and maybe some cheap headers?
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Compression test and leak down if you can. This will tell you if its going to be worth throwing ANY money at that engine or not.
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Compression test and leak down if you can. This will tell you if its going to be worth throwing ANY money at that engine or not.
x2 before buying anything inspect the block.
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What do you have for a motor & how many miles are on it?
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For $1500 you can have a brand new Goodwrench 350 delivered to your door that would work excellent in that truck. Then, take the engine that you had in there and set it aside. When you wear the other one out, you'll have another one waiting to be built. Just sayin..
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I'm rebuilding a spare 350 to replace the one in my '94. Parts and machine work just to do the short block ate up $1,000.00. I'm not doing the heads at this time. I done them a couple of years ago thinking that it was my problem. Turns out I have a bad block. Been driving it for two years with a blown head gasket because of a cut in the block. Water usage is up to 1 gallon to every 100 miles. Time to fix it.
If I had to do the heads at this time the GM Goodwrench crate engine option with the 36/50 warranty would have been a no-brainer.
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The engine just blew in our 74
Trying to decide if we want to try to find a used one or a crate 350 or a LS swap
All about the same price
A LS with reprogrammed computer and harness is about $1000
The adapters and such about another $500
Same as a crate engine
And good running used 350s are over $100
I also want a roller cam. Since ours had at least one flat lobe
Every 350 gets a flat lobe sooner or later
Usually sooner nowadays it seems
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Good advice here from all. A crate engine is as cheap as it gets nowadays. I rebuilt my engine about nine years ago and it was around $3500 with new TRW pistons, new cam, roller rockers, align bored, new connecting rods, polished crank, everything fluxed, shot-peened, stress relieved, and balanced, new World Products heads, new intake, carb, cast valve covers, and Hooker headers. But my engine will run sevenplus grand all day. That's not what you are looking for so a 250-300 horse crate engine is the cats meow hahaha.
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My next engine has to have a roller cam for sure
No use in buying a non roller cam engine
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I agree, it's all due to the change in the ash and zinc composition in today's oils or the lack thereof. These amendments are crucial to old style lifters but they have been reduced to inconsequential amounts.
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Check out Chevy Performance #12530283. It has vortec heads and a roller cam on a 4 bolt block. Add a Lunati # 20080660 and you're @ 300 HP. The cheapest I found the engine was $1979.
Unless cylinder wear is terrible, I would flex hone your cylinders. Buy new rings, bearings,high pressure (not volume) oil pump, and gaskets. Add a set of new vortec heads from summit #SUM 151124 for $680 and an RV cam or something for 1000-4000 RPM.
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Why do you not recommend a high volume oil pump? My views on it are that more circulating oil is better than less oil moving faster. I see the oil sump as a secondary cooling system since it (oil) cools everything around the valves. Oil does not pick up heat very fast either. So...just wonderin...
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I agree, it's all due to the change in the ash and zinc composition in today's oils or the lack thereof. These amendments are crucial to old style lifters but they have been reduced to inconsequential amounts.
I use Rottella "diesel oil" in the 454.....supposedly still has all the "goodies" in it
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Hahaha! I do too! 15w-40. I have two tractors that use it so why not the old truck? Three kinds of oil is plenty in one household. In my old truck I used Castrol 20w-50 year round after the break-in.
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I also use Shell Rotella T 15w-40 in my truck. That is per the engine manufacturer specs tho. It's good stuff non the less, I like it.
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Why do you not recommend a high volume oil pump? My views on it are that more circulating oil is better than less oil moving faster. I see the oil sump as a secondary cooling system since it (oil) cools everything around the valves. Oil does not pick up heat very fast either. So...just wonderin...
If the clearances are where they should be your engine will only accept so much oil. Once the pressure relief valve opens you are only circulating the oil directly back to the pan. More volume=more oil back to the pan. Oh, and one other thing, the more you shear the oil the more it will build heat.
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A note on Rotella having ZDDP acceptable levels is true. They are on the decline also due to Federal pressures because of claimed environmental damage.
Also is high in detergent levels ( disbursement levels) which does exactly that, reduced and depletes the ZDDP levels in the oil. No problem as long as you keep your oil change cycles shorter.
What ever oil u choose keep up to date on their website for the levels. Around 12% is what u want.
Also excessive amounts are damaging also. Can cause scoring.
I prefer to use a 4 oz bottle of ZDDP at oil change and you can use today's SN rated oil if u choose.
I don't totally trust manufacturers claims of levels anyway.
And use a quality breakin oil during initial run.
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The breakin oil was where I erred on this current engine. I, unfortunately, listened to farmer logic and run in it what I was gonna run in it. Stupid on me. But so far so good. I only run it about two times a year and last summer I never got it started at all... :-[ that will change this year because I am graduating from college so I'll have all kinds of unemployed time on my hands until I land a new job. :-\