Spartan crate motor

[klaussk]

My valvetrain is pretty much shoot. And I have an 85 k10 with a 305 thats seen much better days. I don't want to rebuild the 305, Id rather buy a 350. I cant build my own engine because I have no where to take the time and do it. But i have a place that I can spend a weekend and put it in. I was looking at this one http://spartan-engines.com/cgi-bin/info?VC11. Im not to worried about performance and if I buy it through advanced auto I wont have to pay for shipping. And I have nowhere to ship it to. Have any of you used one of these engines. I can get it for just under `1300. thanks

[VileZambonie]

Just remember, you get what you pay for. I used an engine from Advance auto parts ONCE. That was the last time. It leaked from every possible place it could, the intake needed to be planed because they had machined so much material off and it burned oil. Never again will I let anyone I know buy one of those POS's. Find a good local builder or check out summit racing.

[onelow84]

I have had good luck with autozone reman engines, got a 350 from them for around 700....on another note we took apart to rebuild a buddys motor he had bought from pep boys, the heads had different size valves from one head to another and it was bored .090 that was a real piece of crap....it only had about 12000 miles on it when it needed gone through again. ended up junking it

[klaussk]

Ill check out autozone. I had a 93 Z28 with an autozone engine in it and that thing was awesome.I never had a problem with it and my cousin owns it now and he says it still great.

[fitz]

One of my trucks had the Autozone $699 special in it. It ran good but every once in a while it would bend or brake a pushrod without warning. Learned to keep a spare pushrod and related tools in the console.
Mine was free (came out of a parts truck) but even then I paid to much. Never again.
I'd do what Vile said and call Summit. If $$ is tight I'd rather find a beater $500 truck on on Craigslist with a good running 350 in it.

[slammed79]

I agree with Fitz. If the funds are tight, you can usually find a good running truck or even a motor on craigslist for 500-700, don't waste your time with parts store engines.

I sold a 4.3 to a customer when I worked for Checker, he brought it back twice, the first time there wasn't an oil pump in it, the second time it leaked from everywhere. Not the kinda thing you want from something you just spent 1300 on.