Which engine?

[MrGibbly]

This afternoon when I dropped my '78 L48 off at my local 'Vette repair guru's shop he had an interesting proposal for me... He said he would pull my motor, bore it an extra 30, deck it, replace the pins, valves, springs, guides, cam, lifters, rings, etc. for $1,600 plus a little less than $1,000 for the in/out labor. Alternatively, I know I could pickup a new Goodwrench engine ready-to-run for about the same amount and have him install it. The "built" version of my existing motor would probably make more power... The all new engine would probably be more reliable (though less powerful at ~260 hp)... What do you guys and gals think? What have you experienced?

 

[Macgyver]

HEy youre in SA. So am I. What shop did you go to that told you that adn what part of town?

 

[photovette]

I went with this motor about 9 months ago and 15K miles ago:

http://www.groomsengines.com/350-chevy.html

I paid about 2700.00 installed. Lifetime replacement warranty! Tons of power!

 

[goingballistic]

Best thing to do with this is ask him exactly what parts he's going to replace, research the cost of the parts ( $1600 sounds high to me for what you listed) + $1000 in labor ( sounds reasonable but again depends on parts) and then make your decision. Talk to a good macing shop in your area and ask about the motor work costs, this is what mine costs for block work.
Decking = $130
30 over =$130
Cleaning/dipping/magnaflux= $100
Cam ~ $100
Pistons (HE) ~$170 ( forged ~$500)
Lifters~$100
The rest ~$300 ( varies Widely)
I bought a complete 350 block from pan to carb for $350 and am in the process of building a stroker, ( sold the parts I don't need to pay for the block) parts total is around $4000 ( $1300 heads). If you're doing this for power?????? I wouldn't spend the time and money, if you're doing it to "spruce" the motor and refresh and you're not handy with tools and motors, it may be worth your investment but again, I think the parts cost is a little high...maybe you can buy the parts and give them to him to install.............just my 2cents worth..........

 

[Jack]

This afternoon when I dropped my '78 L48 off at my local 'Vette repair guru's shop he had an interesting proposal for me... He said he would pull my motor, bore it an extra 30, deck it, replace the pins, valves, springs, guides, cam, lifters, rings, etc. for $1,600 plus a little less than $1,000 for the in/out labor. Alternatively, I know I could pickup a new Goodwrench engine ready-to-run for about the same amount and have him install it. The "built" version of my existing motor would probably make more power... The all new engine would probably be more reliable (though less powerful at ~260 hp)... What do you guys and gals think? What have you experienced?

First, if there’s nothing seriously wrong with your motor, I question whether you should do anything to it beyond good maintenance.

Grooms probably builds great motors, but their lifetime warranty is purchased separately … and it requires the customer to bring the engine, current vehicle registration, warranty registration certificate and personal identification to Grooms plant near Nashville TN. IMHO, that lifetime warranty may be a good deal only if the original end-user maintains residence VERY near Nashville. Otherwise, IMHO the warranty is practically meaningless.

The Goodwrench motor has a much better warranty … NO surcharge for it … 36 months and/or 50,000 miles … good anywhere there’s a GM dealer. The motor can be had for under $1500 … it’s all 100% brand new (block too) … makes about 250 hp. BOTH mild cam and lifters can be had for under $100 … can easily bump hp to about 275-300 … don’t know if cam affects warranty. Goodwrench doesn’t come with an intake-carb, distributor or damper … you’ll have to use yours.

I think you should be able to find a local, reputable mechanic who can swap the parts out and R&R the motor for around $500 ... a vette guru is not required for this.

Most folks are not going racing so 250-260 hp is plenty for their street vette ... that’s probably more than what came in your ’78 L48. If yours does not have true dual exhaust … do consider it … will free up a lot of hp. I recommend the Goodwrench motor … it’s a good bargain and proven reliable.
JACK:gap

 

[78SilvAnniv]

I put a Goodwrench 250hp in my 78SA in 1997. I was very pleased with the cost (liked having the warranty) and the increase of power from my stock CA L48 170hp.
Heidi

 

[MrGibbly]

Jack, my 'Vette probably makes 190 hp on a very good day and she's starting to drink a little oil. It's got a true dual set up, 2.5" all the way out from the stock manifolds (no cats). I plan on rebuilding and using my Quadrajet on whatever "new" powerplant I go with since it can flow plenty of mixture, and it's a big part of what makes these cars sound the way they do.

Heidi, I appreciate your weighing in with some personal experience. That's the sort of thing that I was really hoping to hear.

So I guess what I'm hearing is that you can't go wrong with the new Goodwrench block and my local shop is sounding a little pricey... Anybody think CPR for the original block is the way to go?

 

[rpounds]

I guess I don't really have a strong opinion on which way you should go. I can say that, if it were me, I would rebuild the engine that you have. You can build in anything from mild to wild, really taylor it to whatever you want.

On the other hand, GM has a pretty good variety of crate engines to choose from. I don't have any first hand experience with them, but I've heard that they are of generally good quality.

With all of that said, there is a mechanic/garage owner here in the LA area that hosts a talk radio show on Sunday mornings. His name is Leon Kaplan and he's been wrenching since he was "knee high to a grasshopper". He's a transplanted southerner of about 60-65 years old and truly knows his stuff. He routinely recommends to his callers that they rebuild the engines that they have rather than going with a new one. He makes several points on this subject, most of which I don't remember at the moment. So who knows what's really "best". Either way, I would think you would end up happy with the results, so it becomes a personal matter . . . and maybe a financial matter.

Good luck on your decision!! And as Leon always says "it's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice"!! :L