454 new or rebuild?

[blazerhunter]

I have a 73 crew cab 3500 and it has the 454 in it and it's starting to get old and was wondering what would it cost to get a simple rebuild with nothing too crazy? I can't do it myself right now due to moving every month for work but would pay a shop. I got a quote from the Chevy dealer and they said around 7k for a new crate but the gm crate 454 don't have the normal 350 warranty. What do you think would be better crate or rebuild?

Brett

 

[Greg Ducato]

You could probably get into a quality reman long block for around $2200-2500, I had a local guy build mine and it was a bit less but the engine was pretty nice to begin with.

 

[Greg72]

It really depends on how much machine work is required on the parts you've got.

Once you start adding up the costs of machining the crank, you can sometimes justify buying a 496 stroker kit instead....

None of the options are very cheap, be warned....and the "Might As Wells" apply to engine builds as much as anything else.

My "budget" 496 build ended up with a forged crank upgrade, hydraulic lifter conversion, big valve heads, etc..... I've been told I have issues.


-G

 

[Ned Kelly]

A related current thread in case you haven't visited it yet:
http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=304748

 

[454k30]

I would rebuild if that option is open to you. New motors are nice but as you can see they are also very expensive. Since you aren't looking for performance gains, just a fresh motor, you will probably get what you want from a rebuilt engine.

Remanufactured long blocks are great too! I like those because they usually have a warranty attached to them and all of the work is already done. You don't have to worry about your block being damaged or any other things being out of wear limits.