Engine replacement

[hammermachine]

I'm trying to plan out my next big upgrade. I've been pricing out crate engines for my K5 and they all seem a bit expensive. Does anybody perferr one source of engines over another? My current orgininal motor is nearing 200K and I would like to plan out options.

 

[496truck]

It's been my experience over the years building cars that crate engines are the best bang for the buck. Every time I have tried to build a cheap engine it always ended up costing more than a crate plus the crate usually came with a warranty of some sort. It's a bigger cost up front for a crate but well worth it in my opinion. Especially for someone who needs to pay a pro to build it for them. My biggest problem is that I have to be a hypocrite here. Always said I would never build another motor just buy a crate all done already, but I came across a small block 400. This is a motor I have always wanted, so yet again I have to make that mistake and build another motor... Works for me cause I can build it, except for the machine work.

 

[buefchris]

If your talking a big up grade, you might want to look at a gen 3 ls out of a salvage yard.
They are fairly affordable with low miles and are far more efficient and powerful than the TBI.
It may be more work to install [wireing harness is different] but that can be easily solved with any stand alone harness from many different makers.
Everything else[so far] has been a bolt-on application.
With so many people doing this conversion, it might be worth looking into.

I myself I'm currently putting a 5.3 in my K-5. Right now I have under $4000 invested.
Thats engine with 74k, rebuilt 4l60e,rebiult 241 all mounts and harness.

 

[hammermachine]

Engines

The thought of a very modern motor in my K5 is very cool, but it might be beyond me, both skill wise and $$. I'm not a mechanic so I would have to pay somebody to remove the old and install/ fab the new one. Dropping in a crate 350 would probably break me as it is, I can't imagine what a junkyard gen 3 and uinstall would cost.