Truck 350

[thebluemax]

Not sure which section to post this in so here goes, two part question:

I've got a 350 out of an early 90's 1 ton chevy. I plan on getting it rebuilt but have no idea of the cost involved. I was told that it had low compression in one cylinder and would need to be rebuilt. I don't want an all out race motor just an engine to run on pump gas , preferably reg or 87 octane. Does anyone have any ideas of how much a rebuild would cost and who does good work for reasonable money in central Texas?

It will be going into an 84 Chevy K10 with a 700R4 and NP208 combo. The axles are 4.11. I might put in 4.56 down the road. The tires will be at max 36 x 12.50 most likely 35x12.50 all terrains on the street. The biggest thing the truck will tow is a low boy trailer. Hauling an atv here and there. I would like to drive it onst or twice a week on the road to keep the battery up. What would be a good buildup for the engine? I have little experience with engines really. I've helped put together a few race engines that went into drag boats but I didn't blue print them or plan them, I just helped turn the wrenches. I mean as far as camshaft,piston, heads what would be a ideal driver/occasional hauler engine? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[76zimmer]

$4032.45

good guess maybe, Your having this all done by a competent shop I assume?
how do they know its needs a complete rebuild, have they done a comp test or a leakdown test?

How bout one of these, and in your area too.

Home > Crate Engines > GM Performance Parts 383ci / 340hp HT383 Engines

The HT383 from GM Performance Parts is designed to give you a long dependable life of hard working low rpm torque from an all new all brand new engine. It produces 400 ft/lbs of torque from 2500 rpm all the way up to the 4000 rpm peak. The bottom end is built around a 4 bolt cast iron block with a forged steel crankshaft, heavy duty rods and hypereutectic pistons. Air flow is metered by a set of Vortec heads with hydraulic roller camshaft. It’s the perfect combination to put some serious pulling power back in your pick-up or SUV.
Custom Sort Order Price - Low to High Price - High to Low Manufacturer Part Number Product Name

Part #
Manufacturer
Product Name
Price

12499106

GM Performance Parts
383ci Short Block Engine Assembly
$3,600.00

12499101

GM Performance Parts
HT383 Performance Crate Engine, 340 HP, 435 ft lbs
$4,350.00

17800393

GM Performance Parts
HT383E High Performance Crate Engine, Replacment for 1996-1999 Light Trucks
$4,790.00

 

[thebluemax]

My friends dad told me the engine was replaced because of low/bad/? compression in one cylinder and that the engine would need to get cleaned up and bored by a machine shop also due to the fact it had been sitting for awhile. I can justify the rebuilding of an old engine but not buying a whole crate engine( got to keep the budget manager happy)

 

[thebluemax]

Intake

If I'm using a 350 out of 91 3500 chevy would the it need a different intake than the edelbrock performer I have on my 305?

 

[Burbdood 74]

My neighbor had his 350 rebuilt at a machine shop here in Billings and it only ran him $1500. That included machine work, .030 overbore, head work and reassembly. Chevy small blocks are a dime a dozen and rebuild kits are cheap.
As far as your intake, you should be able to use it with no problems since 305's and 350's are externally the same block.

 

[Stomis]

It all depends how far you want to take. If ya wanna chance it and cut corners you could just mic for bearings, hones and do rings, seals/gaskets and bearings and be done.

I did a motor with my dad some time ago and it came out to like $2300 for new pistons, bearings, bore/hone, balance, heads, the whole 9 yards just not done up done up.

Throw an RV cam in it and be set when it comes to power.

btw you might wanna reconsider those gearing choices with a 700r4

 

[thebluemax]

The 305 is from an 84 pickup and the 350 is off a 91 3500 chevy, will they interchange? Also what gearing should I run? I've got 4.11's now. I may step up to 4.56's down the road.

 

[Thunder]

First of all. The 90 engine has center bolt heads. They make great torque but dont flow well at high RPM so that limits you to using a mild cam.
90 350 has a serpentine belt, with reverse flow water pump. If you are going to use conventional belts you need a regular rotation water pump. For the belt system you have
Also your edelbrock manifold from the 84 will not bolt up to center bolt heads. Without doing a little work on the center 2 bolt holes on each side of the manifold. No big deal. The machine shop can elongate the holes and flatten the bolt seat for cheap.
If all you are looking for is a towing, DD, basic trail rig engine On a low budget. Just rebuild the engine, put in a mild RV type cam like a Melling MTC1. Have the manifold drilled to fit the heads.
That should give you a nice engine that builds good torque down low and runs fine on regular gas. It should get you down the road/trail just fine.
For the gears leave the 4.10 in for now. That is fine for your 33s. When you go up to 35s see how it goes and if the 4.10 will work for you. Then go up to 4.56 if needed.

BTW you can pick up a crate 350 that would be a direct bolt in for your truck for around the same price that a machine shop will charge to rebuild one.
http://paceperformance.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=224002

 

[pauly383]

Also what gearing should I run? I've got 4.11's now. I may step up to 4.56's down the road.

If you are going to get 35's , and STAY at 35's , run the 4.56 . My 83 with the 700r4 loves the 4.56 gears

It makes leaving it in OD around town feasible .

 

[thebluemax]

First of all. The 90 engine has center bolt heads. They make great torque but dont flow well at high RPM so that limits you to using a mild cam.
90 350 has a serpentine belt, with reverse flow water pump. If you are going to use conventional belts you need a regular rotation water pump. For the belt system you have
Also your edelbrock manifold from the 84 will not bolt up to center bolt heads. Without doing a little work on the center 2 bolt holes on each side of the manifold. No big deal. The machine shop can elongate the holes and flatten the bolt seat for cheap.
If all you are looking for is a towing, DD, basic trail rig engine On a low budget. Just rebuild the engine, put in a mild RV type cam like a Melling MTC1. Have the manifold drilled to fit the heads.
That should give you a nice engine that builds good torque down low and runs fine on regular gas. It should get you down the road/trail just fine.
For the gears leave the 4.10 in for now. That is fine for your 33s. When you go up to 35s see how it goes and if the 4.10 will work for you. Then go up to 4.56 if needed.

BTW you can pick up a crate 350 that would be a direct bolt in for your truck for around the same price that a machine shop will charge to rebuild one.
http://paceperformance.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=224002

I can still use my original pump and belts right? Or do I have to use the system of the 91? Is the serpentine system better?

 

[thebluemax]

Found a shop that would rebuild the engine for $740 total with all the machine work and parts. It was recomended by several people on different forums and by a family friend. Seems like a good deal to me

 

[dremu]

Assuming you're gonna do the R&R yourself, the only cost is materials. Note that while you're in there you may replace the radiator, hoses, or whatever other components are old or suspect, so it snowballs quickly.

Seriously consider a crate motor. The GM crates are inexpensive and are *new*, not reman. I think these days they're about two grand; call around a few local dealers and check out Summit or Jeg's.

http://www.sdparts.com/product/10067353/350GMGoodwrenchCrateEngine196985GMVehicles.aspx

for instance.

And sure, you can get monster horsepower motors, etc, but the stock-replacement ones are, well, as good as your original motor -- and they're not a lot of $$.

Cost of a rebuild will depend on what's done; you could maybe have it cleaned and re-ringed and whatever, what the race guys call "freshening up", for less than that two grandish. OTOH, a good going-through, crack checks on the block & heads, and replacing the parts with matching sets, etc... could easily run you close to that same figure. I think the labor rate varies nationwide, so it might be cheaper out there than here in CA.

Let your fingers do the walking for local automotive machine shops; they should be able to give you a base quote of labor, anyway; obviously they wouldn't know what parts cost until you tear it down.

Note that making a motor hotter does cost more; at some point you spend a lot more money for not a lot more benefit, so watch the snowball effect

As for the belt setup, lots of people like serpentine (one belt, better tension) and lots of people like V-belts (cheap, simple, no single point of failure.)

What you go with may be limited by the motor, and also by what accessories you have. If you have everything in the '84 working, I'd transplant as much of it as possible -- you'll have enough fun swapping motors, why put more work into it?

You may also run into issues with the intake manifold and the heads; the '90 motor will be fuel injected, and the '84 carb. (Here again, the GM replacement crate motor is a simple bolt-up, reusing stuff from your '84 motor.)

-- A

 

[dremu]

Found a shop that would rebuild the engine for $740 total with all the machine work and parts. It was recomended by several people on different forums and by a family friend. Seems like a good deal to me

There ya go. I'm thinking that if it's just one cylinder low it's not catastrophic, like one valve or a burnt ring or something... but let the pros do it, and if it's half the cost of a crate, you can't beat it

-- A

 

[nsxxtreme]

Found a shop that would rebuild the engine for $740 total with all the machine work and parts. It was recomended by several people on different forums and by a family friend. Seems like a good deal to me

That sounds about right I think I had about $600 into mine doing it myself. I had the machine shop do the boring of the cylinders,resizing the rods and rebuilding the heads. I would have done the heads myself but at $75 per head I let them do it.