Quote:
Originally Posted by jwscab
these guys certainly seem to be jumping down your throat for what is probably a couple hundred dollars in error, IF you are assembling this yourself.
I would say your estimates are close, for machine work and soft parts. Maybe a couple hundred more depending on the shop you go to.
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I wasn't trying to put him down, his prices were in the ball park of what I was charged for machine work 5 years ago. But there is allot of things that he didn't mention that he might need as well and you do need to factor into the budget. I'm just trying to make sure he understands what he was getting into as far as factoring in additional items.
I'll admit that I'm anal and overbuild! I started my 383 with plans to reuse as many stock parts as possible. By the end only the block and intake were reused and even those had machine work done to them. But everything else from the valve covers to the oil pan and every bolt were upgraded or replaced.
I'm not sure how many people checked into the LT1s, But the factory didn't use parts that can support allot more HP. And most of the LT1 parts are specialized and cost allot more then the GEN I motors. You can't just drop in a $70 double roller timing chain or buy a $50 rebuild gasket kit. It's a $250 timing chain and $200 worth of gaskets. If the engine has high miles on it then he might want to think about a new water pump, optispark and even lifters as well, so he might need to add at least $500 more to the budget!
We recently did a "simple" cam swap in a 97TA, well, by the time you add cam, HD timing chain, water pump, opti, springs, retainers, locks, seals, rockers, pushrods, guideplates, gaskets, fluids and ECM reprogramming your looking at close to $1700.00 in parts.
97WS6 already has most of the parts, but if he builds a 355 or 383 and plans to go 425-450+HP then he's most likely going to be at the limits of his fuel system. He will need bigger fuel injectors and probably a bigger fuel pump as well. So add at least another $500 to the budget. Some will tell you different, but would you risk all the time and money on burning up your motor because you went lean?
97WS6, if you build a 383, you can either hammer on the stock pan for clearance, or go after market. To my knowledge only Canton makes a bigger oil pan for the LT1, and again, it's not cheap. So if you want to upgrade to a better oil pump, you run the risk of sucking the pan dry, so you should think about this as well. Again, add another $400 to the budget for a pan/pump+ pickup.
And lets not forget that if you're running one of the big 600 lift cams that are so popular then gears and a torque converter or stronger then stock clutch
are needed as well. The 306, GM847 or LE2 cams really need them!
I'm NOT trying to put anyone down, or telling them not to mod their car. I'm just trying to share my experiences and make sure you think about everything since there are always things we forget to factor in.
John