Olustee bus

A freind of mine is considering a crate motor to replace his stock engine which needs a rebuild. His car is a 1985. He had considered rebuilt engines from Advance and also Jasper engines. I think they are about 1400 with oil pan on.

I told him that I believe he could find a new GM engine for a comparable price but I have not found one yet.

High performance is not a priority. He would like something inexpensive for cruising around and an occasional trip. What is a good crate engine that will not break the bank?

Also, would it be of any benefit to guy a performance cam for such an engine? What other inexpensive things could you do to improve performance of a new crate engine?

Thanks

zr1fred

GM Goodwrench, $1300, new, at a dealer near you now!

Pete K

Talk to your local gm parts guy. They have excellent values.

samsonb

Is that price just the block? Or does it come with the oil pan and heads installed? And I'm guessing that price is for an L98??

c4cruiser

Most of the GM crate motors are long blocks. They come asssembled and ready to add your accessories and drop in. Check with a dealer or shop to insure your TPI intake manifold will bolt on. GM uses a variety of heads on their motors (aluminum, cast iron, Vortec, etc) so check that part out. You will have to check to see if this basic crate motor (p/n 10067353) will meet any required emissions testing you may have to go thru.

There is also a HP version of the basic Goodwrench replacement motor (p/n 12499529). It has a more agressive cam that provides a rated 290HP and 326 ft-lbs of torque. It's a few hundred bucks more but it does have more power than the stock '85 L98 motor.

But the GM power specs for their crate motors are based on carb motors, typically a Holley 600 cfm or 750 cfm when the motors are baselined. The TPI system will drop those figures somewhat.

You should probbly get a copy of the GM Performance Parts Catalog to get a beter idea of what GM has to offer in a crate motor. The best thing about the basic GM crate motors is that they come with a 12 month warranty.

ToddAsh

If your anywhere near Bristol,Pa. then call Contemporary Corvettes and speak to Ron.He has lots of Vette engines ready to bolt in and has helped me many times.