What do?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,071
Likes: 322
From: palm springs ca
I had the adjustable part of a adjustable wrench go missing. Why I had it on my engine was a mystery. The vacuum fitting over #8 was not on yet! You guessed it! the part fell into the fitting hole. when I started the car all was fine and my friend & I were going to have a beer after breaking the cam in. When I increased the RPM to break the cam in, the knock started. I pulled the plug and fished out the part with a magnet.
It did make it past the intake and into the cylinder.
Another was the choke linkage. The car was worked on at a local gas station and was all screwed up. when I drove it up the lift ramp it started knocking. Pulled the head and found the missing linkage that the station mechanic didn't secure.
Dom
It did make it past the intake and into the cylinder.
Another was the choke linkage. The car was worked on at a local gas station and was all screwed up. when I drove it up the lift ramp it started knocking. Pulled the head and found the missing linkage that the station mechanic didn't secure.
Dom
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 11,929
Likes: 4,497
From: Virginia
Put a few hundred into your old engine, and save the rest to upgrade to a manual transmission. A tired L-48 with even a 4-speed, let alone a Tremec 5 or 6 speed, will be about a zillion times more fun than anything else you can do with the car.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 7,739
Likes: 630
From: Unreconstructed, South Carolina
uench
That ATK is REBUILT. Recently a CF member got one and expressed his disappointment both here & at Speed-talk
Most budget rebuilds (whether local or big-name) use cheapest pistons which have old fashioned wide, inefficient ringpaks and pistons' compression heights & crowns which yield Low compression / Poor Quench, and cheapest quality timing sets etc. AND their blocks are already overbored to about + 0.040" which is practical limit of most later sbc blocks (so it cannot be bored again, ever).
Jegs gets about $1600 for that ATK 282 and it's a REBUILD and has No damper and iffy parts; also can't be bored again https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/059/0282/10002/-1
So, for some $900 (or less) Additional, you can have an ALL BRAND NEW L31 crate Vortec GM vin code R 4-bolt Roller ... new pn 12681431 ... old pn 12530283 ... for $2450 or less.
Even Blueprint's BP3503CT1 ~ $2800 is a REBUILD as above and No damper and can't be bored again. https://blueprintengines.com/products/350-ci-crate-engine-small-block-gm-longblock-bp3503ct1
Yes, your old OE motor can probably be rebuilt, but it won't have decent heads like Vortec, nor will it have a roller cam Unless you pay the EXTRA $1500 - $2200 Premium for those ON TOP of whatever the basic rebuild costs ($1500 - $2500) ... but, as mentioned it'll still probably get the crappy pistons & wide ringpaks etc etc.
Conversely, EVERYTHING's BRAND NEW INSIDE & OUT of L31 crate Vortec GM NEW CRATE Engine 350 Chevrolet 5.7 L31 vin code R 4-bolt Roller ... new pn 12681431 ... old pn 12530283 ... it has the desirable modern, efficient thin metric ringpaks ... they're relatively low friction & Very easy on bore wear and provide superior sealing. Besides, venerable L31 has an Unsurpassed history of reliability & long life in 96-2002 GM light to mid trucks. Millions of em.
I'll kiss it where the sun don't shine if it don't make AT LEAST 300fwhp right out of the box with a decent carb & tune & true dual exhausts. It'll easily make 400fwhp with just a simple swap to a bigger cam & better springs-retainers (well under an extra $750).
So, for nearly same money you can have much more performance than the Blueprint ... BUT ALL NEW. e.g.$2450 delivered https://www.karlkustoms.com/p/12681431-5-7L-350-L31-R-Long-Block-Assembly-Karl-Kustoms/50595?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI78XOpubR5wIVQZyz Ch1MEw7oEAQYBCABEgJMVPD_BwE ... and as mentioned, New L31 prices will likely drop again as the supply pipeline refills. BTW, the new replacement GM crates come with a good warranty. They're assembled by one of the best engine manufacturers ever ... GM. Same motors are marketed today as go-to reliable, industrial/commercial stationary engines and for marine power.
One Big distinction to note here is how the above GM replacement L31 motor is NOT marketed as a GM/Chev Performance motor .. thus the price is considerably less than if it had the Performance cachet. VERY similar Chev Performance motors (based upon L31) cost $1000 - $2000 MORE.
Most budget rebuilds (whether local or big-name) use cheapest pistons which have old fashioned wide, inefficient ringpaks and pistons' compression heights & crowns which yield Low compression / Poor Quench, and cheapest quality timing sets etc. AND their blocks are already overbored to about + 0.040" which is practical limit of most later sbc blocks (so it cannot be bored again, ever).
Jegs gets about $1600 for that ATK 282 and it's a REBUILD and has No damper and iffy parts; also can't be bored again https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/059/0282/10002/-1
So, for some $900 (or less) Additional, you can have an ALL BRAND NEW L31 crate Vortec GM vin code R 4-bolt Roller ... new pn 12681431 ... old pn 12530283 ... for $2450 or less.
Even Blueprint's BP3503CT1 ~ $2800 is a REBUILD as above and No damper and can't be bored again. https://blueprintengines.com/products/350-ci-crate-engine-small-block-gm-longblock-bp3503ct1
Yes, your old OE motor can probably be rebuilt, but it won't have decent heads like Vortec, nor will it have a roller cam Unless you pay the EXTRA $1500 - $2200 Premium for those ON TOP of whatever the basic rebuild costs ($1500 - $2500) ... but, as mentioned it'll still probably get the crappy pistons & wide ringpaks etc etc.
Conversely, EVERYTHING's BRAND NEW INSIDE & OUT of L31 crate Vortec GM NEW CRATE Engine 350 Chevrolet 5.7 L31 vin code R 4-bolt Roller ... new pn 12681431 ... old pn 12530283 ... it has the desirable modern, efficient thin metric ringpaks ... they're relatively low friction & Very easy on bore wear and provide superior sealing. Besides, venerable L31 has an Unsurpassed history of reliability & long life in 96-2002 GM light to mid trucks. Millions of em.
I'll kiss it where the sun don't shine if it don't make AT LEAST 300fwhp right out of the box with a decent carb & tune & true dual exhausts. It'll easily make 400fwhp with just a simple swap to a bigger cam & better springs-retainers (well under an extra $750).
So, for nearly same money you can have much more performance than the Blueprint ... BUT ALL NEW. e.g.$2450 delivered https://www.karlkustoms.com/p/12681431-5-7L-350-L31-R-Long-Block-Assembly-Karl-Kustoms/50595?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI78XOpubR5wIVQZyz Ch1MEw7oEAQYBCABEgJMVPD_BwE ... and as mentioned, New L31 prices will likely drop again as the supply pipeline refills. BTW, the new replacement GM crates come with a good warranty. They're assembled by one of the best engine manufacturers ever ... GM. Same motors are marketed today as go-to reliable, industrial/commercial stationary engines and for marine power.
One Big distinction to note here is how the above GM replacement L31 motor is NOT marketed as a GM/Chev Performance motor .. thus the price is considerably less than if it had the Performance cachet. VERY similar Chev Performance motors (based upon L31) cost $1000 - $2000 MORE.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 7,739
Likes: 630
From: Unreconstructed, South Carolina
OP
Oh, I see the ATK HP32 motor you refer to ... it's $2600 and about same as the Blueprint above. here's HP32 https://www.high-performance-engines...0hp-p/hp32.htm
... SOS ... a REBUILT 282 w/ bigger cam & maybe springs but they're charging an extra $1000 for bigger lift & hp ... it's still a REBUILD w/ all the deficiencies & constraints as outlined above, but it has bigger cam & hp for a $1K premium ... such a deal!
FWIW, circa 1990 I bought an ATK replacement REBUILT for a Mazda RX7 rotary ... it was a POS and its apex seals soon failed ... TURD ... but ATK was the Only game in town ... even Mazda dealership mechanics were prohibited from going inside their own rotary. Dealer Parts Mgr told me Mazda USA's rebuilds were from ATK. Car long gone; goodbye to bad rubbish.
Oh, I see the ATK HP32 motor you refer to ... it's $2600 and about same as the Blueprint above. here's HP32 https://www.high-performance-engines...0hp-p/hp32.htm
... SOS ... a REBUILT 282 w/ bigger cam & maybe springs but they're charging an extra $1000 for bigger lift & hp ... it's still a REBUILD w/ all the deficiencies & constraints as outlined above, but it has bigger cam & hp for a $1K premium ... such a deal!
FWIW, circa 1990 I bought an ATK replacement REBUILT for a Mazda RX7 rotary ... it was a POS and its apex seals soon failed ... TURD ... but ATK was the Only game in town ... even Mazda dealership mechanics were prohibited from going inside their own rotary. Dealer Parts Mgr told me Mazda USA's rebuilds were from ATK. Car long gone; goodbye to bad rubbish.
