Hi all,

I have a 1970 small block. I have been dreaming about re-painting it for years. Now, the more I think of it, I would like to re-build the engine and make all of that look nice and mechanically sound before I drop the money on paint. It's a numbers matching car.

So my question is this...how much (on average) should I expect to pay someone to re-build my engine and make it "good as new" including re-painting it so it's pretty?

Further - are there things I can do to save a good amount of this cost? Now, keep in mind I am not even close to as knowledgable about all of this as you guys are. I like to think I'm mechanically inclined and well educated with more degrees than I care to admit in public. But if I did something like this, I would have to go slow and ask for a lot of help. That being said, I hear so often that these engines are easy...basic...nothing to it.

So, would you recommend I go for it and help take things apart, etc...for a guy that's willing to learn, can I do it? And if I do, how much $ do you think I could save?

I look forward to your input!

 

You might start here. Link
That will give you an idea of what is involved.

If you did it yourself, you would save the cost of the labor which is (I'm guessing) maybe 1/2 to 2/3 the price of a rebuild. So an average rebuild from someone else might run $4K so you might be able to do it yourself for $1500 or so. One question would be: what tools do you have or have access to...

If I'm way off, someone please correct me. I don't know rates anymore or how desperate builders are...

To paint the engine, plan on spending another $10 for two cans of high temp paint.

 

By all means, do it yourself. It is true that the Chevy smallblock is one of the easiest engines to rebuild. Go to your local bookstore and buy a book on it.. Most will give the info you need in a very easy to follow sequence that will help you to avoid any mistakes. Depending what you want to do with the engine, it is conceivable to rebuild yourself for less than $1000. You may even be able to get in around $500. Again, this all depends on the condition of the engine internals now and what you want to end up with. Stock, or not so stock.. As far as paint, I agree with the other response, couple cans of high temp paint. You will spend more having the block machined and hot tanked than the paint will ever cost. Either way, do it yourself and save some dough. Serious dough I might add. Not to mention what you will learn in the process. The posters on this forum that are engine "savvy" all learned from experience and that experience will come in handy if you ever need to troubleshoot in the future. Best regards, and good luck to you.

 

Even after reading all you can find on it, I still think one of the best things you can do is find someone who has built at least a few to give you a hand with parts advice about things like as complete as possible of a parts list you'll need, where to take the block and internals to have 'em checked out and machined, pistons to pick for a good power making compression ratio, cam selection, yada yada yada. I'd expect to pay someone for that help as well as being there to give a hand during the build and install phases. An engine build can be an expensive learning experience, be cautious during your first couple just to make sure you know what's needed, how it's built and how to get there. Just my .02, of course

 

Guys I think he meant he wants to do the engine before he paints the car. That will cost a couple more dollars than high temp paint and that part is entirely different than the engine. Also I agree with the above concensus in that a knowledgeable person to help you out will be a great value. This forum is also a great resource. And above all else a little common sense goes a long way...

ltlevil

 

If this is your first time rebuilding an engine, your not going to save as much money as you might be thinking. You'll still need to pay the machine shop to hot tank and clean the block and heads, bore and hone the cylinders, check the line bore and possibly hone, check the deck surface for straightness and possibly cut (make sure they don't remove the numbers), install cam bearings, valve job, probably insall valve guides, resurface the heads, remove pistons from rods and install new ones plus more I probably haven't thought of. Then you still need to add in the cost of all the specialized tools you'll need, engine stand, torque wrench, micrometers (very expensive), ring compressor, feeler guages, thread chasers and probably still more.

In the end your going to save the labor cost to assemble the engine, which from a reputable shop should only be maybe 4-6 hours, and on top of that, you don't get any kind of warranty when assembling it yourself. Sometimes it doesn't make sense to do things yourself.

 

I started out looking at the $1000 - $1500 engine rebuild but unfortunately it didn't work out that way. Sometimes your dreams run away with your wallet.

I've spent over $5000 so far and still don't have all the parts to put my motor back together. So far I have the crank, heads, intake, carb, pistons, rings, pushrods, cam, lifters, timing gear/chain, balancer, bolts, seals and gaskets. Still missing rods, bearings, distributor, headers, and all the little items needed to make it run.

As for cleaning and painting the block, count on spending a couple of hundred on the hot tanking service, cleaning supplies and paint. Should machine work be needed well, that requires digging a little deeper.

Staying within the $1500 range requires a lot of self control on new parts, reusing good old parts and a little scrounging at the swap meets.

I'm not trying to discourage you from building your motor, but rather offering a little reality to what it can cost. Try making a list of all the parts needed to assemble your motor, price out the all the parts and then determine what you can reuse and what you need to buy.

Good luck

By the way, it sure is nice seeing the brown truck arrive.

 

and what is wrong with it now?

 

If it's important to you to maintain your matching numbers, I wouldn't let anyone mill off anything important during "routine" machining that may not be necessary.

 

If you've never done it before, have someone do it. Basically, it will take you forever to do things that someone who does it professionally can do quickly and easily.
If you have some experience, I did an in car engine rebuild - replaced pretty much everything but the short block in about two years. The cost is almost impossible to determine because there are so many different options for almost every part. Think I have about 4K in the rebuild. Good luck.

 

Well you should know as well as anyone how priceless knowledge is. I mean ya, you'll have to get it hot tanked and all that which'll cost money. But you're gonna have to pay for that regardless. Getting some wrenches and some basic tools to do the disassembly and reassembly will probably run you a few hundred, but those are yours to keep.

But think, you'll know how to build an engine. So what if you don't get a warranty, then you just get more experience fixing something if you screwed it up.

And you know engineering, so you know how to troubleshoot. Plus, everyone here would help you. Have a forum member come help. Read all your books and ask more questions.

So really whats the amount of money you're saving? Well maybe a couple grand to do it by yourself, AND you now know everything there is about your small block.

 

First, get yourself a copy of "How to Rebuild Your Small-Block Chevy" by David Vizard. Second, READ IT. I didn't detect one misspelled word in your original post so there is solid evidence that you possess greater intelligence than roughly 90% of the people who communicate via this forum, and dozens if not hundreds of them have successfully rebuilt their engines. After reading Vizard's book, start asking around and find a reputable machine shop recommended to you by someone you trust. This is extremely important because the finished product will only be as good as the quality and accuracy of the machine work that is done to it. The cost of the job will vary largely depending on what you do to it-mine is also a numbers-matching '70 (for whatever that's worth). I've had it rebored, installed hypereutectic pistons, had hard seats put into the heads with the attendant valve job, new camshaft, balancing etc. and I would estimate that the whole job came in at about $1500-1600. If you're not interested in any major performance improvements but just want a reliable driver and wear on your block and crank are minimal you could probably do a basic rebuild for about $1200. You would have to have your machinist clean your block, replace the cam bearings, hone the cylinders (or you can buy a ball hone for fifty bucks and do it yourself-it's easy) and go through your heads. You'll need to get (rent or buy)an engine stand, hoist, torque wrench, ring compressor, and a good set of basic hand tools. Obviously, the cost goes up as you continue to upgrade-pistons, rods, cranks,cams, etc. all cost money and having your machinist bore and finish hone your block will only add to that. GOOD LUCK and GodSPEED whatever you decide- just ask questions on the forum as you go and you'll be fine.

 

I had a quick check on the Summit site and found the following kit for a little over $900. As you will see there are still items not included, but it's a starting point.

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...0&autoview=sku

 

Yup, make SURE they don't remove the numbers!!!!!!

 

I rebuilt a 350 for fun recently and I did it all for about 800. Machine work and new pistions, rings and gaskets were 500. New cam and intake was 200. Then the rest is just misc stuff. No head work, and the block was not decked just .030 over. Got a engine stand from harbor freight for $30 bucks, ring compressor was 12.

 

Save yourself Time, $$$ and head aches and drop this puppy in
http://www.crateenginedepot.com/stor...2609-P4C2.aspx
This is cheap insurance!!! If you motor goes "POP" and throw's a rod you could loose your Numbers # engine
Drop this bad boy in and restore your #'s matching engine to factory specs while you enjoy driving your car

 

I just finished my 1st total rebuild on a 74 BB. With a lot of shared knowledge from forum members.......1800 bucks in parts and machine work .... no kids at home and a patient wife...I have a damn nice totally rebuilt 454 that I know was put together correctly. It took most of my days off from work for 6 months. I learned a lot and now understand why it is so expensive IF you can find a quality engine shop.

Go for it!

 

Confused here!! Why would anyone spend $4K to $5K rebuiling a low HP motor rather than buying a new better performing, brand new crate engine for like $3.5K?? Is keeping numbers mathching all that important????

 

the major cost of rebuilding is two part. Replacement parts (of course) and machining. Rebuilt heads (yours) will set you back 200 to 500 bucks. Then there is the cam bearing,hot tanking,freeze plugs,boring and honing,piston placement on rods,crankshaft turning(maybe)..all which should be done by the machine shop. check and recheck their work. I have had pistons put on backwards as well as the 10 under,20 under rod,main bearing ,gotten switched backwards by mistake(theirs).
Its an easy job,well worth the effort! Saying i built the engine myself adds inches to a puffed out chest and impresses the younger folks. In my opinion,one of the most important factors, in a home rebuild,is cam break-in.
Be very,very careful in that area.

 

It sounds like you don't have too many of the specialised tools to do the engine rebuild yourself.....
Here's my suggestion, which will let you get your hands dirty without exceeding your capabilities....


1/ Get a basic chev corvette service manual... such as a Haynes, and read through it. It will give you a rundown on the procedures required to rebuild/replace a lot of components on your vette.

2/ Remove your numbers matching engine and store it in the shed.

3/ Then buy a complete running, brand new, turnkey crate engine which will let you enjoy driving the car. It will start first go, be reliable, provide much more performance, and have a warranty.
Get a motor with the power you want, not a motor that only half serves your real lust for performance.... after all, be honest, why did you buy a Corvette rather than a Miata.

If you want to maintain true historic integrity, it will cost you a lot more, and provide less grins. You've got the original motor in a safe place when it comes to sell the car, so don't worry about losing value.

You could do the engine swap yourself, which is a good way to learn some basics without putting yourself in the deep end.

Then if you find you've got some time up your sleeve in the future, rebuild the original engine at your leisure, whilst still having a hard running reliable vette on the road!

cheers