Wife blew head gasket on our stock 79 L48 80,000 miles when she ran it hot this morning. I'm thinking this may be a good time for a nice crate engine. I'm looking for 300/400HP nothing too crazy. Trying to stay below 5,000 budget. Any recommendations?

 

Well since it was her fault, she probably won't make you feel guilty for getting a new engine!

I can only tell you where NOT to go. Avoid Phoenix Engines (in Phoenix, AZ) at all costs. Horrible experience...

 

freshen you engine up .replace both head gaskets ,and the cam .remove both heads ,have them rebuilt with better springs to match a funner cam.get long slot rocker arms .get a hei distributor with adjustable vacuum advance .I have herd good thing about bluepoint engines .

 

I was thinking it would be easier and worth the extra money to get a 350ish hp crate vs putting cash into a 35 year old L48. I'm not sure how screwed my engine is. She drove it in the red at least 2 miles. It turns over but wont start. Oil looks ok but I've added 2 gallons of water and still cant see water in the radiator.

 

I would have to agree.... especially since its just a 2 bolt cast l48 station wagon engine... Thats why I picked up a second project block to build from craiglist when I started my build. just finished and fired it up last week. plust you can always store the numbers matching block if the car becomes a survivor someday.
For 5k you should be able to find a zippy little 350 or even a 383 with the correct cam for your gearing and powerband. someone recently had good things to say about a blueprint 383 I believe they picked up for less than 5k.

I overheated my old crossfire c4 once and it seemed to burn more oil after that until I sold the car.

 

This is what I'm looking at http://www.speedwaymotors.com/GM-Per...Q3OwpJs-nw_wcB

 

Keep in mind that you can build this motor for about $1,500 the cast crank (scat)and hyper pistons are what I went with myself since the engine wont see anything over 5500 rpm.
also those hp and tq ratings are at the crank.... you have to subtract 25% for the estimate to the rear tires in the car....

 

I have had two motors from Carolina Machine Engines out of North Carolina. Great motors and Joe at CME is a great help and great pricing. Always check out reviews for any company you are going to spend money with. For $3800 you can probably get a 400 hp motor or 425 hp. Due diligence is key here.

Good luck.

 

The 350 HO is a decent motor, it's a roller cam block so you can easily swap a roller into it and get it to over 400hp

 

Anyone have experience with http://paceperformance.com/i-8396354...rear-seal.html

 

If I was looking for 350-400 HP on a budget I would buy a L31 vortec long block for under $2000. 4 Bolt roller cam block, all new GM. http://gmpowertrainwarehouse.com/12530283.asp
You will need a cam upgrade, LS6 springs, good vortec intake, Good exhaust. flexplate or flywheel and an electric fuel pump & regulator.

 

Several people on here have gone with http://www.blueprintengines.com/inde...ngines-landing
Myself included. I just finished my swap and am very happy. Only have 150 miles on but going great so far. Do a search for blueprint engines on this site. So far many happy customers.

What made my decision was when BP became a forum supporter. Those guys actually got on this forum and started responding to questions and giving tech advice without being asked....pretty sure you won't see that with most other crate makers.

Worth a looksie for sure. You can usually get free shipping if you go through jegs or summit racing. Good luck let us know what you decide.

 

Bloodzone, how much work are you planning on doing yourself? I have been planning an engine upgrade for my '77 and came up with this:

Crate Goodwrench base engine 260HP 330 ft-lb (p/n 10067353)
Keep and rebuild existing QJet
ZZ4 aluminum intake manifold
Pocket port the heads and back cut the valves on the new motor to improve flow, new aluminum heads are out of my budget
Do whatever I need to do to get 9:1 CR (thin head gasket, shave the heads)
Replace the stock cam with Comp cam 12-234-2 (aka XE256)
Hedman 68301 long tube headers (the only headers legal in Calif)
Dual exhaust

A lot of this came from the the "Small Block Chevy Buildup Book", and I figure should be somewhere near 300hp 350 ft-lb torque. It's at the low end of your desired range but should be about half your budget (between $2 and $2.5K).

Comments welcome, I haven't started in on this yet but probably will in a few weeks.

Jim

 

I never understood why one would bother with a crate motor if they are going to take it back apart again and swap the cam...

 

Ive been looking at one of these crate engines:

http://www.skipwhiteperformance.com/...tem=383_STG2_0 $4985
or
http://www.skipwhiteperformance.com/...tem=427_ST5_TK $8975

Asked a number of questions around fit nearly everything came back positive
1. We can build this engine with the short water pump and accessory kit.
2. Normally everyone goes with the champ 5qt oil pan because of ground clearance but i think the 8qt will fit your corvette but will be close to the ground.
3. We can install the small dia. Hei distributor, we have them in stock
4. We can build your engine with the Dart 2pc rear main seal
5. I think the cam choice 2, 1.6 roller rockers, and crosswind intake will work good for you, if there is anyway to use the hurricane intake i would suggest it, because it makes approx 30 more Hp than the crosswind, but it sits ¾ inch taller than the crosswind.
6. You will not need to change the hood with the crosswind intake but it would really be close if you used the Hurricane.
7. Cam choice 2 will not create alot of vacuum at idle but at 1500 and up rpm it makes approx 20lbs

Its virtually a drop in replacement seems like a great deal to me as i'm down under and shipping individual parts would be expensive (also lack mech ability).

Only concern is 7. not sure if this is a major or not, would greatly appreciate some thoughts?

 

Amorget, that is a fair question and I think the answer varies. For me it is a cost issue, I got two quotes for rebuilding my existing L48 one was $2000 the other $2500 both shops had good local reputations. The crate motor will cost me about $1550 and the cam/springs another $150 or so. Since I am willing to do much of the work myself I will end up with what I want and more bang for the buck. And also I live in California so many of these performance engines are not an option for me. I am pretty sure my build will pass smog, the dual exhaust may be an issue.

The next Goodwrench engine up is the 290hp which is the exact same engine as the 260 but with a hotter cam. It costs about $500 more, and it generates a little less torque and vacuum. Even though I will void the warranty I still think the 260 is the better way to go but, YMMV.

 

I'm not doing any of the work myself.

Unless I change my mind going with:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ml.../applications/
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/bi...6flt/overview/
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ho.../applications/

So 383 405HP with LT Headers and true duals. Big change from my old stock L48

 

I bought my 406 from NYES Automotive. I did alot of research before I bought. They were great before and after the sale. Great experience and motor runs great.
This is a 400hp 383 they have
http://nyesautomotive.net/383SBC_400HP.html

 

Looks like a good choice, but with that kind of power would you want a roller cam and forged pistons?

I assume that you will be having this shipped to your shop for them to install, any idea what the final cost will be?

 

Methinks you gonna be happy! I did a similar engine http://blueprintengines.com/index.ph...ase-bp35512ct1 with the same headers.

I saw many folks complaining that the finish on these headers burnt off the first time they fired up the motor. Mine were great. Granted I only have 150 miles on it, but no problems.

Pay attention to the instructions on the headers. They state very clearly that you must not use the headers while breaking in the engine as it will destroy the finish and void the warranty. I think running an engine with minimal air flow at 2500 RPM for 30 minutes will cook off a Kryptonite finish though. I used my existing exhaust manifold and put the headers on right after the 30 minute break in. No problems and for the little bit that I have run it the finish still looks perfect. At least on my 1981, the headers bolted right up and I had no clearance issues at all. ENJOY!