resdoggie

If it's a problem with the bottom end then buy a short block and put all the other original parts back on to comply with smog requirements.

Alwyn678

Priya

To me the 4 bolt mains, forged crank and pistons are special.

427Hotrod

I agree....unless something really bad destroyed the block...it's a small block and parts are easy to come by. Shortblocks are everywhere or you could do the 350/290 from GM or one of the 383 versions.

JIM

stingr69

When did overhauling a SBC get so difficult and expensive? Tear down, inspect, refurbish, reinstall. Easy to say if you have another car to drive while you do it I suppose. Nobody wants to just fix it?

Priya

Seems its often more expensive to take your worn out motor to a machine shop and rebuild it than it is to buy a crate engine.

ajrothm

It’s not that they are hard..but you are at the mercy of your machine shop, hoping they do quality work...and not taking you to the cleaners..

As Len Woodruff mentioned above, he spent $5500 to rebuild his original engine and the whole ordeal has been a complete disaster for him.

PhysicsTeacher, for your son’s intended use, I would go straight to GM and buy a crate motor, brand new, with a warranty, put it in and forget it. A ZZ4 (350/355hp)would be a nice mild upgrade and very reliable....I’ve owned one and they are great engines for something mild and getting a lot of use. Bag up the original engine and keep it with the car, maybe look into rebuilding it down the road for value sake.

Good luck.

jb78L-82

I agree !!!!

Unless you somewhat know what you are doing and also know a quality builder/machine shop, I would not rebuild the OEM L-82 now. I rebuilt/upgraded my 65K OEM L-82 in 2014 myself with a builder's additional help for the machine work and assembly of the bottom end. I pulled the motor, partial disassembly, bought the AFR heads, Howards roller cam kit and pushrods, reassembled the top end, reinstalled the motor etc using many of the OEM L-82 parts. The builder did the machine work, JE Forged racing pistons, reconditioned the L-82 forged crank, reconditioned the L-82 rods, bored and painted the block .030, assembled the bottom end, bought the clutch and balanced with the resurfaced OEM flywheel etc. All in using many of the OEM or existing parts on the L-82, it cost me $5k BUT I also have a 450 Gross HP engine now which is very different from a ZZ4.

A crate ZZ4 has 355 Gross HP which as installed in your L-82 C3 will probably make around 275 NET HP which is a nice 50 Net hp gain over the OEM L-82.

stingr69

I was figuring on Original Poster looking at overhaul (and maybe EFI) so I would count on a .030 overbore, overhaul kit with hyper pistons, valve job, pushrods and stamped rockers.

Upgrades are limitless.

PhysicsTeacher

Finally have a diagnosis. It threw two rods. Anyone have a lead on a good shop in the San Diego area to install a new short block for a fair price? The selling dealer is offering to install a used short block for $3500. It's from a complete Corvette engine that blew a head gasket. I'm not keen on a used block, and the price seems awfully high considering that they are already in possession of the used engine block, but I'm not really knowledgeable on the price of a short block install in San Diego.

resdoggie

Do you have a garage or carport or access to one where you can pull the pull the motor and of course put the replacement back in? It's just not that hard especially with the know how in here to guide you through the process. Save the labour cost and buy tools which are pretty basic to get the job done. Just something to consider.

PhysicsTeacher

My son lives in an apartment with no garage available. He works about 60 hours/week, and has no experience working on cars. He's going to need to hire it out.

resdoggie

Ok. Anyway, $3500 for a used sb and install is highway robbery, imo. Source a new sb from Summit or similar retailer and have a reputable shop do the deed.

calwldlife

be aware that the heads are going to need
work.
that means
disassembly
clean
check for cracks
valve guide measurement
valve measurement
spring checking
seals
seat grind
assembly
add cost for each guide replace
valve replace
spring replace

i have no idea who is in san diego
you will probably have to deal with 2 shops
one that can remove and replace the whole engine
one that can do engine machine work and assembly.

2 thrown rods?
did block get cracked?

PhysicsTeacher

The whole CARB deal is new to this Floridian. I'm aware that it has to pass inspection, and that you can only make approved modifications.

We're leaning toward putting in a new GM Goodwrench long block. Will this conform with CARB regulations?

When choosing a long block, I assume that it must be a "Gen I" small block in order to mate with the existing intake and exhaust systems and the transmission. Here are a couple of GM Goodwrench offerings:

p/n 12681429, described as This engine is available from many sources for as little as $1800. On the Summit Racing website, they specifically state, p/n 19355658, described as This engine is also widely available for around $2400. I'm guessing that the primary differences are greater compression and a hotter cam, and I can find no application list of vehicles for which it is suited.

Again, I have zero experience dealing with California regulations, so please be gentle. Let me know if I'm on the right track, or if we need to go a different direction.

I am very grateful for all of the assistance!

Bob

bashcraft

Your son needs to talk to the shop that will be doing the work. They may want to purchase the engine from one of their suppliers so they can mark up the price. The good thing about this is they should then honor any warranty. If your son buys the engine and the shop just installs it, they will then have no responsibility to honor any warranty.

dmaxx3500

look at GM crate/goodwrench engines,,,$1500-2500,with a warrenty


and maybe call a few ''gm/chevy'' dealers,or buick/caddy/gmc dealers too

OldCarBum

You are on the right track going with the long block or to make the swap even simpler, purchase one of the GM turn key create motors making the engine swap as simple as remove and replace, which could save you money and headaches in the long run.
Your son would have a new carb, ignition, and all the other bolt on goodies.
I would go through Summit Racing, stick with the GM engine line and Summit will probably have it to your son within a couple of days.
If Summit doesn't show the exact engine you want listed on their website, simply search with the correct part number and it should pop up or call their customer services line.
If the local Corvette shop has a good reputation, and if they can, let them do the swap.
I know there are a couple of forum members in San Diego and you might want to post a separate thread asking about the shops reputation and see what type of response you get.
It should not take them more than a couple days to do the swap and your son could be in and out with a CARB legal car he can run trouble free with a good GM backed warranty.
Good luck, send us photos and let us know how things works out.
As with others, this is just my opinion and the direction I would go considering your circumstances.

PhysicsTeacher

Let me update this thread. We bought a GM 350/290 crate motor from JEGS. It was drop shipped to Woods Automotive, who performed the installation. Mario of Woods also installed a complete MSD Atomic EFI setup, including MSD ignition, so both timing and fuel mixture are now computer controlled. I highly recommend Mario.

Many thanks to those of you who participated in this thread!

OldCarBum

Thanks for the update.
Photos are always nice.