replace engine? rebuild?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 213
Likes: 0
From: sparta michigan
replace engine? rebuild?
wow its been a while since ive been on here... well my 85 tpi has 120K now and she's been puffing a little smoke when i accelerate hard. i also might add that my oil pressure used to hang around at 80 psi, now it fluxuates quite a bit..... a few weeks ago the oil pressure would go way down when slowing to a stop...
so i put 3 quarts in it to fill it back up! yea i was a little upset
anyways, im going to do something about it this coming winter, any ideas?
i dont want to spend more than $2k. should i build a 383 stroker with it?
so i put 3 quarts in it to fill it back up! yea i was a little upset anyways, im going to do something about it this coming winter, any ideas?
i dont want to spend more than $2k. should i build a 383 stroker with it?
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 16,027
Likes: 170
From: oregon
under 2k and 383 don't jive. hmm....save longer and up your budget to $3000, you can find decent 350 crate packages for this cash that will be pretty easy to intergrate with the rest of your car. speed-o-motive might have some good deals. anything with a small 170cc-ish head around 10:1 compression and a roller block would be a direct match. you could toss in your factory cam and not have to mess much of anything else.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,642
Likes: 5
From: One day you're a Comet...the next day you're dust... Arkansas
wow its been a while since ive been on here... well my 85 tpi has 120K now and she's been puffing a little smoke when i accelerate hard. i also might add that my oil pressure used to hang around at 80 psi, now it fluxuates quite a bit..... a few weeks ago the oil pressure would go way down when slowing to a stop... so i put 3 quarts in it to fill it back up! yea i was a little upset
anyways, im going to do something about it this coming winter, any ideas?
i dont want to spend more than $2k. should i build a 383 stroker with it?
so i put 3 quarts in it to fill it back up! yea i was a little upset anyways, im going to do something about it this coming winter, any ideas?
i dont want to spend more than $2k. should i build a 383 stroker with it?
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 16,027
Likes: 170
From: oregon
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 213
Likes: 0
From: sparta michigan
under 2k and 383 don't jive. hmm....save longer and up your budget to $3000, you can find decent 350 crate packages for this cash that will be pretty easy to intergrate with the rest of your car. speed-o-motive might have some good deals. anything with a small 170cc-ish head around 10:1 compression and a roller block would be a direct match. you could toss in your factory cam and not have to mess much of anything else.
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Race Director
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 13,939
Likes: 705
From: WI
140 gear lube FTW!
Find out what is wrong with the car. Maybe you can just replace the valve seals, that is cheap and a fairly easy job. Also having 80 oil pressure sounds like the sensor is having a problem. You were three quarts low on oil? Don't do that again!
Find out what is wrong with the car. Maybe you can just replace the valve seals, that is cheap and a fairly easy job. Also having 80 oil pressure sounds like the sensor is having a problem. You were three quarts low on oil? Don't do that again!
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 16,027
Likes: 170
From: oregon
i'm going to assume you mean labor installing the engine. not building it. the GM vortech crate isn't a bad buy but you need the vortech TPI base if you go that way. i always think speed-o-motive if the words inexpensive but decent crate come up. they actually build mild to wild but some of the mild stuff is priced well. competition specialties also has good deals most of the time. go buy a super chevy & car craft magizine down at the store and start calling around. finding out what's wrong would be a good first step...based on what you've said my WAG is broken rings and spun bearings
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 216
Likes: 3
for the price now a days you cant beat a crate motor, hang-on to your old one for the numbers matching in the future, but you can get a 290hp 350 for about 1500 bucks, put a nice little aluminum intake and a 670 Holley Avenger on it and you have 350/350hp a sweet little package