Just got off the phone with the local performance shop. It was my first phonecall to kick off a project to get 400CHP out of my "stock + freebies" L98 in my "88 convertible.

They suggested boring to 383, stroking to 3.750, a hot cam, new heads, headers, mods to fuel injection system, chip, and TPI ram air....
We have not yet discussed details of brand or specs...
When I asked a ballpark on the price they said $7-8K for what we do... but ... we will not take out your engine or re-install you need to get someone else to do that and I'm not sure what TPI will charge you ... so plan on $10K for the total project .....

I don't have the skills, equipment or time to do this type of work, so I need to find a shop to do it...

What is your experience on how much this project should cost???

 

My experience is be very careful who you let work on your car. If you can not do the work yourself take your car to someone with an impeccable reputation like Lingenfelter. I think 10K for 400 CHP should be no problem. A simple recipe would be:

350 cid, AFR 180 heads, Hotcam kit, & short runner intake of your choice, exhaust, programming, etc.

 

Take a look at this site, i.e., new 383 Crate engine with 425 CHP for $4,699. Install should be less than $1,000 and you're in business. Be careful, it's easy to get ripped off big time by 'locals'.

http://www.morethanjustpower.com/category.asp?id=1

 

honestly, that is definately something you should look into

This way you could sell your current engine and recoup some (maybe not alot, but $500-$1000) of the cost

edit: but don't forget you'll have to add in the cost of an intake, carb and headers, and most likely a few things I'm forgetting

 

I would check with folks in your regional forum, Great Lakes section I assume, and I'm sure someone could steer you in the right direction as to who could do good work for you at a fair price. That crate motor sounds like a lot of bang for the buck, BTW. Worth looking into, anyway. It's hard to beat a good crate package if you can't build it yourself. I've got a few grand in mine and did everything except machining and porting myself and I am only in that same CHP range.

 

here is my price list

1. superram $1185 including shipping from tjwong off of this forum(great service)
2.tpis 1 3/4 headers with front y-pipe $850 shipped
3. 2400 stall (breakaway) from tciauto $600 shipped
4. gm water pump $150
5. magna flow catback $500
6. gm zz383 stoker crate motor (425hp@5400/450tq @4500) $4700 from dealership
7. local shop to install all for $1100
8. burnt chip from ski it down for $260 shipped

work starts dec. 20th

i have a 91 auto all stock
with all that $9500 i hope to see about 350/360 at the wheel
it should make a little difference.........i hope


good luck...... i can't do any of the work myself, either.....that sucks

 

thumbs:[/QUOTE]

Sounds good, but I'd spend another $100 and get a Vigilante converter.

 

Crate 383 sounds good for the $$; make sure the cam is computer compatible! Which intake are you running, and are emissions a concern of yours?

 

You can get pretty close without going to a stroker. The LPE SR/219/head package is a nice combo that can pass emissions. My 80K mile 350 ran pretty strong and had great drivability. Of course a stroker would be even nicer, but that opens a whole new can of worms.

 

All I'll say is this: Whatever you think your project is going to cost going into it ... take that total $$ number and add in a couple thousand dollars and you'll have a realistic number.

With everything including labor and parts I think I'm between $8-10k

 

I'm not worth a flip at engines with injection and computers. Too much stuff under there.

A 350 seasoned 4 bolt is $100-500. A 383 crank is 350-450. Rods get confusing so talk with your machinist to get the right ones, right length for your application, and proper pistons. If you are going to race this you need forged stuff. If 6500 is good for you then things get a bit cheaper. There are manifolds to switch to a carb. Iron heads are fine but valvetrain costs will mount with rpms, spring rates, roller cams yada. You can spend a lot less than 10k unless you are going all out racing.

You can make 400+ easily at 6500 with the right parts and not overspend. If you want more the price will really go up. I'd keep it streetable if you want to drive it more than on the strip. 9.5 with a carb and 10.5 with injection and good chip.

I have a 327/365 in storage but it's not compatible with today's fuel. Who want's to add additives or racing fuel all the time.

You'll have more fun with an injected car making a few mods and have a very streetable car making plenty of power and still be reliable.

I'd just talk to a lot of knowledgable people before punning the string and not over build for your application.

Consider a newer car as well. Extremely well engineered, stock, warranty, and it will haul ***.

Good luck.

 

i am going TFS/219/SR

TFS heads=$1265
219=$275
SR=$1100

That = to around $2500 plus an extra $1000 for odd thing like roller rockers, pushrods, mill head to 58CC etc.....


Then plus $1000 for someone to install the mods!!

$4500 U.S. More like $6000 CDN.

But u will have around 415CHP, and 450 Foot pounds when you are all said and done.

 

I think the Vigilante you will like and a 2 year warranty I love mine.

 

I just had a 430+ hp 383 stroker put in my car. The engine was $7600 and the removal install was around $3000. So you are looking at around $10,000-$11,000. I had a couple extra things done while the engine was out so I paid around $12,000 total.

 

Guys thanks for all the advice.

Ralph in his reply suggested that I might be able to get close too 400CHP without going to the stroker.
The rest looks bolt-on....
The one question is the hot cam..... can you pull the cam out of an L98 in an "88 without pulling the motor?
I know that in other vehicles it can be done, but can any one tell me whether there is enough room to do so in a Vette? or do you have to pull the engine because of space limitations?

 

The previous poster stating $11 - $12k is probably closer than anyone else on this. Unless you have been thru the agony of having this done you have no idea. I love reading these threads about how people plan on attaining 400hp (or whatever number) on a budget... well let me say right now good luck to you.

Machine work costs, if you want it B&B'd, well that costs too. 4 bolt mains cost... you better upgrade that pan and pump while you're at it which costs. Same for the bigger Racetronix fuel pump you'll need to get this monster the fuel it will now be consuming... yeah, that costs too. Don't forget to upgrade that clutch to a McLeod twin disk (big money here) so it can handle the power you are going to be putting down to the ground... and you will need to replace all 6 of the u-joints (cold forged dana spicers) at the same time or they will be the first thing to go (cha-ching!)

When they pull the engine out and put it back in for you they forget some wiring hookups which cost, new sensors cost, all the gaskets cost... sometimes twice because of the 2nd teardown and rebuild. In my case I had to replace my coil, ecm, waterpump, o2 sensors, opti-spark and 30# FI's because they all ended up going bad during the rebuild. Let me say that that cost quite a lot.

And while the ecm took a crap on the engine dyno, it happened to wash down the rings on my brand new JE pistons. Well, this entailed buying new gas-ported pistons (now .040" over), new rings (another $243), having the block opened up another .010", the crank smoothed over and new bearings. Again, that was a very large hit to my wallet.

Then when it is all back together and you are trying to get it dialed in, you are going to be paying some pretty good cash for a good tune and dyno time. Figure on $500 there.

And if you think I'm kidding, think again. This is still going on with my rebuild from Hell. And this isn't everything. I have had to buy a 2nd set of 875 Lifters and pushrods because of a bad lifter caused by a pushrod going thru it. My original engine builder had me buy some solid roller lifters with longer pushrods ($480) because he didn't want the same thing to happen again. This is mated to a hydraulic roller cam mind you. But never fear, my second engine builder came to the rescue and said he wanted the hydraulic rollers back in there, and guess what? You guessed it... another $275.

So... before you go down this road, I strongly recommend you find a shop that is reputable and will stand behind their work. Otherwise, get ready for the ride of your life.

Now, if you are capable of doing all the work yourself, you better still be prepared for all the little things that are going to jump up and bite you in the azz. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Mike

 

LOL....Luvmy92 is dead on with a zero!!!!!

I get a kick outa people who estimate a job based on the big ticket items. Ok let's see we'll use these heads $XX.XX, and this intake $XX.XX, with this converter $XX.XX and this cam $XX.XX. Bamm, that's all it'll cost...LOL. The problem with even a very detailed estimate is exactly what Luv pointed out. I call it "while i'm at it syndrome". Makes no sense to reuse the oil pump if you pull the pan off, right? So "while i'm at it" i'll get a new pump. And heck, i don't want to worry about having clogged injectors, so "while i'm at it" i'll have them rebuilt. And crap, these lifters have 50K miles on them, so "while i'm at it" and i'm not going to reuse these old ugly wires, so "while i'm at it" and jeeze, I aint gonna reuse those 15 year hoses, am I?......so on and so forth. Before you know it you've added 50% or more to the cost, and those are just logical decisions made along the way. And since this is a a custom project, things don't always work out as planned and in the wink of an eye, you wind up like Luv and have to rebuild stuff twice. This is especially true if you decide to build a new engine from the ground up. Machine work aint cheap by any stretch....at least it aint near me. And stuff that's supposed to work together, doesn't always work.

That said, if you really want to build something near 400 hp, i stand behind what i said above. The LPE package works great on an L98. We've duplicated it several times and all have run well and can be made to run solidly in the 11s if that is a goal you'd like to pursue. However I think i spent between $6-7K on the initial 350 heads/cam build, and i did the work myself. So expect to spend at least $8-10K if you're going to let someone else do the work. If you want a stroker add another $3-5K or more. eMail me if you're really interested, i'd be glad to share what i did....but be prepared to do some research.

Good luck whatever you decide.

 

Hey Ralph,

That's it in a nutshell. For those that are contemplating the upgrades they have no idea what they are in store for. My car has been down for 11 months now and it has been the most surreal experience imaginable. If it can possiby go wrong it will. If you have never experienced negativism, I suggest you start a 383 project. Just as one thing is being resolved another problem is cropping up. Unless you have been thru this you have no idea.

I know two other people who are going thru the exact same thing as I write. We all have over 15K in our rebuilds (this includes labor), with some additional upgrades. In my case that includes Wilwood rears, Tahoe MC, Accusump, Mocal Oil Cooler, and a few other items. It's staggering when you add it all up. And nothing ever goes as planned, nothing ever just bolts on. Everything requires some finesse, some good fortune and deep pockets.

If I had it to do over again I would have left the car stock. But like everything else in life you live and learn. I've owned this car for close to 10 years and I have my heart and soul in it. I also have close to $60K in it including the cost of the car. And if I were to sell it I probably couldn't get $15K for it, but I will never sell it. It's a part of me now, and I love it as much today as I did the day I bought it.

For those of you that are able to do this on a budget, and do the labor yourself, well I commend you. But I would say that's a small percentage. Most are just like me and endure the heartache, but push on because it's all about the car. At least that's the way it is with me.

Mike

 

well this is my estimate, i allready have the exhaust done, i have bought the 1.6 RR's and other stuff to go with the buiidup etc.....i might have to spend another $1000, so $7000 tops CDN, if it's going to cost more then this, then it's not worth it.

 

I wish you luck, but think you will be disappointed. You've estimated only $1000 for additional items. Headers will cost you almost that alone. Just the gaskets will cost $200. rockers 300, pushrods 100. Are you gonna reuse the lifters, if not add another 300. Do you burn your own chips? You sticking with the factory fixed fuel pressure regulator? How about the old timing chain and gears? Stick'n with the 18 year old damper? You bolting the heads on with the old head bolts, and will they even fit between the larger springs? Stay'n with the stock throttle body? Are you concerned that the stock injectors might not flow exactly like they did when they were new? You got a degree wheel & dial indicator to install the cam or are you gonna wing it. Did i mention shipping? How old are your hoses & sensors? Upgrading the ignition? Your drivetrain up to the new found power?

Yeah, i guess you can skip a lot of that stuff and buy bottom of the line gaskets, etc., but you're supposed to be building a hi perf car and dont be surprised if it dont run like you expected or you have problems down the road. How many miles on those lifters? Now you're gonna throw more spring pressures at them with much more aggressive lobes and lift rates. My point is, unless you've got a relatively new car, most of this stuff SHOULD be replaced when you're reworking most of your engine and adding 100+ HP. good luck.

Luv, i started a short block swap this past winter. Should have been a simple swap with everything else bolting on. $6000+ later, i wound up with a complete new everything and not by choice.....i think the only thing left from the old engine is the ignition wires....LOL.