Bob Lineman

Back in May, the engine let go on my 99 with 230,000 miles. I've owned it since new. Its been up on stands and I have been slowly taking things apart with the idea that I would replace the engine with a rebuilt unit. My block is trash, so I have to find one and have it redone. Well, as the summer dragged on, life got in the way, and now a new school year (I'm a HS Calculus Teacher) is in full swing, I'm second guessing myself. I don't have a lift, although I have contemplated getting a portable one, and the more I take off, the more issues I find (frame rail on drivers side in front of engine has a good bit of rust).

What would you people do? If I stay the course, I want to do a mild bump in power (about 400-450 total) and I also want to address the frame issue as well as paint and some interior bits. Realistically, what am I looking at $$$-wise?

On the other hand, if I decide to sell, I do not have the desire to tear it all apart just to sell it off piece by piece (would kill me inside) so what could I get selling whole?

The boards have always been great with questions, so I'm asking one more. Any opinions are appreciated.

Velocity_Vette

C5s have hit a very low price structure on the private market. A C5 with that high mileage and incomplete drive train would be something that wouldn't sell for a lot of money.

Parting it out could yield you some money but 1) you'd have to disassemble everything to sell it and 2) you would possibly sit on parts for a long time until the right buyers came along. If you don't have the space to hold parts that can be problematic.

If you're on a budget remember that the "LSx" engine family is exceptionally vast. It doesn't have to be an LS Corvette engine that goes into your car. For example many C5 owners are rolling around in iron-block Vortec engines or similar sourced from GM trucks and SUVs. You can often find a good condition iron-block being parted, transfer your Corvette LS accessories, intake, timing cover and pan over, among the bigger things (and depending on which block you have may need some further mods), and you can roll with comparable power levels for a lot less money than aluminum LS.

Grandpa1

Being a fairly new member but reading a lot before I bought my 03 Vert I would say bye, bye to your 99.
It would cost a ton to bring it back. There are a lot of C5's out there that are in pretty good shape for a fraction of what you are talking about repairing.
My .02 cents.
Good luck with your decision!

C6_Racer_X

HS Calculus teacher?

Is there an "Auto Shop" class offered at your school? It might make a nice "class project" and come back to life that way.

Mistrezz 06

Hard to tell sir, like Velocity-vette mention it comes down to your budget and the equipment to do the swap. Your other issue is how bad the rust it's and if a quick repair will be enough.

I would probably sell her and look for another one, God knows there are many good cars out there looking for a home. A rebuild engine that gives you 400 to 450 HP will probably cost you north of 5k if you want to go with a certify/warranty one.

Put your chips on that table and see what works for you, one way or the other you gonna have to open your wallet and spend some money .

Good luck to you.

Phanni

Probably the most valuable piece on that car would be a working EBCM. It would retail around $1500 (M CODE). The fenders and body parts are around 2-400 each if in really good shape. Assuming the interior is pretty much worn out there isn't much value there. Typically a Wrecked C-5 with a running engine with around 100,000 mile brings somewhere around 4-6000 dollars depending on exhaust, transmission, running engine, interior shape and such. Yours, with no engine, might bring $4000 from someone that breaks them down for parts. If you really like the car, consider buying an engine out of a salvage car (2-3 grand). I don't think I've seen a C-5 with enough frame rust to cause concern, but I don't see a lot of cars from Pennsylvania.

Route99

Sounds like you have a strong attachment to your car (and most won't blame you). If that's truly the case, it appears you would always wonder "what if?". As others have suggested, consider how much money and time you have to invest in your car and if the answer is "yes" then go for it.
C6 Racer's idea about a shop class could be a winning way to help offset the costs a little. I've had cars painted in the past by a Tech school's body/paint class for nothing more than the cost of paint and materials. They were never show quality, but probably were 8 of 10 and better than I could have done.
Best wishes.

Bob Lineman

Sadly that went the way of centralized "vo-tech" educational programs at an off-site building. That would have been my first choice.

C6_Racer_X

Even that doesn't really change my suggestion much.

It means you won't be able to go look at it by walking down the hall.

Our local technical college is always looking for cars to work on for their auto technician training programs. Bring your own parts from a good online source, and you're a hero there. There's a minor administrative fee which I'm sure covers their insurance costs and supplies for the program, but it's really reasonable if you're not in a hurry to get the vehicle back.

bigmackloud

I think the first question to answer is how bad is the rust? If it's bad, then I think that's the straw that breaks the camels back.

Building an engine, and one that makes 400-450hp, gets stupid expensive, stupid fast. (that's the boat I'm in right now).

I broke a #7 piston at the track last year. My car is lower mileage (65k), very clean, and lots of nice upgraded parts on it. But I still couldn't sell it for the price I wanted. A non-running car just doesn't go for much. So I decided to dive into the deep end and build it (heads, cam, forged bottom end, new clutch, axle seals, etc). It's been a ton of work, a ton of expense, and ton of time, and I'm still not finished.

You could try to find a used motor to put in ($2k-3k). But even then it's a slippery slope of maintenance while you have the motor out. (timing chain, oil pump, clutch, etc).

If you're ok keeping the car for several more years, then building it and spending beyond it's market value could be ok. Otherwise, your best best is to either sell as-is ($4k-$5k, maybe), or swap in a used motor as cheap as you can and sell for $9-10K.

Vetteman Jack

It won’t take long to run up a lot of costs with an engine swap. If you can find a good used one for a decent price, it may be worth the effort to just keep your ‘99 and go from there. Otherwise, sell it whole for what you can and find another one with less mileage and problems. Good luck.

Tsumi

I would see if you could source a cheap L92 from an Escalade or other GM truck. I have also seen LS3s from Camaros go for about $6000. Problem with a newer LS-based engine would be the need to swap out the 58x reluctor wheel for a 24x reluctor wheel, or get a translator module. Everything should bolt right up, and there are multiple guides and worklogs on the internet on how to swap a newer LS engine into a C5.

Bob Lineman

I'll check into that, if not my county, maybe the county I live in.

JR-01

I would sell it and get what you can. It could very easily become a money pit trying to bring it back from the dead.

El original

Also many other driveline components are ready to give up the ghost. My experience is everything else is well worn, it is a slippery slope once you replace motor where/when does it end?$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

CactusCat

Bob, just a thought. It appears that Norbert in Buffalo might have the solution to your dilemma. Why not contact him and see if you could work out a deal? Hope it works out ok for you. Check this thread... https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...to-c5-frc.html He states he's going to put the old LS1 into storage for a future project unless someone made him an offer. This might be a cheap solution for you. And it'll drop right in! Good luck!

waupachino

Is the rust on the Frame holes, or just surface rust? If it's just surface rust, clean it up and spray it with some rust inhibitor paint. A hole or structure issue is a whole lot of work.

You can find low mileage take out engines to replace yours reasonably priced and it would get you back to enjoying your car again. A built LS with 400 to 450HP is going to set you back quite a bit more as others have stated and you'll never see the monitory return on it, but you would see a lot of enjoyment. It really comes down to what you want and how satisfied with the car you are.

Jeff T.

Hmmm, good question. At 230k, no motor, I would move on. Biggest reason for me, all the components have 230k on them as well. New engine into an old holder. I would think the $ would be better spent on something with lower miles.

Good Luck whatever you decide.

AlwaysDrivingC5

Check with vettenuts.net for a used engine.

1999corvettels1

If the paint and interior are decent, personally I would buy a brand new crate LS3 480 horse hot cam engine , now they say 495 hp with the hot cam, the ligenfelter conversion box, and needed other adapters and get it in there, will need a tune also.

Yes 6000.00 plus for the crate engine, but it should last a long time.

Now if the paint is trashed and interior maybe not. Pics of car?