Storms of War

Apparently, my intake manifold and one of my heads both have blown gaskets. What should I do? Should I try to find a built LT1 and swap it in? That's what I was thinking, rather than having the mechanic fix and replace the same, stock, shitty heads. What would it run me to have my LT1 removed and have another one dropped in? Labor wise? I was hoping to sell my damn car, but now this happened.

C5042081

iTrader: (5)

labor for a head swap is not cheap, you could prob do a whole engine swap for the same price.

Cheap Guy

iTrader: (3)

FWIW, I had more money than time and I paid $1500 to have my head gaskets replaced, including resurfacing/machining the head. I had the car back in two days. I had a lot of problems with my car but since then, its been running great. My gaskets didn't go to the extent that I had fluid in my oil, so I figured there was no bearing damage. The only thing I regret is that I didn't go with better rockers and springs while the heads were off.

James Montigny

iTrader: (13)

As long as they're off, you could consider an H/C install
Even ported stock heads and a mild cam will make a huge difference.


At the very least, use thinner head gaskets and pick up some hp from the better CR.

Fixxer99TA

iTrader: (5)

I am always saying this, it really is a good idea to do it now while everything will be apart (especially if you plan on it anyways in the future).

Storms of War

Haha, just kidding. The engine actually hydrolocked and is finished with. I'm gonna try selling it as is and get a Civic until I can save up the scratch for a worked third gen Camaro or an 84-88 Monte SS. This car has been nothing but trouble. Radiator issues, the dreaded opti/ waterpump combo cost me a fortune, my power antenna stopped working, power window motors are new and still slow as ****, plugs and wires...and everything else is a nightmare to get to or work on, heat stopped working, the intake manifold gasket blew twice, A/C crapped out on me, the paint on the nose and rear bumper cover are faded, plus I'm sure there's more I could think of. I wouldn't even bother dumping a new engine into this thing. At least with a third gen or a Monte SS I'll be expecting a project car. Mechanically, I took very good care of this car and in return it had to be in the shop every 3 weeks for something new. I'm going to buy a Civic or something comparable and hopefully save some cash with it. Next spring, summer, whatever, I'll see what kind of funding I have. Thanks guys.

dre2013

iTrader: (7)

damn sorry to hear that...sounds like whoever owned it before you beat the sheeiittt out of it and did no maintanence

Storms of War

I bought it with 59,000 miles on it and almost never really got on it. The original owner was an older guy and the guy who owned it before me used it to go on long trips, so it's been babied and only really ever had highway mileage put on it. It has 115,xxx miles on it. I made sure that the oil and filter were changed every 3000 miles, only used Mobil 1, only ever put 92+ octane into it, took the car to the shop immediately, any time I heard a noise or felt something that seemed out of place or didn't seem right. My mechanic told me that I should expect that out of these cars. He told me to get a Civic if I want something reliable. I'm gonna take his advice. This way, my next muscle or sports car won't get a chance to f up on me very often as I'll have a daily driver.

Any ideas on what I could get for it with a blown motor?

Storms of War

Alright, update. I bought a Del Sol VTEC, because I want a fun daily driver that gets decent gas mileage. As for the Trans Am, it's still sitting in the driveway with a blown motor. I figure I'll save up for a year, throw an LE2 package, bolt ons, supporting mods, then while the engine is out I'll hopefully replace the K member and a arms with chromoly ones, pull the A/C and heat, then go from there. Maybe go with a Braille battery, pull the carpet and sound deadening material, racing seats and a carbon fiber cowl hood. I'll have to take it from there. I'm predicting this will cost a shitload. Any ideas on what a used motor, the LE2 package and supporting mods would cost in total?