ss27gogeta

iTrader: (4)

so i bought a 96 Camaro last year to build up iv'e always wanted a fun street toy. but that dream might not happen because the shop i had doing it seams to not to want to put the thing together for some reason. they have had all the parts for 5 mounts now and have not even turned a single bolt. iv'e tried to get another shop to do it. but the few speed shops in my area want an outrages amount of money to put it together and put it in the car 3k+ that"s crazy considering i already have all the parts and it will at least be 4-6 weeks or more. or ill call them and ask for a ball park price and they wont even call me back. if i had known it would have been so hard to get some one to do it i would have never gone this route. i have thought of trying to put it together my self but i don"t think i have enough knowledge to put this together. if it was a just a heads and cam build i would try it but i have a lot of money in just parts alone. if i did some thing wrong that would be 7k+ down the drain. so i don't feel this is the best engine to learn on but at this point i don't think i have much of a choice. if i want to ever drive this thing any good videos out there on how to put an lt1 together. thanks

SpeedJunkee

Okay, your rant is pretty vague. When you say "put it together", what exactly do you mean? Does the car run? Is the engine out? Do you have a body only and nothing? Or did you just get a set of heads, cam, and intake you want installed?

Good service is hard to find, and sounds like that is your real issue. Depending on how big of a job it is that you are looking for $3,000 may not be that bad of a quote. There are lots of knowledgeable people here that can help you, but you need to be more specific on what exactly you need done. If its just a performance upgrade, you may find what you need here, or can even perhaps get it to a performance shop.

MonmouthCtyLS7

iTrader: (6)

Yea no shop likes working on LT1's lol...This **** isn't cheap if you don't do the work yourself. See if you can find a reputable local guy that will do work out of his garage.

BALLSS

OP

we don't know what you are really talking about in terms of what specifically you are trying to have done or what area you live in.

Both would help to better assist your concern

LT1 or any car....if you are a point & pay guy you are at the mercy of whatever shop you chose to do modifications beyond stock on any car

ahritchie

iTrader: (1)

EVERY shop will bitch about working on LT1 4th gen, just the nature of the beast! Best to find a mechanically inclined friend to help and out or "shade tree mechanic" who actually enjoys working 4th gens. Also as others mention, you're not giving much details on what you are trying to do with the car exactly...

ss27gogeta

iTrader: (4)

The car I bought had a spun rod bearing so I thought It would be a good candidate for a hot rod so I bought a separate engine to build so when it was ready they could just swap it in i was wanting to run boost so I buought all forged parts had the block converted to a 4 bolt everything I bought was for a boosted engine that's why I really don't want to put it together a boosted engine from what I understan requires diffrent clerances than a just an NA engine and a boost engine is less forgiving if not spot on

ahritchie

iTrader: (1)

What is your budget? Boosted setup is gonna need 15K+ in upgrades to do it right....if less than 10K and 450RWHP or so will suffice, then I would go with a good heads/cam package or possibly a 383 forged bottom end but with over 11:1 CR...

Blackbirdws6

iTrader: (7)

Since it sounds like everything needs to be assembled, I'd say $3k isn't that bad if they are doing this and putting it in the car. Assuming a typical shop rate of $100/hour, that's only about 30 hours of time. That's quite a bit of hustling to get everything together assuming everything fits the way it should and you bought all the parts (correct ones too).

If they are building and then slapping the engine in the car for you to finish all the odds and ends, maybe its just a touch high but not much IMO. Ellwein charges $1,500 to disassemble and re-assemble an engine (not including parts/machine work). Most of that time is re-assembly since that's where all the details come into play.

waltsfastz

iTrader: (4)

Where are you located?

ss27gogeta

iTrader: (4)

I really don't have a budget it's what ever it takes to get what I want if it takes a couple years to get there I'm fine with that i plan on driving it NA untill I have it all set up for the pro charger I already have my transmission it's a parformIa built lvl3

ss27gogeta

iTrader: (4)

I live in a small town near richmond IN

BALLSS

so it is a spare motor you want built, then installed...

Don't know anything about the shop the car is at now...and their saying they don't want to work on it, to me, means get your car out of there like yesterday.

One of the highest regarded LT1 builders is Karl Ellwein at ERE. As mentioned his labor rate is $1500 + parts & machining. The engine you get from him will be meticulously built. He is a one man one motor at a time shop

yeah it means shipping back & forth...but it sounds like that cost to you will save $ in the long run vs. having a shop do the work instead that does not even want to touch the car.

IDK what parts you have pulled together but Karl would advise if they are suitable for your goals.

How well the car works with the new motor will depend on what supporting mods, suspension AND tune you get for it. Doesn't sound like the shop it is in is familiar or good at tuning a NA or Boosted LT1. Ideally you would want a qualified tuner on a dyno but at the very least you could do mail order from guys like Ed Wright, Solomon or even PCM4Less.

Once you get the engine you could either do the install yourself or find another shop to R&R the motor.

Kcutty85

iTrader: (3)

Schmidt Automotive, east side of Indy on Post and 30th.http://www.schmidtautomotive.com/