LT1-LT4 Modifications 1993-97 Gen II Small Block V8

who built & how much for ur engine?

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Old Oct 27, 2009 | 06:26 PM
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Default who built & how much for ur engine?

Im curious if most people build their own, get local shops to do it, or get sponsors or out of state businesses to do their engine builds.

Also when i find a new shop or whatever, and run the #s by my dad, he says that its really expensive.

is $6300 for a forged 383 complete build using heads and cam i purchase from LE? so $8000 for a complete 383 fair, average, or expensive?
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Old Oct 27, 2009 | 07:13 PM
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Is that using your block, installation, tuning etc??? If that is for a used block with them slapping a forged rotating assembly in it then building up the rest of the way using your separately purchased parts than that is extremely expensive. To put things into perspective AI sells rotating assemblies with top shelf parts for ~2300 for Callies crank and rods and Mahle pistons. IIRC my machine work for a 383 was right around 1200 including splaying main caps ARP studs, profile balancing, and degreeing the cam (boring with torque plates, zero decking block, align bore after main cap installation, clearancing the block, new bearings and freeze plugs also included) so just the shortblock comes in at roughly 3500 and someone might argue with me but it looks to be bulletproof and is probably built to handle twice as much HP as most people will ever put through it.
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Old Oct 27, 2009 | 07:17 PM
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you got off easy..... my motor was 13K......

your average stroker motor should be about 7K...... assuming machine work, odds and ends, gaskets, seals, etc..... doesn't include stuff you need additionally to handle more power tho.. (like bigger injectors, better clutch, etc)...
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Old Oct 27, 2009 | 07:28 PM
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My 383 went something like this:

Ohio 4340 Forged Crank - $475
Ohio 4340 Forged H-Beams - $369
KB Forged Pistons - $329
Balancing - $150
Lunati Cam - $ 274.00
Lunati Timing Set - $99
Eagle Billet Splayed Main Caps - $89.99
Machine work (Splayed Caps Installed, Decking, Boring, Align Hone, Hot Tanked, Magnafluxed) - $800
Street Strip Moroso Pan - $265
AI 215cc Trick Flows - $2600

$5,451.00
I built it at home

The 395 Stroker is a whole other ball game considering the rods I'll be using are $1,427.00.
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Old Oct 27, 2009 | 07:30 PM
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That's not including injectors, TB, headers, MSD opti, bearings, studs, oil pump, rockers, pushrods and other stuff I forgot.....
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Old Oct 28, 2009 | 12:33 AM
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Yeah homebuilt will save you a ton of money.... comparatively depending on what you're building a LOT of money can be spent in the bottom end.... my shortblock worked out to like

1700 in machine work (clearancing, 4 bolt conversion, half fill, line hone, bore/hone, etc)

500 for 4 bolt splayed caps

1200 for Lunati stroker crank

1200 for Oliver billet rods with L19 bolts

1100 for custom JE pistons

That's 5700 bucks right there in just a shortblock..... easy to spend an assload of cash in that area depending on what you're building it for.... the price above doesn't include bearings and/or rings...
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Old Oct 28, 2009 | 12:37 AM
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damn what caps are you running???
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Old Oct 28, 2009 | 07:45 AM
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Burtonsville Machine
The rotating assy and block prep, short block assembly and reconditioning of the cylinder heads including new valves, guides, springs, Crane Gold rockers totaled to 6K.

The only way to build an engine is to do it locally if you have a good machine shop close by. It is paramount to be able to either talk to your builder face to face instead of being put on hold while someone who has no clue about your build goes and tries to find out your questions to where you don't know if the info you are receiving is 1st or 27th hand...
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Old Oct 28, 2009 | 10:01 AM
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I have 8K into my Engine..that's the Engine Parts, Machine Work, and everything necessary to get it running in the car.. ex. the LS Swap Stuff(Oil Pan, Steering Rack, K-Member & Mounts, Accessories..etc), and including the PCM & Harness.

Here is what went into mine..

GM LQ4 IRONBLOCK
EAGLE FORGED 4340 4.000 CRANK
EAGLE FORGED 4340 6.125 H-BEAM RODS
MAHLE FORGED ALUMINUM 4.030 12cc DISHED PISTONS
MOLY PISTON RINGS
GMPP L92 HEADS MILLED TO ~65cc CHAMBERS
COMP CAMS CUSTOM GRIND: 243/247, .621(XFI)/.612(X-ER), 114+3 LSA
LS7 HIGH RPM LIFTERS
CLEVITE 77 P-SERIES BEARINGS
GMPP L76 INTAKE MANIFOLD
LS2 FUEL RAILS, 34lb/hr INJECTORS
HOLLEY 90mm THROTTLE BODY
85mm MAF SENSOR
MELLING HIGH-VOLUME OIL PUMP
LS6 VALLEY COVER
PRC .660 LIFT VALVE SPRINGS
TITANIUM RETAINERS, CHROMEOLY KEEPERS
TSP 7.400 HARDENED PUSHRODS
COMETIC MLS HEAD GASKETS, .040", 4.085" BORE
LS2 TIMING SET
GRANETELLI LID
PACESETTER FULL RACING LONG TUBE HEADERS
LS1 K-MEMBER SWAP WITH POLYURETHANE MOTOR MOUNTS
FULLY TUNED AT 10.9:1 COMPRESSION


The Tranny & Clutch is another $3k..it adds up considerably more the further you move back..
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Old Oct 28, 2009 | 12:37 PM
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I'm running ProGram engineering splayed caps. They might have been less than that but when combined with the stud kit from ARP and all that crap you'll have near 500 in em....

I gotta check my build sheet but I know they were at least 300....
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Old Oct 28, 2009 | 01:37 PM
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I wont say what I have but all machine work is free, my cousin is a machinist..All FREE
i just buy the parts and call it the day.
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Old Oct 28, 2009 | 02:25 PM
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I need a deal like that!!! ^ Must be nice.....then my wife would really hate me, I'd have a new build going on every month!

BTW, My 357 L98 build had about $5K in it, without heads.....so yeah it gets expensive. And that was with me assembling everything.
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Old Oct 28, 2009 | 07:52 PM
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clearancing yourself and assembly will def take some cost off, assuming you do it right ofcourse
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Old Oct 28, 2009 | 07:59 PM
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my short was $700 and a spare bare block I had. !!
ENGINE BLOCK=Hot Tanks/bead cleaned
Hone&bore .030 over
Torque plate bore service
Line hone mains
OE cast crank shaft cut 10/10
OE connecting rods reconditioned
balanced assembly, short block was assembled and clearenced
Clevite bearings mains/rods
Speed Pro forged pistons 10.1 compression
Seal power molly rings
ARP rod bolts
New freeze plugs/gally plugs
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Old Oct 28, 2009 | 08:04 PM
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^^LOL AC, I never noticed the "bedroom built 355" in your sig. I admire that though, going just as fast, if not faster than someone who has a million dollar car.

BTW, you reused the stock crank if I remember correctly right?
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Old Oct 28, 2009 | 08:08 PM
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About 10k for me. Should have picked out a better cam, would have been significantly faster for the money, everything else is pretty good though.
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Old Oct 28, 2009 | 09:33 PM
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I have 7k in my 383 The jist of it is in the sig, Stock UNPORTED heads.

So with a good port job or heads easily over 8k. It was built by a local guy.
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Old Oct 29, 2009 | 09:30 AM
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I built mine this year and it broke down as such:
Crank-$500 (off here)
Rods w/arp2000 bolts-$800
Pistons-$1000
Block-$350
Machine Work-$1650 (had to dissassemble after completion to clearance and start over also includes freeze plugs, arp studs, bearing, 5 mallory plugs etc)

Really its the odds and ends that'll kill you. But i spent alot of extra money on custom pistons because no one builds 370's anymore, and since i pieced together my rotating assembly when i had it balanced it needed 5 mallory plugs. which cost me.
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Old Oct 29, 2009 | 09:53 AM
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Back in 2002/2003 I order a Nu-tekmotorsports 383 (when they were good and in biz).

I paid over 6,000 which included shipping.

Machining (align hone, boreing w/ TQ plate, the full job + clearencing
Assembly
Gaskets and bearings
Rotating Assembly (SRP pistons. Eagle H beams, Dragonslayer crank)
Full CNC port job on LT1 casting, stock sized valves (valve job), reused GMPP 1.6 roller rockers, and valves, new springs (comp 987), and valve seals.
Reused timing chain and hotcam (came with curr motor and had emissions + ignorance of me)
Stocker oil pan, HV melling oil pump
ARP head bolts.

For the cost, when I sold it people were commenting on how much of a good deal I got, they were all getting quotes that were 1-2k higher and that was in 2007.
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Old Oct 29, 2009 | 10:01 AM
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This would make a great poll! I choose:
A)<$3000
B)$3001-5000
C)$5001-7000
D)$7000+
E)Don't want to talk about it!
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