Hey ALL, This thread is for the technical guys, expeienced guys, shop owners, and real HAMBERS, not the guys who answer everything with"if you build it yourself its pricelss/More rewarding" etc etc. I read the other threads about crate motors and how inexpensive, and thoughtless bla blah they are. Turn Key is a new term, that relates to my question. I would like if you guys could estimate what 3 motors "Turn Key Motors" privately built would cost 250hp, 400hp, and 550+hp? Thanks, Tony **********( Eveything motor related, distributor,starter,carb,intake manifold,spark plug, spark plug wires,serpentine or v pulleys (your choice), Air Cleaner, Valve Covers, Water Pump..****************
a motor cranks the engine...or turns your wipers on or rolls your windows up... an engine is what ya want. Chevy Ford or Mopar?
You need to provide a little more info on exactly what you intend on building, and for what purpose. If you want 3 SBC's (like your pic), expect to catch a little good natured flak on this site.
Gees, I guessif I'm posting on a technical site I need to be more "techincal?" I just wanted what any of your guys, your personal favorite, Ford, Chevy, Whatever!!!!!!! "Engine" you would have built that is 250horsepower,400horsepower, and 550+horsepower engines... You Choose, whatever posion you want.. I just want to know the cost.. What I can expect to pay, but the "engine" needs to be home built, your favorite parts for the desired horsepower.. IS this enough info??????
going to go with these guys..... Hemi, Y block, nailhead, not sure I would want a 550 hp flat head........ or a belly ****on motor... need more info
250 HP SBC complete ready to run with distributor,starter,carb,intake manifold,spark plug, spark plug wires,serpentine or v pulleys , Air Cleaner, Valve Covers, Water pump...with VERY careful shopping $2500 400 HP.......$4500 550 HP.......$10,000
These guys build just about anything so start surfing. I know 3 people who have bought from them & were very satisfied. http://www.proformanceunlimited.com/index.html
This is what I was looking for ... Now if any of you want to mention preferencs, along with your prices, like Edelbrock,Holley,****,Accel,Dart. blah blah,, You brainy guys like to show off, lets hear it.. GET TECHNICAL!
Lots of crate motors for sale in magazine ads. I don't think anyone is going to give you any real quotes on a forum. In my experience, any shop will cost more to custom-build one. But, you get EXACTLY what you want. As far as accessories go, I'd have to refer you to those same mags, or to Summit... Hell, the old targetmaster motors with a 4 bbl and headers will put ya' right about 250 HP. 400 is going to be pretty easily doable in a street deal, but the more you spend, the better it will drive at 'normal' engine speeds, and the more longevity you'll get out of it. And, if you were to have called me at the shop, and ask for a price on, say, 500 HP plus all accessories, I'd tell you to bring an engine w/ all the stuff on it, and bring in a new alternator, starter, water pump... etc. I'd add another hour or so for putting on the accessories. Unless you brought aftermarket brackets - then I'm just punching the clock at shop rate, baby. For the longblock, I'd have to know if you want hydraulic roller, solid roller, or flat tappet (not likely)? How bad of an idle can you handle? Are you going to ever spray it? Stick or A/T; if auto, what stall speed? Gear ratio and tire size and vehicle weight? I presume that this is a street deal; pump gas w/o additives. How often you gonna' race it? Would you put up with a high strung 383, a somewhat milder 406, or should I go for something bigger (read: aftermarket block). Out of the box heads, or ones w/ porting (better heads cost more, but make more power w/ less cam and lower RPM). Hard to say, because there are so many ways to skin that cat, but I'd expect to have at least $10K ready for a fully dressed 500HP engine. Maybe a bit more. A lot more if you want to build in room for future upgrades, some fancy accessories, bling, and cosmetic details, etc. I'd suggest that you put out the word: "who's a good engine builder in the L.A. area"? As you go up in specific output, you will need to make better choices, do more detail work, and spend more money. Any ***hole can build a 300 horse 350. At the 500 horse level, I'd want to go to somebody really knowledgeable; there are too many pitfalls as you go further, and a good engine builder will steer you past them. And somebody top notch will hit your horsepower/torque goals with better driveability, etc. Hope this helps. -Bill
Not Crates ( In the sense that they're made somewhere by an ***embly line ) I mean home/Personal Shop builds...
392 Hemi - $10K plus for the 400hp. I was looking at spending nearly $20K on a MILD blower motor. Looking cool can be very expensive. I always get carried away when looking at motors. A big torquey motor might be better depending on your car. Might pay to let us known why you want to know.
I had an engine built. It was not a new block, but it was gone through completely, and had all of the block work to make it "new". I am by no means an engine guy, but it felt high considering I could have purchased a "Crate" motor and probably saved a grand or so.. I like the fact my motor was gone through by one guy, and not an ***embly line, but with my guy I dont get the warranty which scares me, but I'm hoping with the great parts it was made with, I wont have anything to worry about" This was the motivation for this thread, but then I just wanted to see what you guys think is a fair price, and which route you'd go to have "YOUR" own engine built..
Here ya go heh tons to pick from. Pro/Street 354 Chrysler Hemi 540 Horsepower, Bored .030 to 361 Cubic Inch, Ross Custom Blower Pistons, Steel Crank, Aftermarket Balancer, ARP Rod Bolts, Complete Rotating ***embly Balanced, Moroso Oil Pan, Comp Cams, Hydraulic Blower Cam and Lifters, Stainless Steel Valves, Chrome Moly Retainers & Locks, Polished Intake, Polished Aluminum Valve Covers and Valleypan, 4 Breathers, Polished Blower Shop 871 Supercharger, 3 Drive, 2 Holley Blower Carbs, Linkage, Fuel Lines, Funny Car Style Belt Guard, Taylor Plug Wires, Mallory Ignition, Set up, Run and Synchronized. $16,500.00 Turn/Key #592A http://www.bigalstoybox.com/turnkey.htm
Before I worked in the shop that built my motor, I had to have it done for me (can't very well do that job in the condo parking lot!)... I built a 383 chrysler with a 4.25" crank, and some other goofy ****... spent more than what a 496 crate combo woulda' set me back. But, I've got a number of upgrades (Harland Sharp rockers, I-beam rods as opposed to H-beam, extra crank lightening, roller cam. But, I don't have ANYTHING made by Proform in this motor, and have some room for future upgrades when I get greedy for a little more power. -Bill
I got less than 5 grand tied up in my 351-W with 460-470 hp. That's including a new "roller" short block from the Ford dealer and new Trick-Flow Twisted Wedge heads.
I am in the process of building a 283, .60 over, hydraulic roller cam, cast pistons, balanced, roller lifters, Edelbrock manifold, 3(new) 97'2, balanced, & ported & it will put out about 250HP. I have $4000 invested, more than a crate but it is EXACTLY what I want & everything is new. There is nothing like firing up a homebuilt and rattleing the windows.
400 hp? 500 caddy, Intake, cam, original 800cfm rochester, $3000.00... tops. 550 hp? 150hp nos kit in the trunk(thats a little one). add $500.00 ...done
i have been skipping over this post for a couple reasons. 1st, the question is so general that it seems like a waste of time, 2nd, if you're just looking for quotes on HP check any car mag. tons of reputable motor builders with h.p. figures listed. 3rd, and most important, if you don't have a clear picture in your mind of what you want, you might as well build a "belly-****on sbc th350 kit car". not trying to be harsh, but build it in your mind first. then make it happen.
LIL.TIMMYUser, I apologize for not being more descript. If I had the knowledge, I would not be asking. I posted this thread with the hopes of just getting an idea. I feel this thread as well as all threads are pertinent to the person posting. I've done searches of things where there was only 1 or 2 "real" answers, and the rest, insults at the person posting. I think a bit of patience, by the "gurus", is starting to lack on this board. Not saying you, but a lot of the guys... I just wanted to know what I could expect to pay for a personally built engines by local guys or engine specific companies, instead of the gmperformances, world, and blueprint complete engines out there... I'll go back to school, learn mechnical engineering, and avoid asking any more technical questions on this board.
Nobody is really trying to sound like a **** but your original post & the ones since are way too vague. what type of engine are you wanting to know $$$ for? what type of engine you are building will greatly affect the $ spent before you buy the first part for the rebuild. If you want a hemi then count of $3-6000 initial buy in depending on condition & compelteness. if you want a small block chevy (350 or 305) you can usually pick up a running core engine for a couple of hundred dollars. If you want an older one 283/327 you will pay more. I spent 250 on a machined bare 283 block for my car & I got a "friend price" deal. a running big block chevy is worth a grand minimum around my area (car/light truck engines). A friend just bought a running but needing rebuilt flathead for $500 & I thought he got a good deal. if you get into an oddball engine like a straight eight or a flat six, prices can be all over the map. then when you go to rebuild it the prices vary depending on how popular the engine is. like someone said already the SBC is probably the most common engine to rebuild and my grandmother could get 400 horse out of a 350 with bolt on parts for around $3000. a stock rebuild on a BBC will cost probably $2-2500 depending on what needs done. get into hemi parts or nailhead stuff & the prices are high because there are not that many people rebuilding those engines anymore. If you can give us some more details about the engine you are wanting to know the numbers for it will help us to help you. also a little info on what you want it to do. a full on drag engine is built completely different from a mild street engine and both of those are different animals than an engine built to haul a race trailer to the track in a heavy duty truck.
Toner, thanks for your reply.. A daily driving street motor.. I'm asking for the best parts, or what you would put in your 250hp, 400hp, or 550+hp, and expect to pay...
Crate motors are good if you want that particular combination...or dont have the time/means to build yourself or piece one together with your engine builder. Go find a crate motor that lists all it's components...then go do a search through Summit/Jegs/PAW and price out each part. Add it all up, add the cost of ***embly, machining, and the block...then see how it compares to the crate motor's cost. Sometimes it's much more, sometimes less. Depends on the motor & the builder. The good thing about crate motors is that they usually have a warranty, but it only goes so far. I prefer to build my own.
From this post and prior posts,you don"t know anything about engines,you bought a finished car to drive to the shows and have somebody else fix everything for you so why are you even asking a tech question anyway? Learn to do the work yourself,thats what this site is all about.
So, what did you do? Buy a motor & you now think you were overcharged? Ask 10 shops for a quote & you'll get 10 different answers. Some will have the best of everything, some will contain **** parts. Some will have a warranty, some will have nothing. Some shops will have a big overhead, some won't. Some shops will have a great reputation for quality builds, others- not so much. Some will guarantee the horsepower they promised, some are a dartboard guess. Some will include a DVD of ***embly & dyno pull & all the pull numbers (like my link included), some will be empty promises. What the hell are YOU looking for? Forget the prices, cubes, HP,, what the hell are you trying to say? List your build sheet & we will try & tell you if it's fair price. This is just a waste of time. Do you really think you can afford a 550 hp SBC that is all motor? I have one in my storage unit. It's what some would consider an ultimate level build. It's a 388 roller, billet knife edge crank, Custom 18 degree AFR 220 heads w/ tons of CNC work, Hogan sheetmetal intake, a Dave Lange 1150 Holley Dominator, Crane Gold roller rockers & AFR girdle. It's right at 600 hp on C12 race fuel & cost 17k to build. There's 4k in machine work alone. Cam even runs roller bearings. Is that what you are talking about or are you interested in a 250 HP crate 350? I always smile when someone says they have mid 500 hp in a small block & aren't using spray to get there.
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