Whats engine work goin for these days?

HandyDave

HandyDave

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I've got a 1991 gmc 1 ton van. It was a old church van when I got it then I turned it into a work van when I was still swinging a hammer full time. It has a 350 engine and not long before I had to quit my day job to look after my aunt one of valve cover gaskets blowed out and I lost my oil causing something to mess up. I dropped the oil pan once I got it home and it was full of metal shavings and a couple pieces of some part. It has set in driveway for couple years now and i would like to get it back goin cause it was a hell of a hauler. So here's my question. What are good mechanics charging these days? For let's say either rebuilding the engine that's in van if it's not tore up to bad. Or putting a rebuilt or good junkyard engine in the ol van. 10 years ago the answer would be shit can it and find another van. But with there being a lack of used vehicles and everything that is available seem to cost as much as a new vehicle I'm thinking fixing something I have has to be the cheapest route. Thanks guys for any guidance or experience yall have to offer.
 
I’m no expert , but I’ve been around enough engines to know when you drop the oil pan and there is metal shavings and chunks of some part - that engine is done. The beauty is you had a small block Chevy engine. Finding a running engine would be a much better and cost effective option. As long as you find a similar year the engine swap is not hard if you have basic tools. You can rent an engine hoist. I’m sure you can find a YouTube video on chaninging an engine - watch it and see if it’s something you can do. Don’t buy an engine that needs work or to be rebuilt - find a running engine

I’ve been poor at different times in my life and was forced to make do with cheap transportation. I’ve swapped motors and transmissions before. Take notes on where everything is , use tape to mark wires and lines. Take pictures with your cell phone throughout the process so you don’t forget
 
Wouldn’t do it. Reman motor installed by a shop you’re probably looking $4500 on the cheap end. As tough as the auto market is right now you can still find something running and driving for cheaper and you won’t end up spending 4 times what the van’s worth.

And if you did, what do ya got. A good running motor in a van full of other 32 year old parts that are gonna keep costing ya.

Mechanics .02
 
Those engines aren't really cheap anymore. Back when they were a dime a dozen getting one from a junkyard would be the way to go.

If the vehicle is really worth it to you I would look into a crate motor from summit or jegs. Then you will probably still be looking at $1000+ for someone to swap over all the little stuff and put it in for you. If you have to pay someone to do the work it probably won't be worth it.

If you're capable of swapping an engine yourself your best bet is probably to find another van that's been wrecked or has a bad transmission. Buy it cheap and swap the engine.
 
I had to replace an engine in my 2000 Dakota. The shop picked up a used motor and put it in for $3K. Id was missing on one cylinder so I took it back to the shop. They ended up having to replace it again. Long story but still had a lot of problems to chase down.

If I had to do it again I would either rebuild or get a crate motor.
 
Crate engines from someone like ATK or BluePrint you can figure to be around $2500 for a basic-as-it-comes long block (reuse your intake, distributor, balancer, etc.), and that's before freight and core charge unless you can find a builder/engine reman company locally.
 
Thanks guys for the replies. Closest I've came to replacing an engine was having a transmission replaced and that was 500 dollars labor and materials. And that was several years back. I would have never guessed the prices have went up that much. But with the way of the world today I should have figured. I have enough mechanical skills and tools to keep me off the side of the road most times and i can manage most of my own maintenance task. Never liked working on anything with an engine big or small. I've never had a vehicle that wasn't atleast 20 years old when I got it. And I've never had a vehicle that costed me more then 5 grand.
 
The issue with pricing on that particular drivetrain is that it's not very common anymore.

20-30 years ago they were so abundant you couldn't hardly walk around a junkyard without tripping over one. Ever sense gm switched to the LS platform the old school sbc 350 has been drying up. I wouldn't call them rare by any means but they aren't just lying all over the place anymore.
 
HandyDave said:
Thanks guys for the replies. Closest I've came to replacing an engine was having a transmission replaced and that was 500 dollars labor and materials. And that was several years back. I would have never guessed the prices have went up that much. But with the way of the world today I should have figured. I have enough mechanical skills and tools to keep me off the side of the road most times and i can manage most of my own maintenance task. Never liked working on anything with an engine big or small. I've never had a vehicle that wasn't atleast 20 years old when I got it. And I've never had a vehicle that costed me more then 5 grand.
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many years ago you had a 'local' rebuilder Pilot Engines, I used them twice, were reasonable (then) but do not know if they survived.

got second hand story from 'uneducated' friend a local had a surburban re-engined... it was in excess of 6k, but i cannot confirm, but believe that was turn key.
 
I think places like Blueprint have cornered the market on crate engines these days. Hard to imagine there's much of any savings on DIY rebuilding compared to them which is kind of a shame. Check Jegs. A new engine that will last 100,000 miles is not that expensive compared to the price of vehicles these days.
R&R of a SBC is not super difficult, just tedious work
 
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FWIW, Sammy Pasour Automotive may be worth talking with. He is a mobile repair guy that recently left his shop due to a change in ownership of the building, and is a racer out of Lincolnton. He does a lot of the jobs other places don't want to do at a very reasonable cost. You may want to ask him what he would charge to swap in a long block. You likely won't find better pricing than whatever he tells you is realistic.
 
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