Opinions about reman. engines/reputable company recomendations.

[svrh89]

I was just browsing blueprint motors and the big block's cheapest option is 8k. that is pretty steep pricing wise; I would assume since those are built with more power I would have to swap to a more tunable computer like the 411 or the holly set up. maybe that's not true but seems like you would with that big of a jump in power. I would rather pick one up with stock specs to make the cost of the swap easier.

 

[Road Trip]

Thanks for the information, I will lean towards finding someone to rebuild my motor. but I feel that is also a toss up when you don't know the reputations of the shops in the towns around me. but hey! that's what researching is all about

It seems that so many of the super experienced/sage machinists are retiring,
that it's becoming ever harder to find the good guys. Personally I've found
word-of-mouth will identify the local wizards vs the shops that overpromise
and underdeliver.

But since I'm in upstate NY and you are in Big Sky country I'm afraid I'm poorly
positioned to give you a regional reference. On the other hand, I've been watching
a father/son team putting out videos of their machine work on YouTube.
Not only I do enjoy watching their problem solving skills, the sheer beauty of one
of their finished cylinder bores or the finish of their machined cylinder heads or
block decks borders on senseless beauty. Even so, they come across as the salt
of the earth, in the best possible way.

Anyway, in your travels, if you walk into a shop and they can take an old 350 right
out of a GMT400 and end up with engine like this, I'd consider giving them your
business. Thanks to their careful prep and intelligent parts choices, they extracted
an impressive amount of no-nonsense power out of this SBC:

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If you are interested, here's the link to this video: (530hp / 525 ft lbs of a wide/flat torque curve 383 SBC)

From a previous cross-country trip I know that Montana is a big state, but out of curiosity
I googled the distance from Billings, MT to Ft. Collins, Co. The distance came out to 496 miles,
which tickled my big block funny bone. Foodies discuss various destination restaurants. Are we
living in an era where destination machine shops are becoming part of the old truck lexicon? :0)

Best of luck finding the right machinist to fastidiously machine the next 25+ years of life into your big block.

 

[svrh89]

yea, I drive about 200 miles round trip when I need to get groceries etc. there is a small city in Idaho I like that has some real good small business industry. I will look there first but there is also a place in Montana called dark horse in a town called Bozeman that has a good reputation. they probably know a good machinist if they don't do that work themselves. but I am not in a hurry; just doing the preliminary searches.

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

I will lean towards finding someone to rebuild my motor. but I feel that is also a toss up when you don't know the reputations of the shops in the towns around me. but hey! that's what researching is all about

If you find a shop that has over a 6 Month lead time, they're probably good at what they do

 

[Keeper]

I'd call a bunch of service stations in town and ask the shop mgr/owner (older the better) who their recommended machine shop/engine guy is. That should get you a few specific places to call and talk to without driving.

 

[svrh89]

thanks for the tips; I am looking forward to going through my engine and figuring out what went wrong. not looking forward to convincing my wife to let me spend more money to fix it though lol

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

not looking forward to convincing my wife to let me spend more money to fix it though lol

Do it then ask forgiveness later. It worked for me, all she got was a new kitchen out of it

 

[rebelyell]

There are more than a dozen Speedways (racetracks) in MT. No I don't reside in or near MT, but certainly have enjoyed my visits there.

Where there are tracks and racers, there are also machine shops & engine builders. Seek out that crowd and ask which area machine shops they frequent for major motor work. It's still race season in MT. Go to a race or two, get a pit pass, stay sober and be courteous and ask questions.

 

[twoyehaa]

When I did some research before going with the new Blue Print short block, I looked a rebuilding my 350. Pretty much all the high volume "reman" companies suck - one of the worst is ATK. I have no experience with Jasper but, they have the least amount of poor ratings. Is there a machine shop near by that can take care of rebuilding your short block and checking out your heads?

I had a Jasper 350 installed in my truck last year to replace my worn out 305 an have been very happy with it.