Engine rebuild or Crate engine

[94SilverSSEi]

I had a friend tell me that there was this cheap engine place close to where I live becuase he brings a couple vehicles there a year so Im assuming they give him a discount. So I called and they said it would be $2500 for a rebuild and upwards of $2800 if it needs a new crankshaft too. This seems extremely expensive considering that they only rebuild they dont do the in and out of the engine with car.
There is another place close to me that will come to your house tow your car to their place take your motor and take all your accecsories and put them on a BRAND NEW block and internals. Im assuming they keep whatevers left and this costs $3500. Oh yeah all this is for the 94 SSEi

Do these prices seem ridiculous to anyone else?

[myfirstbonnie]

What is the problem with yours?

[00Beast]

It spun a rod bearing, IIRC. There are absolutely no junkyard motors around your area?

[94SilverSSEi]

It spun a rod bearing, IIRC. There are absolutely no junkyard motors around your area?

Yes and no. The car had a terrible rattling/knocking noise which upon removal of the oil man was to be found as 3 rod berrings flopping in the breeze. U know the rubber grommets on the bottom of the valve cover bolts? Do u think one of those could cause this kind of damage because we found one of those with half of it missing probably ground up in engine and a TON of shiny metal and extremely sparly metallic oil espcially on the bottom of the pan.

And all though there are a few junkyard motors in my area they all have extremely high miles. The best possibilty I have found is out of a 94 SSEi just like mine its got 75k for $400 but it is 8 hours away. If i cant find anything else thing will probably be the motor I will be going to get.


I was just wondering what was a reasonable price for a rebuild was?

[SSEi95]

Any thoughts to doing a series 2 swap?

[94SilverSSEi]

I thought about it for second but wasnt sure what was all involved

What is all involved?

I dont know that it would be any cheaper to get a series 2 supercharged drivetrain but it should be much easier to find one

[Kevin Amstutz]

This all depends how much $$ and time you want to spend. I always say with enough time, money and energy, one can do anything they want. The cheapest and simplist would be the 8 hour drive engine, but this depends on your time, money and energy.

[chris c]

i would certainly remove and replace myself, that is a $1000 there.

the choice between a junkyard engine and a rebuild will need to be a risk assessment. what is the mileage/condition of the rest of the car? what are your expected plans with the car? how much longer will you keep/drive vehicle?

even if you pull the pan and main/rod caps it is still a risk. junkyard engine will still require many of the gaskets a rebuild will. at minimum, LIM gasket, UIM gasket, exhaust manifold gaskets o-rings, etc... you can do all that work and still have an internal issue occur.

personally, since i do all my labor aside of machining i wish i went with a junkyard engine and had $600-$700 total in the swap. i would have driven the car till the next issue and then parted/scrapped it. now were are over $2000 into the swap because we rebuilt. now i am commited to the car. we'll have to pile some serious trouble free mileage on to ever break even...

[clm2112]

Do these prices seem ridiculous to anyone else?

Not really. A bit high, but rebuilding a 3800 isn't a cheap operation unless you do all the labor yourself (including the fitting and assembly of the motor.)

[J Wikoff]

There are a number of reputable engine rebuilders selling rebuilt motors that have been sitting for a while on eBay. Some offer a warranty, some don't, but the prices will be significantly lower.

[94SilverSSEi]

i would certainly remove and replace myself, that is a $1000 there.

the choice between a junkyard engine and a rebuild will need to be a risk assessment. what is the mileage/condition of the rest of the car? what are your expected plans with the car? how much longer will you keep/drive vehicle?

Oh yeah I will be doing all my own labor either way. The junkyard motor has 75k for $400 and then about another $100 or so to go pick it up and it comes with a 90 day warranty. And then I'll still have everything left of my original motor.

Where as the crate motor is $1498 with new long block and heads.

As for the car it is in very good shape. It needa a new headliner, passenger side mirror, rear bumper skin, driver fender. But otherwise the body is mint with not one dent and we will NEVER get rid of this car!!

[1fatcat]

U know the rubber grommets on the bottom of the valve cover bolts? Do u think one of those could cause this kind of damage because we found one of those with half of it missing probably ground up in engine?

Not likely. Anything that might have made it through the oil pump pick up screen would have been caught in the oil filter. And even if a little got past the filter, it would be so small (and it's rubber) that it would not have any effect on the bearings. But, there is always a possibility that something plugged an oil passage in the block or crank. Coolant in the oil can cause this damage too.

[chris c]

if you honestly see yourself never parting with the car, spend the extra $.

i turn cars over to quickly and never see the return on the investment. the next owner does. 2-3 years on a vehicle and i grow bored.

if i KNEW i was going to keep/enjoy and modify something i'd build a proper engine... i just might buy some of the right parts for my cummins truck...

as nice as the ssei is, what is tough is the cars have little value. the money you spend you spend because you enjoy the car. you'll never get it back selling it. i'm upside down on the ssei...