- Quote :
- I know others will say otherwise... Personally I would never put the money into a fresh rebuild on a 3800.. huge waste of money...
I will say otherwise, for a few reasons.
1) You learn what went wrong. You might think you know, but you never really do until you have it torn down. Example: my engine was knocking from a bad bearing, but there was no way to tell that bearing was caused by a piece of chipped piston jammed into the head - until we checked. The suspected oiling issue quickly become a fueling issue. Also it tells a story of your engine's life and condition.
2) It's not that expensive. I paid less than $1600. Sounds like a lot, but this is one of the cheapest engines to rebuild. Considering this engine will likely last another 10 years or 250k miles, that's $160/yr or about 1/2 penny per mile. Nowadays $1600 gets you a set of tires for a truck, a set of nice rims. Would you rather spend $1600 on a used car?
3) Great opportunity to mod. Sure, you can put mods on that old $300 junk yard motor, but I found it more satisfying to bolt those shiny new parts on a clean, freshly rebuilt block. It's like a completely new engine, really it is a new engine. Plus, my builder knocked off a few dollars since I supplied a few go-fast parts in place of the ones he'd normally buy.
4) A "seasoned block". Being cast iron, my tried-and-true 250k mile block has been heat cycled so many times, the iron is "set", it's guaranteed strong. My block always had clean oil and fresh coolant. Buying a 30k mile junk yard engine you don't know how good the block will be, and buying a 100k mile junk yard engine you don't know how well it was taken care of.
5) Warranty: most engine builders will stand by their work. Mine promised me no problems for 12 mo or 12,000 miles in writing. This is standard for most rebuild services. Doesn't sound like a lot, but it works for a year, it's probably a good build.
6) In keeping your old block you actually waste less, so it's not a "huge waste" for sustainability's sake. Reusing means you won't need to dispose of, sell, or let it sit in the back yard rusting forever. It's not going to save the world, but it is one less block that needs to be recycled.
Can't argue, $300 for a junk motor is definately the cheapest way to go. But most engines I found were $1000 or more - might not find that cheap one when you need it. For reasons above I spent my money on the rebuild.
And it only took 3 days. There's something to be said for a good rebuild service.
Okay, I'm done. Later!
for the young buck on a budget.. L26 lower is the way to go. More power and cheaper! I miss my 3800's.. I need to keep a daily driver around.. i switch cars monthly it seems haha