Build or buy blower motor?

i'm trying to figure out if its better to build my 355 motor from my block and buy piece buy piece of the forged motor parts i need and have my buddy put it all back toegther for me or just buy a 355 block from Eric at Victory racing engines.

1 would money for either one be bout the same spent?
2. time really isn't a issue since winter is coming and i have a baby on the way in a month so the car can wait.
3. this will only be a street car driven once a while,some guys say i dont need a forged crank and some say i do. the Scat 9000 series sounds pretty good to me but maybe the cast cranks just won't last up to the boost sooner or later and would hate to spend all the money on the motor and have the crank go out on me. any opinions guys? i will be running 10-12psi.
3. acouple people said its also safer to have a place like Victory do the build since they know these motors from front to back and it will be perfect the first time around,as where my buddy has not done any LT1 350's but other 350 motors. so i'm not sure what to do?

The money you will save will be in the labor, not really in parts. If you are just having the motor built, and not having them put it in for you, there won't be a ton of time involved, but it will still add up. That's really the question you will have to ask yourself; is the money you save in labor well saved by putting the motor together yourself? Are you confident that if you are to put the motor together that you will do a satisfactory job? These are the questions you will need to answer yourself to find the answer you are looking for.

As for my opinion if I were put in your shoes, I would spend the money and have your motor built by the pro's.

As for the crank question, I think for the power you will be making that you are taking a gamble if you decide not to go forged. Sure, it may hold, but it may not as well. Better to spend the money now where you will be building the motor anyway then break the crank later and half to yank the motor and have to tear it to pieces again. Better to spend a little more now, then a lot more later. Again, these are just my thoughts on your question, others will have different opinions, and the final choice is yours.

yeah my plan is a forged crank, was just curious. my buddy knows his stuff with internals with motors. i'm just not to sure since he hasn't been building or built a LT1 motor before. he might be chewing more then he can digest and might get himself in a tight spot. i was looking at Victorys 355ci block for $3200.00 seems pretty good,i would be upgrading the pistons to blower pistons/rings. i already have all the motor gaskets,melling HV oil pump and stock ported/polished/ valve job heads/intake,58mmTB. i could always sell the stock crank and block since they only have 30,000miles on them. cjmatt has a nice setup but i don't have that money to spend.

haveit pro bult that way if its wrong you can send it back IMOP

I had my engine built rather than purchasing a completed shortblock. I only went this route since I already had the forged Lunati crank and rods. However, next time around I'll buy a completed shortblock. Ends up being cheaper unless you can do most of the labor yourself.

I suppose it depends the amount of experience you have building motors? If this is your first build up, then it may be worth the money to have the motor built for you. But if you have a fair amount of experience and your confident that you could do a satisfactory job then I would recommend doing it yourself, you would save a considerable amount of money. Being that your not in a hurry to get it finished it seems like it would be a great winter/spring project. Just food for thought.

well i talked with Eric and he helped me pick out a block setup for me. like other guys said and like my thoughts have been for the past couple days,my buddy and i don't have any experience building LT1 motors.. so i would feel safer buying a motor already done by the pros and have it backed, where as if something went wrong on our own it would suck.

PS> stock block and crank if anyone is interested(pick up) only.

well i talked with Eric and he helped me pick out a block setup for me. like other guys said and like my thoughts have been for the past couple days,my buddy and i don't have any experience building LT1 motors.. so i would feel safer buying a motor already done by the pros and have it backed, where as if something went wrong on our own it would suck.

PS> stock block and crank if anyone is interested(pick up) only.

There is nothing magical about LT1 engines that makes them any different than any other small block 350. If your friend has built an engine before he would have no problem with an LT1. You can have a reputable engine shop rebuild your shortblock with forged pistons and ARP rod bolts for about $1500. I just consider my shortblock expendable at that price. Now if I had $4000 dollars in my shortblock I would be pretty upset if it broke.

I understand what your saying about the warranty though. It might be worth it for the peace of mind.:)

well you have to remember my block needed honed,bored .030over,tanked and magnaflexed,freeze plugs,balanced. so that would probably be around $900 for all that. plus all the extra forged parts. he is younger then me and hasn't built that many motors as too someone who has been doing these for years like Victory or some other company. say if something happen cause he made a mistake he might be like well i have your money and him and me could have a problem. money between friends and family tends to be a issue and people you don't think would screw you over just might.. it just seems easier to just buy the block already done and install it.

The only thing I would worry about is the ring gap. If you pay to have it built, make absolutely sure that the ring gap is at least .024" on the top ring. This is critical in making an FI motor live.

Mike

okay thanks for the tip mike