I've been doing a lot of calculating, and I know labor costs are going to kill me. I am building a 355. Do you think it would be possible to build my engine myself? I suppose I would just have to buy a seperate block and get it machined for a 355. Anyone else installed their own crank, cam, rods, pistons, etc.? I know it would take a lot of patience and time for a beginner, but as long as I can save money, it's not an issue. But I just want to know if anyone thinks it's possible. I'll be spending a lot to get it bored and to get my heads p+p, but as for the assembly, is it honestly just that difficult to do?

 

yea i would like to know the same.....

Thanks

 

if you can take it apart you can put it together.....
and you will always have this board to help with every question. i have taken apart 4 motors none of them were an american v8. it is time consuming but i think the hardest part is getting the motor out and finding a place for it to go. but really once you have it out everyone on this board can lead you step by step through the process.

 

My builder is assembling from pan to intake/valve covers for $175.

The bulk of the money goes into machining, which you can't do yourself.

The assembly is rather cheap!

 

As Dave said, assembly is not very expensive. In a 4th gen you can save a lot by doing the motor R+R yourself. That is basically "grunt work" and most people can do that without any huge problems. But I'd say if you are building a performance motor, let a pro do the assy. I do, and I know my way around cars pretty well.

It's not a black art or rocket science, but it requires a lot of knowledge and experience as well as some specialized tools to assemble an engine properly.

Rich Krause

 

k Thanks DOC!!

 

With all the money will spend for the tools and the time you will spend, just have pro do it. Will also get the satisfaction that your high performance motor is built right!

 

Its not that hard at all if you have the right tools, which can be quite expensive,and someone knowledgeable to help you.My dads been building motors for close to thirty years so that helps me.

 

Not in this case.

 

Though that does remind me that you can save a few $$$ by not only removing your old motor but tearing it down. At $70-75/h that's a good way to save.

Rich Krause

 

Just have someone put together the shortblock and you can do the rest....it's not that hard after the shortblock is done....

 

And hes not a rocket scientist Just go for it, you should be able to do it with the proper tools, its always more fun when you have the satisfaction of building your own motor.

 

Plus if something goes wrong you can blame the builder.

 

buy a book, and a video........read the book watch the video.

 

This probably sounds like the best stuff to do. Thanks guy for the opinions. I'll keep everyone updated on how it turns out.