What would the cost be for a compotent professional (with specific LT1 experience) be to complete an entire bottom end of an LT1 block bored/stroked 396. Block would be delivered via truck. Block zero decked. Bored .030 over, rods, crank, pistons balanced, install rings, rods-to-pistons, crank, main bearing caps, thrust bearings for the cam and crank, etc... parts would include 6in I-beam billet rods, forged billet cranked, flat top pistons, everthing clearenced properly. Thats would be it. I would complete the rest of the top end, timing gears, intake, heads etc... This is only a labor cost not including parts. I understand that the prices here will vary but just a ballpark figure would be nice.
Thanks for the time, Tony

 

$400-$500

 

well that isn't near as bad as I thought, any other prices ya'll have paid for???

 

I think it will be quite a bit more. The new main caps will require line boring and honing and that's an expensive operation. Balancing can be VERY expensive if mallory metal needs to be used. I'd budget up to $1K and be happy if it came in less.

Rich Krause

 

Thanks Rich, what does it mean when the main caps require line boring and honing, I am familare with honing and boring by why do you have to do that with the main caps and why is it so expensive?

 

Machine work .....$450
Balancing rotating assemby.....$250
Assembly.....$250

 

you guys must know some expensive places...there's a local renound shop that does total strip downs and rebuilds of LT1's (which can include decking, balancing, grinding) for a fraction of what you guys are quoting...

ive noticed that a lot of the shops farther north in the US seem to be more expensive than farther south...

 

The place I took mine charged 550 for machining, clearancing and balancing and It was top notch work. I guess it depends on where you live though.

 

When you replace the main caps they are almost always not perfectly aligned and need to be bored and honed. A block may also have to be align bored or honed if a bearing has spun, or if a bearing cap has to be replaced because it is damaged or cracked. It's expensive because it is a precision operation done on an expensive machine. It can take 30-60 minutes to set up the machine and do the bore operation. The caps themselves need to be machined to fit the block. Because main bore alignment is so important, it should be the first thing that is machined on an engine. It needs to be accurate because the other critical dimensions center off the crankshaft.

As others have posted, there is a lot of regional variation in labor rates. No matter where you are, go to a shop with a good reputation.

Rich Krause

 

Does that price include assembly.....if so thats very good. Most places charge $150-$250 for assembly.

 

I'd tend to agree with Rich & as he's posted in the past... TINFL .


Budget at least $800-1k towards it. I'd personally go to some of your local tracks & find out who's building the better performing & more professional looking packages. Then take a couple days to ride around to each shop & speak with them in person. Be sure to check out their facilities, even showing up unexpectedly I'd hope the place was halfway organized & professional looking... otherwise I'd be inclined to move on personally.

Oftentimes with this stuff, you get what you pay for & a high level of attention to detail is going to cost you. How much attention your setup requires will obviously depend on what you're trying to do with it, but IMO it's always better to be safe than sorry

Good luck!

 

No, I still have to assemble it but, I still think its an alright price.