The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Cost to Rebuild 54 235

I'm burning oil and have been putting off an engine overhaul. It's time! I'm sure I need rings but don't know condition of pistons, rods, cam, etc. I've been advised that if I'm going for rings, it would be foolish not to do entire job. Your thoughts? Also, if I do entire job, what kind of cost am I looking at? Thanks.

it all depends if you need to bore the block, if so you'll need new pistons. condition of crank, prob. needs turned. cond. of valves, cam etc. you can bet on 1,000 clams if you gotta do everything. you won't know what needs done till you tear it down.

If you are looking for a turnkey project, I'd suggest JASPER engines. I sent my 261 there and got it back ready to run in 3 weeks. Cost was more than $1000 but nothing crazy, plus it came with a 75000 mile warranty!

If you can get it done for $1000.00,thats a good price.

Green - Did that include boring block, new pistons, the works? Did you pull and reinstall yourself? How did you ship?

When I rebuilt my 235 in my 59 GMC about 10 years ago I paid about $1000 just for parts.

The high school I had attended 10 years prior to that (20 years ago now) had an excellent trades department. The auto shop even had a line boring machine, and they was a complete machine shop as well. The shop teacher jumped at the chance to rebuild an inline 6 if I paid for the parts.

Much cheaper to rebuild a small block V8, BUT........

I was quoted $2,800 locally for a balanced and blueprinted rebuild including parts. I decided to do it myself and might have saved a little money assembling it, but not much. I did enjoy doing the work and actually measured everything myself, so I know it is blueprinted and to spec. Plus I got to do a few things the machine shop probably wouldn't have done, like tap the front bearing cap to secure the timing cover bolts from the outside...

I paid about $1,200 to the machine shop for the block and head work, and supply some small parts. (list below). I assembled the engine myself. My machine work was a little higher than yours should be because I had two cylinders sleeved and the machine shop supplied two rods and rod bolts (big block chevy bolts work just fine, but you've got to bevel the heads a little).

I think I paid about $500 for engine parts from Patrick's. (list below) I paid another $75 or so for a fuel pump and $75 for the waterpump. I also paid $100 plus shipping to have the rocker assembly rebuilt. I spent about $250 on a cam and stiffer valve springs. Then there are belts, hoses, gasket sealer, thermostat, engine paint, etc...

Parts included:
Gasket set, cam bearings, rod bearings, main bearings, piston rings, pistons, timing chain, cam gears, freeze plugs, valves/guides/seals/ springs, push rods, lifters & oil pump.

Engine/head work included:
Vat and Magnaflux block/head, turn the crank, change the cam bearings, bore and hone cylinders to match pistons, recondition the rods, balance pistons/rods, sleeve two cylinders, mill the head, deck the block, install hardend valve seats with new vavles, guides and seals, do a 3 angle valve job, sleeve the crank pulley, press on the cam and crank gears. They also supplied the sleeves, rod bolts, exhuast valve spring rotators, pulley sleeve, and two piston rods.

There are a few things I reccomend you do or have the machine shop do that they don't usually do unless asked.

1. Chrome moly rings- more durable, same price.

2. Balance pistons and rods. Balancing the crank/flywheel/clutch assembly is probably not necessary.

3. Hardend valve seats. (unleaded gas)

4. Tap the front bearing cap to install the two lower timing cover/engine mount screws from the inside.

5. Have the crank drilled and tapped to be able to use a standard small block chevy crank bolt to install the pulley.

6. Drill and tap your block for full pressure/full circulation oil filtration (if your engine is a post 1954 235). Here's a link:

http://www.speedprint.com/Deves50/oilfilterinstall.php

locally i have been quoted 1500.00 plus about 600.00 for parts from patricks. ron

after getting quotes ranging $1200. ~ 2000.00 a fellow in the machine shop asked me... what are you trying to do here??
do you care if it's stock 51??
so after hanging up, ten minutes and two phone calls later, I got luck on my side & found a rebuilt 292 w/ 200 miles on it for $600, all new starter, oil, fuel & H2O pump.
that was two + years ago
then the saga began

sometimes ya jus get lucky

Caroline and Jim make a good point-

If you aren't trying to keep it stock or build a resto-rod, it'll be cheaper for you to find a more modern engine used. If you go that route, think about one of the those jeep 4.0 fuel injected inline sixes- I think they're about the same size as the 235's and since they put it into so many things you can finds lots and lots of aftermarket parts. Hell for what I spent on to rebuild my engine I could have bought a jeep cherokee and swapped in most of the engine, driveline and steering components. 'Course this is sacrilege if you want to keep the truck a chevy...

if you are going 292 go small block and 350...doc

The last inline six I rebuilt...is the last inline six I will rebuild. Too expensive. I'll upgrade to a small block if it the six needs an overhaul.

A small block chevy 350 is the easiest thing to lay your hands on and the cheapest to get modified parts for, like heads, cams, pistons, lifters, etc...

If you go that route and have a choice of used ones that run, go with the four bolt main in case you get the urge to seriously build it in the future.

I would tear it down & see what condition it,s in. Sometimes you can do a simple ring-valve job & freshen it up. If it needs more than that check with Jaspers like 51GM. say,s. Theres is a complete reman. If you are in a large city they will pick it up & deliver it. Or you might arange a drop off point. Great product & good warranty & service. I,m thinking it,s quite a bit more than $1000.

Kenz

The JASPER deal is full service, INCLUDING shipping!

All I did was aquire the motor, call them, they picked it up rebuild everything between the valve cover to the oil pan and returned it in 3-4 weeks.

Kenz

The JASPER deal is full service, INCLUDING shipping!

All I did was aquire the motor, call them, they picked it up rebuilt everything between the valve cover to the oil pan and returned it in 3-4 weeks.

I just had my 261 rebuilt in Saskatoon Canada. I took the old engine to a rebuilder and then lined up the parts myself. I purchased a super rebuild kit from Clifford Performance for $799 US and then had to get an oil pump $70 US, rocker assembly $300 US... and then I had to pay them to do the head and put it all together - which together with shipping and running around cost me $1000 US. So my total hit was about $2200 US. I took it out and put it back in myself. Now I'm sticking an intake $379, headers $289, an HEI $189, and a four barrel $300 on it.... so my toal cost will end up at about $3500 US.

I'm not sure what all comes on the engine yet but Advance Auto and Auto Zone each sell ReCon engines. I'm doing an old Diamond series truck and the owner is considering one of these engines. It comes with Warrantee etc and priced at $1243 plus core about 6 months ago. This is for a 58-60 235 with front engine mount. The only difference in price is one store wanted a $100 more for core charge than the other. There is a lot of things to consider but if they have a good warrantee the odds are its a good engine no matter where it comes from. I do think buying a reman will be the best route to go these days. That is what they do everyday and should be able to be more cost effective. Just my .02 worth and my opinion.(Even though I do like to do things myself)

Well doc41 not every one wants a V8... sorry to say
NM51 .. that's a good idea. i just kept thinking inline chevy 6's so that's why i found the 292.
the jeep motor is a good idea.

JEEP:
http://images.google.com/imgres?img...svnum%3D10%26hl%3D en%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN


292::
http://theserviceadvisor.com/part/reman/chevybesttsagmc_292lb.html

Pretty dern good price on that 292

If you go with the jeep engine- you can just buy yourself a used 2-WD Jeep Cherokee mid 80-up with FUEL INJECTION and an engine in good condition. The Jeep engines with carbs are notorious for problems with the fuel system. There are lots of parts you can swap into your AD truck in addition to the engine.

Good luck!

For example- The 5 speed tranny, flywheel, hydraulic clutch, power booster and master cylinder, pedal assembly's, seat belts, remote hood latch, the power steering pump, tilt column, steering box, fuse panel, relay box, a/c components, etc....

I'm not a big fan of "moly" rings. They are simply too hard. I would rather have worn rings than worn cylinders. My 2 cents...

NM51 I drive a 2000 Jeep Cherokee with the big six. Sounds like another way of having the I6 still but more modern. KOOL.

I have a donor truck lined up with a 235,saginaw tranny I THINK,open drive shaft and 57 F**D rear. The 235 HAS a cracked head but still turns over. I WAS TOLD it was drove last year with no leaks. Any thoughts?

I think you should rebuild your cylinder head (w/hard valve seats),give it a set of rings and bearings and drill the front main cap as mentioned before. While it's apart do the full pressure oil machining. I agree with Belair about moly rings-they take a while to seat and if there's any taper to the cylinders it makes the sealing iffy;besides,you can put 100,000 miles on a set of cast rings without a problem if you keep up on your maintenance. Moly rings may last longer,but I don't think they're worth the extra hassles to make 'em seat well. And be sure to shop around for prices for your engine parts-there can be a HUGE difference in price of each part from one dealer to another.
If you go for a bellybutton motor,don't forget the 700R4,9 inch rear end,Mustang II rack-n-pinion,billet steering column,power windows,power steering,power windows,power disc brakes,A/C,big stereo with bigger amps and biggest speakers,etc.,etc. Just kiddin'. Don't think I'm opinionated or nuthin'...
Do whats right for YOU.Thats what it's all about.
Speed

Thanks to all for your input. We are struggling with the reality of the cost and I wish I had the skill and knowledge to do much of it on my own, but that's not the case. It is what it is and we just hope we can do the truck and the hobby justice. Even though the truck is a 51 with a 54 engine, we are otherwise trying to keep it as original as possible....I like the idea about looking into a newer engine and possibly upgrading the drive train (has the original 3-speed and 4:11 rear). Any suggestions on a drop-in combo that's not to difficult to find and wouldn't break the bank on installation costs? Speed's not the objective, just something that's dependable and will start most of the time. By the way, truck is still original 6V system and wiring, if you can believe it. If we do go newer, at what point do I have to go with the 12V change? Thanks.

Green,
Who is Jasper and where are they located? O'ya, what about a # ? Thx.

Glenn,

"Speed's not the objective, just something that's dependable and will start most of the time." Then stick with what you have. Definately the cheapest way to go. Old trucks are fun to drive in town. Those gears and trannies are what makes them a truck. Unless your going to drive on the highway a lot... Just mo.