rebuild or buy new

:confused:i have a 1985 caprice which i plan on owning for a while and besides a somewhat rough idle do to the camshaft and the carb... the engine is runnning good. I already have taken out all of the emissions equipment and added dual exaust. however i find myself wanting to do more....new carb, headers, intake and so on.. what im wondering is if i should wait untill this motor is wrecked and build up a 350 or if i should buy a crate or rebuild a used one....ps my stock 305 has 88 thousand so i think it has some life in it.

It is probably running rough because the emissions equipment was taken off. The ECM probably needs to have the PROM flashed so that the computer knows what to do now that major things have changed -- also it is no longer street legal (I believe) since you took all of that off.

I've played around with my '85 caprice and disconnected some emissions stuff and it always runs rough when I do that. And my 305 has over 100k miles and still runs great. As far as your main question whether to rebuild or buy new (or refurbished?) I think it all depends on how much time you have and money... If you have the cash maybe you should consider a 350 with a new carb? I'm not a mechanic though; wish I could be of more help.

yea i really just want to know if rebuilding a 350 or buying a new one is the better way to go....i have time and money i just dont want to waste either.... also i dont want to add stuff to my engine if its just gonna get replaced... thanks for the hellp

Personally, I would start with a 1987-later SBC block since it has provisions for a factory roller cam, one-pierce RMS, and is less likely to have some of the core shift issues common with older blocks. A roller cam opens the possibilities for a much more aggressive lobe profile while maintaining adequate lobe separation and limiting overlap. The roller design is also a huge anti-friction benefit now that most passenger car oils lack EP additives necessary to protect flat tappet cam lobes and lifters.

If you are going to rebuild then I would agree on getting a 87+ block to start from.

Personally, given the low cost of most crate motors now and that you can get 330HP from GM, with a warranty for less than $3K... New is hard to beat.

http://www.crateenginedepot.com/store/350-Crate-Engine-330-HPBase-HO-with-Iron-Vortec-Heads-12486041-P18C53.aspx

If you are going to rebuild then I would agree on getting a 87+ block to start from.

New is hard to beat.


I agree with CD, can't beat a crate engine...............