i bought this 1985 jimmy s15.this car leaks everywhere.oil!so im planning on rebuild or complete engine change.so im up for some ideas.i think that i want to put a 4.3 in it so where do i get on cheap?if i rebuild, how much should i expect to spend?as long as the blocks in good condition i can rebuild myself.
this has a 2.8 v6 engine.
Perhaps you could find a 4.3 w/tranny from a boneyard and rebuild that instead of rebuilding the 2.8? The amount of work and the cost would not be greatly different, and either way you’ll need to get the cylinders bored and honed, the heads done, and the other stuff that you’ll need to sub out to a machine shop, like crank grinding.
Have you costed out rebuilt long blocks?
You realize of course that everything else in the vehicle is 25 years old and probably shot too. Have you evaluated the rest of the vehicle?
it was reconditioned about 4 years ago all but the running gear and engine.
here’s the beast.
Cool. This one might justify a rebuilt long block. You’d never get the money back, but that only matters if you sell it. And if it’s reconditioned with a new motor why would you sell it?
As much fun as rebuilding an engine is, I like crate motors because the places that do them are fully outfitted with the wash baths, the equipment to do nondestructive inspection for cracks, the machinery to get accuracy and precision in the machining and honing, the inspection equipment to check and verify dimensions to an accuracy beyond what you can do (unless you have a Coordinate Measuring Machine and temperature controlled calibration shop at home), and such. That doesn’t mean you can’t do a good job at home, it’s just a personal preference of mine.
Why not go whole hog and get a 350 v8 and 700r4 tranny for it?
A GM 2.8 crate motor is the way to go…Backyard rebuilds seldom work out as desired or planned…Ask around, find someone who can buy one WHOLESALE for you…