350 TBI rebuild

[94silveradomonster]

I bought a 94 Chevy ext cab with a 350 Tbi (503,000 miles). I don't know how many miles are on the engine and not sure if I should do a rebuild or buy a new motor. Currently I know I'm leaking from my head gasket, oil pan, and oil is getting pushed by my piston(i think, oil is spitting out both my exhaust). I know I need a engine soon but don't know which way to go. this is my daily driver for work and some towing. Looking for more power in the low RPMs

ATK Engines HP31: HP31 High Performance Crate Engine 1987-1995 Small Block Chevy TBI 350ci / 292HP / 373TQ - JEGS

Get the Best Performance with ATK Engines HP31 High Performance Crate Engine 1987-1995 Small Block Chevy TBI 350ci / 292HP / 373TQ HP31 parts at JEGS. Shop Now at the Guaranteed Lowest Price!

www.jegs.com

Currently looking at this motor but it says I will need a performance chip burned, and honestly I cant find much info on the burning process. as well as it being a little pricey. Looking for a reasonable build, don't mind spending SOME money but don't want to overspend on one. Any help would be or a point of direction would be AWESOME as currently I don't know what option to pursue for the most bang for my buck.
Sorry if this isn't much, this is my first forum and truck to work on.

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

I don't have any personal experience with ATK engines, I've heard good and bad things. As far as burning a chip, they're saying you need to "tune" your PCM for the higher output this engine provides. There are guys out there who will sell you a mail order chip but, IMO they're not the way to go. You need to data log, tune, data log again - rinse and repeat until you get your fuel trims and timing right. You'll need to play with your fuel pressure to increase flow for this engine.

don't mind spending SOME money but don't want to overspend on one

How much is "SOME"? That's a relative term. It's easy to spend an additional $2K by the time you're done with it.

 

[Schurkey]

Looking at the link you provided, I DO NOT get a good feeling about ATK's product.

1. I don't believe their power claims
2. I don't like their demand that you break-in the cam three times more than everyone else thinks is needed.
3. I'd want to see their warranty sheet--who is allowed to install the engine; who pays for diagnosing and removing a defective engine; how much do they pay for labor, do they pay for oil and coolant, exhaust gaskets, etc. on their defective engine? Who pays freight on the defective engine back to ATK?
4. If they insist you need to "Burn a chip", WHO DO THEY SUGGEST YOU GET THAT FROM? or is that going to be a point of contention when their engine takes a premature dump--they'll say "it wasn't a defective engine, you didn't have a proper tune, so NO WARRANTY, you're SOL."

 

[Gramps]

ATK is GARBAGE. If you even get an engine that runs, god help you with their warranty if there’s an issue later on.