mpyusko
OBS Enthusiast
I have a '96 L29 in my K2500 Suburban. The bottom end is shot. I am thinking of pulling it to do a rebild, but the crank and rods will need to be machined. I just did a teardown on my Jeep motor and I'm really not in the mood for this 1,000 lb monster, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
The engine has had a ga-da-dung everytime I start it for a coule years so I knew it was coming. The last time I drove it, the Oil Pressure at 45 MPH cruising was about 10 PSI. The high end wouldn't hit 40 PSI. It's been parked since. So now I need to get it back on the road and since the glaciers have receeded in the northeast, now is the time. A GM Performance Engine is about $4700 but I'm not entirely clear on what the warranty is like, and if there is even a core charge (free shipping though apparently). AutoZone (for exmaple) has a ProFormance engine for around $2900 after tax, + $810 core +$100 Shipping.
The truck is about as mint as you can get for used. No rust, clean, just 190,000 miles on the engine (see pic in sig). We are planning on keeping it until it rots apart. (I'm not kidding, we have a 1995 subaru with 238,000 miles and one rear fender is 6 layers of black duct-tape that the other one I hamemred out of a peice of sheet metal, painted and attached with Self-drilling/tapping screws.... I'm a gearhead, not a body artist).
It's also critical because we have a family of 6 and at the moment we need to drive both the Jeep (1997 - in sig) and the Subaru everytime we go somewhere. I need a reliable engine that will last a long time and hold up to the occasional heavy haul. The rest of the drivetrain is tight and the transmission is smooth and clean. Spending $5G on an engine is... not something I can afford right now.
I'm not even sure what the machine costs would/should be. Another option I've toyed with is doing a bottom-end rebuild for now, then save up for say a 454HO from GM Performance One of those retails for about $5600 but I'm not sure that my Vortec system could feed the 425HP, 500lb/ft rating... or if my 4L80E would hold up to the increased power.
Thoughts? This is my baby. ;-) Thanks.
The engine has had a ga-da-dung everytime I start it for a coule years so I knew it was coming. The last time I drove it, the Oil Pressure at 45 MPH cruising was about 10 PSI. The high end wouldn't hit 40 PSI. It's been parked since. So now I need to get it back on the road and since the glaciers have receeded in the northeast, now is the time. A GM Performance Engine is about $4700 but I'm not entirely clear on what the warranty is like, and if there is even a core charge (free shipping though apparently). AutoZone (for exmaple) has a ProFormance engine for around $2900 after tax, + $810 core +$100 Shipping.
The truck is about as mint as you can get for used. No rust, clean, just 190,000 miles on the engine (see pic in sig). We are planning on keeping it until it rots apart. (I'm not kidding, we have a 1995 subaru with 238,000 miles and one rear fender is 6 layers of black duct-tape that the other one I hamemred out of a peice of sheet metal, painted and attached with Self-drilling/tapping screws.... I'm a gearhead, not a body artist).
It's also critical because we have a family of 6 and at the moment we need to drive both the Jeep (1997 - in sig) and the Subaru everytime we go somewhere. I need a reliable engine that will last a long time and hold up to the occasional heavy haul. The rest of the drivetrain is tight and the transmission is smooth and clean. Spending $5G on an engine is... not something I can afford right now.
I'm not even sure what the machine costs would/should be. Another option I've toyed with is doing a bottom-end rebuild for now, then save up for say a 454HO from GM Performance One of those retails for about $5600 but I'm not sure that my Vortec system could feed the 425HP, 500lb/ft rating... or if my 4L80E would hold up to the increased power.
Thoughts? This is my baby. ;-) Thanks.
