308 rebuild cost?

[Oz_ek]

I've purchased an original HZ sedan in poor condition, the 308 has around 500,000 k's on it , what should I expect to pay for a stock engine rebuild?

[EH179]

$2500-3000 these days.

[Smitty2]

... geepers
how long is a piece of string?

with that sort of mileage under its belt
won't be just welsh plugs and a gasket set

pistons, camshaft, lifters... all bearings of course all need
replacing plus a timing set

then there are the heads... valves springs rockers all need
throwing over the left shoulder into the nearest bin and newies bought
plus possibly a deck to

don't forget the carb and dizzy rebuilds (ignition upgrade to HEI?)

oh..and also factor in new water and oil pumps too and maybe
an inlet manifold too (water crossovers corrode too buggery)

$4large in my book ...

[Oz_ek]

Thanks for the input !.....As it still starts and runs I drove it to the nearest engine builder for a quote, I couldn't believe it then the bloke said $12'500-!

[78GTS]

I just got a quote for a balanced short motor and it was 3K.

You could easily spend that much on the top end as well without doing anything crazy.

[RedTaxi]

Fark $12500 is up there. That's getting into decent power stroker territory. But the days of 3-4k are probably gone. As above i'll guess 6k should be doable.

[JaseQ314]

Twelve and a half large is taking the piss, but I expect four to five would be very easy to get to if you're dropping off a tired stocker, picking it up reco'd and paying for them to do everything (assuming a lot of it is reusable).

[swampy]

Hi
short motor
bore and hone --torque plate option
align hone mains --option
resize rods --new bolts option
install rods on pistons
install cam bearings
deck block
crack test
crank grind
balance rotating option
blue print option
plus parts

around 3000 plus

[Horaldic]

You’re going to get guesses all over the place on this.

$12,500 is at the top end for a stock rebuild, you’d want an itemised signed quote covering replacement of key components with quality name brand replacements (so that there’s no phone call “we found xxx and it’s going to be $yyyyy”) full assembly, initial run in, tuning and a written guarantee covering the work for that price. If this is a drive in drive out type deal with a faithful period correct restoration of the engine and components with a real warranty then it’s actually good value.

The prices will be variable because, until your block is stripped down and everything inspected and measured, there is no way of knowing what condition it’s in.

There’s risks here for a rebuilder because he might pull the block down and find the entire assembly is unusable. If everything goes well and the significant components (block, crank, heads, and maybe intake, carbs etc) are rebuildable then they will be ok but, most likely, some of these things won't be.

You are also making a decision on whether the bloke you are getting to do the work is a skilled technician who is delivering you peace of mind and back up. For quality work and support down the line you have to be willing to pay a reasonable price.

If it’s a “best efforts” type deal with no comebacks then it’s a different proposition altogether.

I would say $6k is now at the lower end. You’re going to need to talk with a few folks and find out what they think and what the parameters are.

[marras]

I know over here in WA you easily pay $2500 just in labour to build an engine. This is from a reputable builder that has a very good track record. That doesn’t even include machining or parts.

I totally agree with Haroldic, you get what you pay for.

[swampy]

Not always ,some standard recon quotes were double the cost of others for my machine work only , for my chev .
On another occasion had 150 to measure up 308 block and rotating .I went to pick it up well over 300.oo whoa..... Payed 150

The choice should be local
Known for good machine work
Not the cheapest but reasonable ---fair but no rip off
Donot be upsold by ARROGANT people
No exactly what your getting

Always double check the quote and question the shop
Beaware of the advice if its their personal opinion

[Castiron355]

Just finishing a 351 Cleveland. Honed the bores myself, new budget pistons, rings, bearings, gaskets. Crow cam and valve train. Got the heads recoed. It’s still going to come in at close to 5 grand. I couldn’t do this any cheaper. And that’s without my labour on top.


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