So I'm thinking of buying a GM crate 350...

[Chebby]

... for my '52 Chev pickup. Any suggestion?

A while back I bought a warmed over 1981 sbc 305 and have since purchased an aluminum long water pump, the chrome pulleys, chrome timing chain cover, finned aluminum oil pan and Edelbrock carburator and Wieand Stealth intake. I'll also be running a 700R4 tranny.

I want a more dependable engine for loooong runs but would also like to keep all this stuff I've purchased for the 305.

Have any of you purchased crate engines? Do you have GM part numbers and an approx. idea of pricing?

Thanks all

Chebby

[58Apache]

I had an old block rebuilt. While that's cool, and keeps the local machine shop in business, I can see where buying a crate engine might have had it's advantages.

While normally I'd lean towards a crate 383 for performance, with gas prices I might stay on the lower end in these days.

My 05 Avalanche has the 5.3 liter engine and performs well enough for cruisin, and haulin some pretty good loads,..and it still gets great gas mileage.

                        Steve

[Charlie Chops 1940]

I have a GM ZZ4 350 crate engine in my '40 Chevy with a 700R4 and 3.55:1 rear gears. I'm really happy with it. I've seen 23-24 mpg running a 600 Holley and regular grade pump gas. Pulling a loaded  Mullins trailer to Bonneville and back a year ago the trip average on around 6ooo miles was 16.5 mpg.

Lots of zip, and although I'm probably giving up some of the 355 ponies it's rated at with a 750 carb,  by running the 600, I'm extremely happy with the overall package.

Look at some of the  Chevy websites - like Apple in York, PA, Pace Chevrolet, and others for current pricing.

Charlie

[dragrcr50]

I have a GM ZZ4 350 crate engine in my '40 Chevy with a 700R4 and 3.55:1 rear gears. I'm really happy with it. I've seen 23-24 mpg running a 600 Holley and regular grade pump gas. Pulling a loaded  Mullins trailer to Bonneville and back a year ago the trip average on around 6ooo miles was 16.5 mpg.

Lots of zip, and although I'm probably giving up some of the 355 ponies it's rated at with a 750 carb,  by running the 600, I'm extremely happy with the overall package.

Look at some of the  Chevy websites - like Apple in York, PA, Pace Chevrolet, and others for current pricing.

Charlie

I rode with charlie to bonneville from sumners place and i can tell you the car ran flawlessly, and plenty of zip in the mountains...

[Crosley.In.AZ]

my last crate motor was a ZZ4 in my 1971 chev truck.... a good towing engine in that truck.

I ran mid grade or premium in it.... Q - jet carb.

Glen had a regular performance crate 350 in his 1948 Buick car.... when a problem developed , as I recall the short block was swapped out on warranty.

[Leon]

I have the 350HO in my 54, it runs great, but it came with a flat tappet cam so I pulled that and put an equivalent roller cam in it.  Had to change the timing chain and add the lifter stuff, including different pushrods, but now I don't have to worry about the cam going flat because of the newer oils.  I run a 600 Holley and may look at converting to FI someday so it doesn't run rich in the mountains.

[donsrods]

The Goodwrench basic 350 crate engine is the deal of the century.  Last one we bought was right at $ 1300, and it is hard to do a decent rebuild for that kind of money.  If you want, you can slip in a mild cam, an aluminum intake, and a good  ignition and you have a dependable, decent performing engine,

The warranty is a strange deal.  If you install it into an appropriate year car or truck, you get 3 years.  If you put it in a hot rod or custom, you get one year.  Still better than what you get if you rebuild one though.

I installed one in a customers vette, and it was the cleanest engine swap I ever did.  Just cleaned up the old accessories and bolted them on the new motor.

Don

[Dave]

the replacement 350 is the way to go especially if you have the balancer pump intake etc etc.. I found for me that the best price shipped was thru Jegs.. I have a used engine also but im gonna finish the car then try it and if it uses oil ill buy a crate and drop it in..
Dave

[phat rat]

After too many troubles with a rebuilt 396 I bought a 454HO crate for my cpe.  I've pulled as high as 19.5 mpg with it. It's topped with a Holley 750, backed by a 700R4 and 3.42 gears.  I bought it from Scoggin-* in Texas. Their price on shipping was great as they ship so many they have a real deal with the trucking outfit.  In 01 I think the price was about $130 for shipping to  here in Mi.

[alchevy]

I bought a crate motor at the Nats in Louisville in 2000 from Bob Hook Chevrolet, the dealer in Louisville. It was a good price ($1999) and I think shipping and crating was $100. It was a stock 350 with an Edelbrock 600 carb, Chevy chrome air cleaner/valve covers, distr, fuel pump, etc. All I had to add was a water pump, starter, spark plugs, & plug wires.

I had just bought my '40 Chevy that year and looking back I have learned that the first purchase you need to make when building a street rod was not the motor. Cranked the motor for the first time in 2003. But I thought since it was such a good deal, I went ahead and did it. Each year after that except this year, the same deal has been at the Nats.

A friend of mine, Chris Shultz, put a 502 crate motor from Street & Performance for his '38 Chevy Coupe. He told me that when he cranked it for the first time, he contacted S & P and they started his warrenty.

I needed some GM parts after the purchase of my motor and when I had a hard time finding those parts, I went back to Bob Hook and found out that they have several warehouses full of GM parts. http://www.bobhook.com/MiscPage_6

AL