Scored a no-motor street machine from the classifieds? We've done it a million times. It's good, but now you're gonna need something to stick between the fenders because sitting behind the wheel making engine noises gets old quick. Or maybe the stocker in your ride is on its way out. Either way, you need a new motor, and the choice is yours: Buy one or build one. Here's the deal: We checked out some popular crate engines and compared the parts and horsepower with a homebuilt mill to answer some nagging questions. Which is cheaper? Does it come with an oil pan? How 'bout a warranty? Will my scrap-yard carb be as cool as a GM Performance Parts Holley? Can I even find a useable core in the local tabloid? We've also included a list of popular crate jobs with specs on what they come with, plus a few enlightening anecdotes on engine-building fun. We will tell all, but in the end, it's up to you to develop a plan to hide your new score from the lady in charge.
Price Comparo: Buy Or Build?
To really understand what a bargain a factory crate motor can be, it's illuminating to compare the price of the crate motor to the cost of building it yourself from scratch. The Ford Racing guys have crate jobs ranging from the 600-horse monster 514 bracket motor to a 1.9L Escort motor. (Blecch!) But you want real power, don't you? We'll show you the 345hp GT-40 302 you can buy from Ford and compare it to the cost of building an equivalent engine with parts from Motorsports Moe, the parts guy and local Ford Racing specialist at Colley Ford in Glendora, California.
Buy The GT-40 Crate 302?
Block casting: A 302 block built at Ford's Cleveland engine plant with a 4.00-inch bore. These brand-new blocks are plucked from the Ford Explorer assembly line.
Crank: Production 302 nodular cast-iron with a 3.00-inch stroke
Rods: Production 5.09-inch
Pistons: Standard-bore hypereutectic pistons making a 9.0:1 compression ratio with 64cc GT-40 heads
Heads: Late-model aluminum GT-40X (for extra) cylinder heads with 1.94-inch intake and 1.54-inch exhaust valves
Camshaft: Standard-trans guys get the B303 hydraulic-roller cam with 0.480 valve lift on the intake and exhaust and 224 degrees of duration at 0.050. Automatics get the E303 with 0.498 lift and 220 degrees at 0.050. Both cams are designed to be used with post-'85 blocks and use a 1.6:1 rocker ratio.
Flywheel/Flexplate: Yup, the flywheel included is the 157-tooth manual tranny model. If you must run an automatic, order the automatic cam and get the post-'81 157-tooth flexplate instead; the price is the same.
Shipping Weight: Approximately 425 pounds including the crate and oil
Crate price: $3,495.00 plus tax
Power: 345 hp
Warranty? None on a Ford Motorsports crate engine
Or Build It?
Block: To be strictly fair, we would print prices for a new block with a new crank and rods. In the real world, however, gearheads would be better served to buy a core from the classifieds or junkyard and go through it. We found a post-'85 302 roller-cam short-block assembly with a standard bore, flywheel, balancer, crank, rods, and pistons (which we tossed) for $350 using the online classifieds. We then called the Taylor Engine machine shop in Whittier, California, for labor prices and sourced Ford Motorsports parts through Colley Ford.
Parts
Pistons: Hypereutectic pistons (0.030 over), ring and bearing kit: $209.00
Heads: Aluminum M6049-X303 GT-40 heads. New from Ford: $651.00 each
Camshaft: M-6250-E303 (auto) or B303 (manual): $225.00
Gaskets: Ford engine gasket set (PN M-6003-A50): $90.00
Bolts: GT-40 heads require head bolt kit
(PN M-6065-C289): $49.95. A standard bolt kit for the 302 (PN ARP-554-9701): $109.95
Rocker arms and studs: Stamped-steel arms: $14.12 each.
Threaded studs (PN M-6527-D311): $49.95 for a set of 16
Pushrods: Set of 16 from Ford (PN M-6565-L302): $45.00 for 16
Oil pump: Oil pump (PN M-6600-D2): $44.95.
Ray Zeller of Taylor Engine recommends having the oil pump inspected before installation.
Plug and dowel kits: Necessary to rebuild all Ford production V-8 blocks (PN M-6026-A302): $9.95
Water pump: Cast-aluminum from Summit Racing 5.0
Mustang-style (PN BRA-1655): $76.95
Valve covers: Stock, new Ford 302: $225.20
Timing chain: Ford (PN M-6268-B302): $79.95
Timing-chain cover: (PN M-6059-D351): $149.95
Spark plugs: $9.75
Total parts: $3,253.47
Labor
Crank: Turn stock nodular cast-iron crank: $118.00
Rods: Stock rods reconditioned and inspected: $92 plus $16 for Magnafluxing to check for cracks. Hanging the pistons on the rods adds $46.00.
Machine work on the block: Torque-plate bore and hone: $215.00.
Cleaning in a hot tank and Magnafluxing for cracks: $65.00. Cleaning will require stripping all the plugs out of the engine.
Main-line honing: $35.00 if the caps are straight and there are no imperfections. If a minor housing-bore discrepancy is found, it will cost $100.00. A full-on line bore is $165.00. In most cases, the $100.00 hone suffices.
Deck work: Recommended for a used block: $92.00Assembly: For $390.00, you get a complete rotating assembly with bearing clearance, piston clearance, cam and crank-thrust measurements, and new cam bearings.
Total labor: $1,118.00
Grand total: $4,371.47
Other Bombastic Crate Jobs
The Ford 514
Block: 460ci with two-bolt mains, remanufactured and bored 0.030-over with a cleanup cut on the cylinder-head deck, align-honed main-bearing bore, and new freeze plugs and cam bearings
Crank: Cast-nodular-iron 4.300-inch stroker crank
Rods: New production 6.60-inch 460 rods
Pistons: Ford Racing forged-aluminum dished pistons with full floating pins and a 9.8:1 compression ratio
Heads: Cobra Jet aluminum cylinder heads with Ford Racing valves (2.20-inch intake and 1.76-inch exhaust) and 72cc chambers
Camshaft: Mechanical-roller with 0.674-inch lift, 254-degrees intake and 258-degrees exhaust duration at 0.050-inch lobe lift
Carb: Not included
Flywheel/Flexplate: This baby comes with a flexplate for automatic transmissions. If you need a flywheel, just ask. It's the same price.
Price: $6,895.00
Power: 600 hp at 6,250 rpm and 500 lb-ft at 4,750
The ZZ502/502 Chevy
Block: New GM cast-iron four-bolt main
Crank: Forged-steel
Rods: Forged-steel, shot-peened with 71/416-inch bolts
Pistons: Forged-aluminum
Heads: Aluminum oval-port with 110cc chambers
Intake: GM aluminum with a Holley flange
Carb: 850-cfm Holley
Cam: Hydraulic-roller
Lift and duration: 0.527/0.544-inch lift, 224/234-degrees duration at 0.050
Ignition: GM HEI
Power: 502 hp at 5,200 rpm and 567 lb-ft at 4,200
Cost: $6,100.00
The Ford 351 Windsor GT-40
Block casting: New 4.00-inch bore, two-bolt-main Sportsman Race long-block
Crank: Cast-iron-nodular Sportsman crank with a 3.50 stroke
Rods: Production 5.95-inch
Pistons: Hypereutectic pistons that make 9.0:1 compression with 58cc GT-40 heads
Heads: GT-40X head with 1.94-inch intake and 1.54-inch exhaust valves assembled with the GT-40 valvetrain kit
Intake: Victor Jr. single-plane
Carb: Not included
Cam: Performance hydraulic flat-tappet with 0.520-inch intake and 0.538-inch exhaust lift, and 236-degrees intake and 246-degrees exhaust duration at 0.050
Flywheel: Steel-billet
Power: 385 hp
Price: $4,995.00
<strong>Other Things To Consider</strong><br>We compared the built motor to the crate motor as-is from the factory. There are hundreds of different pulley, carb, and exhaust combinations, so dealers wisely ship the motors without these items. Because of this, we did not add the price of the Mustang/Fox body conversion or any other application-specific parts to the total price in our example. However, you'll have to cough up extra cash for these items to get a crate motor fired. If you order a ZZ4 Chevy for instance, you need to buy headers, a carb, plug wires, a starter, an oil filter, and a melonized distributor gear.
The ZZ4 350 Chevy
Block: Four-bolt-main cast-iron block with a 4.00-inch bore
Crank: Forged-steel, 3.75-inch stroke
Rods: Powdered-metal 5.7-inch
Pistons: High-silicone 10.0:1 aluminum with offset pins
Heads: Corvette-style aluminum with 58cc chambers, 1.94-inch intake and 1.50-inch exhaust valves with heavy-duty springs
Intake: GM aluminum dual-plane
Carb: Not included
Cam: Hydraulic-roller with 0.474/0.510 and 208/221 duration at 0.050
Ignition: GM HEI
Power: 355 hp at 5,250 rpm with 405 lb-ft at 3,500
Price: $3,185.00
The Magnum (380hp) 360 Mopar
Block: New cast-iron two-bolt
Crank: Cast-iron 3.58-inch stroke
Rods: Forged-steel 6.123-inch
Pistons: Hypereutectic with 9.0:1 nominal compression
Heads: Cast-iron Magnum swirl-port with 1.92/1.62-inch intake/exhaust valves
Intake: Mopar Performance M1 single-plane
Carb: Not included
Cam: Hydraulic-roller with 0.501/0.513 lift and 288/292 duration at 0.050
Power: 380 hp
Price: $3,995.00
Don't Even Bother
Not every engine is worth rebuilding, so just because you have one of these in your car doesn't mean you should spend good money having it machined and buying new parts. If you're saddled with an oddball, you'd be dollars ahead to buy a better engine core, rebuild it, and then swap out your old boat anchor. Here are some turkeys best used as core deposits at the junkyard.
* Any V-8 smaller than 300 ci. This includes 262, 265, 267, and 283 small-block Chevys, 255 and 260 Windsor Fords, 273 Mopars, and 290 AMCs.
* Any inline four- or six-cylinder where a V-8 easily bolts in its place
* Any 307
* A Pontiac Turbo 301 (our current favorite motor to make fun of)
* A 403 Oldsmobile (put real Poncho power in your Pontiac)
* Mopar's Poly 318 (as obsolete as motors get)
* Y-block Fords (just try finding performance parts for one)
* Obscure members of popular engine families (for example, 361 big-block Mopars and tall-deck big-block Chevy truck motors like the 366)
* FE Fords that aren't 390s, 427s, or 428s
* Any Cadillac that's not a 500
* A 462 Lincoln (yes, they really made them)
* Any V-6 that's not a turbo Buick
* Any BOP motor that's not at least 400 ci
Decisions, Decisions
Still can't decide? Take our test, mark the statements that apply, and add them up in each column.
Do I Need That?<br>The crate 302 is prepared for a Ford Explorer with a front-sump oil pan. Mustang guys need to use a kit (PN M-6670-A50) to drop the 302 in a '79-'93 Fox (Mustang or Capri) chassis. It includes a dual-sump oil pan, oil-pump pickup tube, dipstick tube, crank damper, timing pointer, reverse-rotation serpentine water pump, and a timing-chain cover. If you're putting this in a '75 Mustang II or a Nancy-car '63 Falcon, use the original tin and hardware from that application.<br>Price: $225.00
How Long Will It Take to Build?
Here's an actual experience we'll share with those of you who have never built your own motor. It's sort of painful, but in a good way-like when your mother-in-law drives off a cliff in your '70 Yenko Nova.
Saturday, day one:
Yanked our old motor and made the biggest mess of all time.
Sunday, day two:
Found out the machine shop was closed.
Monday, day three:
Skipped work and gave up a day's pay to visit the machine shop, where a guy unceremoniously dropped our precious motor in a line with nine others and bid us adieu.
Tuesday, day four:
Called the machine shop, and the employees didn't know who we were. We explained it to them, and they quoted us a price that represented one-third of the final cost.
Wednesday, two weeks later:
Called the machine shop, and the employees didn't know who we were. We explained it to them, and they found our engine. Made decisions over the phone about pistons, rods, and how much power we wanted to make for the money we wanted to spend.
Monday, the following week:
Called the machine shop (explained who we were), and they told us that we needed another crank. Drove 80 miles into the middle of the desert to pick one up out a barn full of cores. Price: $100.00.
Friday, beginning of the second month:
The motor was ready, we really don't know what cam the machinist finally put in it, and he wouldn't tell us. He did want $2,200.00 in cash for Friday party money.
Saturday night, five weeks into the project:
Dipstick and tin are nowhere to be seen. The machine shop claims it never existed.
Sunday, five weeks, $600.00 over budget:
The motor is fired, runs fine with no runs, no drips, no errors.
Final price:
$2,600.00 using our own block, heads, and rotating assembly
Final time:
Six weeks
Note:
This was a simple rebuild using the factory short-block; start adding performance parts and things get complicated.
<strong>Strokers</strong><br>Since many strokers require clearancing the block, Nowak Engines supplies engine templates for the do-it-yourselfer to make sure your crank and rods clear. If you don't have one, it will cost $100.00 to get the job done at most machine shops.
