expected cost of rebuild 7 bolt

[josh1095]

first off, i havent visited in quite awhile. was thinking of a n/a to turbo conv but that didnt take off. .
anyway, im looking at buying a 97 gst with a "lower end knock" as the craigslist add reads. very common from what ive read. what should i expect to pay for a rebuild? i would be happy with oem pistons but def going with upgraded rods, bearings and all studs arp for sure. im gonna get some quotes, but basically im too damn busy to do the work myself, and too old haha. whats a reasonable price for the entire deinstall, rebuild, and reinstall? or should i splurge on the 2.3L slowboy shortblock\? just looking for some input here, very much appreciated guys. thanks

edit again: i live in the metro east area. can someone point me in the right direction as far as a good shop?

ok then, ill answer my own question. heres what ive found: i just bought the car and lined up the work. the shop will charge 1000 to deinstall and reinstall entire engine. machine shop costs 2200 for everything including arp studs and forged pistons/and rods.
so all in all around 3200. prob be another 500 after i throw in new clutch and any other small things thile they have it out. am i gettin ripped off?

 

[rowdygst]

Yes, to me it seems you are gettin ripped off...a local machine shop charged me 30 bucks to bore out each cyl..and I don't know what else you gonna have machined but 2200 wow..but I also save my self tons of cash by doing ask the lanie my self and my brother except the machine work..

I paid 800 for rods and pistons, 250 for a new crank, 100 for cams , and about 400 for oem oil pump, water pump and gasket set then 100 for cometic hg

 

[BIGBLAZE79]

I payed 400 for just the block work. clean/magniflux/bore/hone/deck/align hone the main caps.

 

[TWOpointFORliter]

You ripping yourself off by not doing the work yourself and paying ~$100/hr shop labor. I would suggest getting a running car without problems unless the one you found is very clean and dirt cheap to start with. The price you were quoted to pull the engine and drop it back in isn't bad considering the amount of work involved. Keep in mind you will be charged for book time at there hourly labor price. The machine shop prices seem alittle steep for just a stock short block rebuild or are you having them rebuild and put together the entire engine. Any decent machine shop is going to charge $7-800 for machine work and labor to rebuild a short block and that includes all machine work and intalling the rotating assembly. Keep in mind that price won't include parts. If you are having them assemble the entire engine the cost is obviously going to increase since they will also be machining the head. When all is said and done the prices you were quoted are not to far off of what just about any reputable shop would charge.

Again unless you have money to burn or the body of this car is in perfect condition I would pass and find a running Dsm with no problems.

 

[herms99gst]

My short block cost 255 for machine work. Thats with cleaning, checking mains, checking for cracks, .20 bore using my torque plate, and resurfacing. You can pick up 1g rods anywhere for cheap and you would have to get the wrist pin hole resized. I think i had a local shop quote me 60 bucks. Arp head bolts are 65-85 new and new oem mains are 29. I would say anything over 600 is crazy. But thats also if you remove and install the engine yourself and assemble the bottom end

 

[josh1095]

they are providing all parts, labor and assembly for 2200. thats bore, deck, hone, turn crank, all new bearings, forged rods, and pistons. i thought it wasnt too bad.
doing the work myself just isnt an option, im way too busy. it would never get done. the car was in great cosmetic condition with no rust. paid a 1000 for it

btw, i have been checking for awhile on craigslist. these dsms are getting hard to come by. especially finding one with with a built block and all the right parts that hasnt been completely thrashed. my best bang for the buck came down to this: find one with an excellent body and transmission and have all the work done. my limit is about 8000. thats as high as i will go for awhile. i think i can reach my HP goals of 400 with that.

 

[SHEARER_TSI]

If you can pull the engine yourself etc then why not buy a built motor from a shop like ams or buschur?

 

[josh1095]

im prob looking at around 2700 and the cost of shipping(both ways for a core). i def looked into the slowboy stroker shortblock. ive still got a little time so im gonna call around to a few more machinists. so far only 2 are willing to mess with a turbo app . atleast theyre honest i guess. dont know whats so complicated about building an engine if youve built a thousand already?? i will update my profile w plenty of pics and specs once completed.

 

[SHEARER_TSI]

Your in IL? Have you talked to AMS?

 

[TWOpointFORliter]

Assuming AMS would even want to work on a DSM anymore, he lives in the southwest corner of Illinois. I would guess it to be a 4-5 hour drive with to get there.

 

[canonize-ryda]

i would invest in a picker and do all the work my self. I swapped 3 engines and put a new head on my engine and all i had was trampoline poles to do it. As of yesterday i got her running finally. Not to mention how much i have learned doing it myself. IMO

 

[josh1095]

ya i totally agree with you. when i was younger and had alot more time i pulled apart many engines. did everything myself. i still do all the routine maintenance on my vehicles and motorcyle. i have a good job thankfully and full time 11yrold that has practice 3 nights a week . needless to say, it would never get finished if i did the work. its still at the shop. engine should be pulled and prepped within a week then its off to the machinist for the build. dont know how long thatll take but i expect a driveable car with 6 weeks regardless.

 

[Xeiros]

Some people here just don't understand what someone means when they say "I really don't have the time to do it myself".

Some people have VERY busy lives and it makes it a hell of a chore to get anything done. I get about 1 day a week where I can touch my car, and the problem is, thats also the 1 day a week I can do anything else. Some of us are working 12/hrs+ a day, 6 or 7 days a week. This may not be the case of the OP, but seriously guys, if he says "I don't have the time", then adjust and move on, rather than bombarding him with "do it yourself, do it yourself" over and over again.


OP, don't forget about a new water pump, oil pump, and timing belt kit. I'm piecing things together myself, and I'm looking at somewhere around $3000 in parts alone before I get to machining and or installation for a full forged rebuild.

 

[josh1095]

ok, well, thought i would update:
machinist is staying at the 2200 price for EVERYTHING. i think im getting a good deal. Manley rods and pistons, cometic hg, full valve job including new guides seats and a polish. head resurfaced. flywheel resurfaced. crank turned and polished. arp mains, rod, and head studs. new oil pump. all bearings etc.. everything is included except timing belt and BS belt.
i dont think i want to remove the balance shaft. what are the real benefits? 2HP? i dont want the extra vibration.