Just out of curiosity how much would it cost to build any of these if you could find the parts? I bet it is a pretty penny lol.


I'm still debating on how I want to build the 300 in my bronco, hopefully I will have it up and going before hunting season as it will be my animal recovery vehicle.

 

You're kidding me, right?

 

No it was a real question.

I have never built an engine before, other than dirt bike motors. And i really have no idea the cost of a dream 300 engine, let alone if it could even happen.

 

OK, I am sorry for the smug reply. I apologize.

Let me see if I can summarize what I feel a typical performance build-up of one of our sixes would be. I guess the short answer would be " it would cost you about the same amount as building up an equivalent small block Chevy or Ford V8" as I stated in my build-up article in the Oct '83 issue of SuperFord Magazine.

reground crank kit: $200 - $750, depending on if cast or forged, plus core
rods: $150 for reconditioned stockers, $1400 for custom length race quality
pistons: $200 for off-the-shelf V8 replacements;$800 for custom forged
block: bore/hone, decked, ARP stud kit: $300 - $500 if a block plate is used
cam kit: $250 - $1100 hydraulic replacement vs custom rollerized billet cam
cam gears: $50 - $100

cylinder head: this gets tricky depending on if you want a rebuilt head to stock specs - $200; a modified head with porting, big valves, screw-in studs and pushrod guide plates, 3/8 pushrods, competition valve job and polished chambers, and roller rocker arms - $2000; and ultimately that elusive crossflow prototype, or a welded-up V8 hybrid - $7000

intake and carb(s): $350 for a single carb and aftermarket intake (used) - $2000 for a multi carbs on a custom intake

ignition system: $250 - $1500

exhaust: $90 for used EFI cast exhaust; $1500 for custom headers

misc. small parts, fasteners, tin, fuel pump, water pump, covers, plumbing plugs and sensors: $250 - $500

machine shop labor to assemble it all: $500 - $1500

Flow bench testing and dynamometer break-in and carburetion and ignition tune up: $0- $2000

So you could build yourself a "zero hour" 300 ready to run/race engine for between
$2840 and $20,650. That's my best guess.

Exotic one-off competition 'billet everything' engines friends of mine use for NHRA national competition are probably four times the high figure above.

 

That is quite the price difference lol. Thank you for replying. And I wasn't trying to be rude either.

I am looking forward to getting my bronco over to my place and starting the tear down and building the engine. It has never been rebuilt or replaced. It has sat on my dads property for the last 10years. I have made sure to go and fire it up and putt around in it a few times every year.

My dad bought it back in 1990 as our family car. It also is the vehicle I learned to drive in. I can't wait to get it back on the road, i haven't had the money until now to mess with it but it won't be much longer until I get to drive it again

 

Man...I love those prices, that makes my motor seem all the better...all that work out into it. And I got it for so cheap...

 

I think I'm at $6,000 so far and haven't started machining the bottom end yet.

 

I put about 6000$ in mine(motor was 3500) it came with ridiculous parts though like a spare 240 head larger valves for it, a zf5, full ignition system, carb intake headers, 38 gallon tank, a WHOLE bunch of work done guy said he was ready to break it in and his brother wrecked the truck he was putting it in

My machinist put 2200$ of work into it and by that I mean 250$ pushrods, 400 in carb, 400 in my dui dizzy and the rest was machine work to put my rollers in and break the motor in.

My motor is .05 over with 390 pistols( two cylinders were sleeved! Before I bought it) was at around 9.4 he remachined the edges to get a smoother surface and bumped it to right at 10:1 rv cam, steel gears, Rhoads lifters, powder coated intake ,ceramic coated headers, exhaust system(dual 2.5 to a thrush muffler then one 3" out the back. I miss the open header idle so I'm gonna throw cut outs on her. Upgraded fuel pump(the older ones had an extra psi)

And NONE of that is what else has been to truck. Zf5 swap, rebuilt my front end( took all the brackets and rad support off sand blasted and painted, 4 core radiator, rebuilt tcase, and my Dana 60 project is in the mix along with suspension all the way around and ladder bars.

My truck is GONNA compete withthese fancy new ones and it will do just as good if not better and be more reliable.

 

I think if one possesses a large degree of patience and is willing to scour the internet, swap meets, and flea markets for used parts and equipment and do much of the assembly and fabrication work oneself then one can build up a nice engine for on the order of - say $750, carb-to-pan. I know of at least two instances of drag cars running engines built this way - an 11 second 300 Pinto and a 13 second 240 Falcon.
I have even seen folks buy a junkyard motor and install it and go - although I don't recommend this as there are too many potential pitfalls to doing this.

 

I agree. There was an old dirt race track 300 for sale on Craig's list. They were selling all the pieces seperate and wanted around a g for it. It had a big odd snapped valve cover and they said it won every race it ever entered, but the old man died in his other car and they wanted em gone.

If I hadn't bought my motor I'd have scooped it up and ran it in my truck...Man that'd be fun!