Hi all,

Newbie so please excuse. I recently purchased a 79 4x2 with a 300 I6. Have since discovered that No1 cylinder is bad and the engine needs rebuilt. Just curious how much a standard rebuild should cost so I know if I'm being scammed. Not looking for upgrades. This vehicle will never be a daily driver as I live in Fl and it has no A/C. Just want to be able to make the occasional Lowe's/Home Depot trip and maybe pull a boat in the future. Thanks.

 

That's a very open ended question cuz what constitutes a "standard rebuild" to one shop is likely not the same as another. Plus, the condition of your engine will determine what it needs.

Variables include magnafluxing the block or not, cylinder boring vs dingle ball honing to break the glaze, line boring to true up the mains, resizing the rods, decking the block to get a flat surface, do you want to use a torque plate while boring?, three angle valve job vs new valves, do you need new valve seats for unleaded gas, chamfering the oil holes or not, bronze guides, etc... see lots of variables which can heavily influence the final cost.

I suggest getting line item costs for each machining procedure, potential parts costs, and labor. That would get you closer to comparing apples to apples.

 

I guess what I meant by standard is nothing special being done. I understand the damage could effect it. I don't anticipate loads of miles on the truck in the future so my biggest concern is just getting it running right. I hate having to put it in "N" stopped at a stop light. Maybe the better question is what's the least expense I can expect to pay? Thanks.

 

A standard rebuild to me would be a bore job at $30 a cylinder, rotating assembly kit less than $800. Plus labor at $60-80/hr. Typically, stock V8 rebuilds run around $15-1800, so I'd imagine no more than that.

 

Just buy a motor from ATK, I got a 351 long block with performance cam for $1500 or $1600 (Including shipping) I forget now. Motor ran perfectely and stil does, I put 20,000 HARD ABUSE miles on it, its either on the floor board brakes or gas every second it has ever been driven or doing. Actually it has broken SIX rebuilt performance transmissions and the motor hasnt even needed a tune up (And thats on only 32s). And if you look at there website they have pretty much the best warranty you can find, and hassle free. Three of my coworkers all have bought motors from there up to a built 460 that runs like a scolded dog down to a 302. But if you want to get a local shop to rebuild it feel free, but warranties are hard to come buy through them some times.

 

cool stuff but he is asking about a stock 300 I6 rebuild.
To the original poster, I would anticipate a minimum of $1000.00 because you want to do it correctly now, not a little bit here-and-there because that is just going to cause you problems in the near future.

I recently had a 460 block machined (cleaned, checked for cracks, bored .030 over, line honed, deck surfaced, cleaned again, new cam bearings, crank turned .030, new rod and main bearings) and spent right at $800.00.

Still need new pistons, have the rods checked and sized, have pistons put on rods, heads done, cam and lifters and gears, gaskets, rtv, oil, antifreeze, fuel pump and probably more little things that we all take for granted but add up on the bottom line.
I figure a minimum of another $1000.00 but probably closer to $1500.00, maybe more

 

Local shop around here quotes $1600 to rebuild a 360 v8 with a 1 year warranty.

 

I've looked into a rebuild for the 300 6 here in Des Moines, IA, most shops want around $1100 - $1800 depending on the condition of the motor. With a dead cylinder, sounds like you'll probably be at the upper end of the scale. I'd suggest looking at a reman short block if the rest of the motor is good, otherwise I believe you can get a remaned long block for about the same money.

 

With all this being said, I'm in the SF Bay Area where everything is freaking expensive... Machine work here is at least $1200 (mag, bore, line bore, decked with torque plate, and new cam bearings and freeze plugs. Wait til the machinist examines your block and tells you what you will need (like .010 or .020 main & rod bearings) and then order the parts.

Parts? I'd order a deluxe rebuild kit (no pistons) or master rebuild lit (w/pistons) from Performance Automotive Warehouse <http://www.pawinc.com>. See what a slightly lumpier cam will cost - the difference isn't usually that much.

 

I would "guesstimate" around $1200 for machining and parts, assemble yourself.

For a normal rebuild for an engine that will see occasional use and that was running well before it crapped, magnafluxing, sonic testing, pressure testing are very unnecesary.

New pistons, new cam, new timing, rods resized, crank ground, new bearings, rings, valve guides, possibly new valves, new springs, valve seals, gasket kit... should have you set.

Reuse your fuel pump, maybe the water pump if you like the condition, maybe throw a kit in the carb while you are at it. New plugs, wires and dizzy cap.

Josh

 

Thank you all for the inputs. I only spent $800 for the whole truck. Not looking to triple the investment for a little use vehicle. I'm holding out hope I can find a good running rusted out truck on CL to swap motors out of. I would really love to rebuild an engine myself but don't have garage space to let truck sit in while rebuilding is done. Thanks again.

 

Swap in a small block, then rebuild the 300. When the rebuild is done, swap the 300 back in and sell the small block. Simple. Then your truck only has to sit for a few hours instead of until the rebuild is done.

 

what part of florida are you in? i got a few friends that work in a salvage yard and i can see if they can find a used one for a 3 or 4 hundred dollars

 

I agree that swapping in a used motor is the most practical solution given how much the truck cost and its use. It's a shame though - kind of surprising. 300's can go hundreds of thousands of miles, it's surprising to me it has a dead cylinder - what specifically constitutes dead? What lead to the conclusion? If it's something like a burnt valve, then maybe a valve job is a better solution. If it threw a rod then that's a different story.

 

Inline 6's are a dime a dozen in any junk yard. I'd just find another one for it.