Hi All,

So it's about time to do a heart transplant vs band-aids. I'm reading pretty much everywhere that Jasper is THE engine to go with vs. any of the other crates. Figured I'd reach out on here to see if that's the consensus or if there were other thoughts?

Thanks in advance as always for your time

 

Why do a crate rather than rebuild your own ? either do it yourself or have a reputable shop do it. get the quality of parts you want and get it done properly. I've had nothing but bad experiences with crate engines I'll never try another one.

 

I put a Jasper 302 into a 1995 F150 after blowing out the bottom end, fired 2nd try (had to rotate ie 180) ran like a top until I sold it. Best part is the hat was just north of $2500 I think, but the engine came free

 

Well, what is the motor that we are talking about? What are your intended uses for it? Gotta give some data points in which to give suggestions off of.

 

Rebuild yourself is all about time/research and a lot of miles and downtime. Last Jasper rebuild I installed was in the 90's, owner used as service truck so it couldn't be down for more than a day or two. Did it over weekend for him. Never had a comeback.

 

We recently (about 2 weeks ago) put a NuTech remanufactured engine from AutoZone in and so far have been happy.

NuTeck is made by ATK, which is what Jegs, Summit, Napa and Oreilly's all carry under one name or another.

We really couldn't afford or wait for a Jasper.

If this thread stays active, I'll post some more observations as the weeks go by.

Straight 6 300. 78 F150

 

It's a matter of do you have more confidence in a mass production shop using cut rate parts and questionable labor or in yourself or a local machine shop. in order for them to sell an engine cheaper or equal to a local shop they have to cut enough cost to cover freight both ways and that's not cheap.

With a good machine shop and a good manual anyone with basic ability can rebuild an engine. if you don't have the desire or tools have the machine shop assemble it . either way I'd run the numbers on that before I ordered a reman from and mass production joint.

 

Certainly going with a reman from Jasper can have its benefits and as long as you get a good engine, its easier and probably less expensive. But....if you have a problem, that's when a mail order reman becomes a total nightmare. Read the warranty carefully and understand what you will be responsible for. And you'll have to make sure you can prove the problem was not your fault.

If you have a "reputable" local shop do the rebuild and there is a problem, it is generally easier to work through it with satisfactory results. By going local you also get the opportunity to upgrade certain areas of the build based on your budget and desire. There are huge number of decisions to be made on a rebuild. The mail order reman shop makes ALL of them for you without your input and they make it sound like its a one size fits all process and it is not always the case. A local builder will step through options with you explaining pros and cons. So much depends on condition of engine prior to rebuild.

Local shops can make mistakes too so its important you use a reputable shop. Unless I was really pressed for time, I'd choose to have more control over all the decisions on how my engine would be rebuilt, what compression ratio you end up with, what quality of parts are used and have the documentation of all clearances when its done. I also think its a good idea to stay engaged with the builder during the process, but not to the point of being a PITA. I want to meet and talk to the person actually doing the work to see their experience level. If a shop knows you are interested in what they are doing, sometimes it helps them go the extra step to insure a quality product. Lastly a local shop knows they have to look a customer in the eye if there is a problem vs hiding behind a phone or email. This adds incentive to make sure job is done right.

 

I disagree to some extent. For something specialized or purpose built, a machine shop can be the way to go. Assuming you can find one. That is getting harder and harder to do. Jasper has been remanufacturing engines a long time and I would not equate them to cut rate. Volume manufacturing can allow a company to streamline processes and absorb costs better. A local shop, especially now a days, cant absorb costs, or unforeseen costs. I do believe there is a freight cost for delivery with Jasper but it is also probably dustributed, as they have a network of depots, so freight gets combined.

It's the cost absorption that leaves me most concerned. Jasper offers what a 3yr/100k warranty nationwide? Local shop isnt going to do that.

For a specialty build, a dedicated machine shop may be the best. But from what I'm seeing most of those arent what I'd call local. It all depends on the OPs needs and usage.

Almost forgot, most machine shops I've talked to lately are weeks out. So if its something that needs to be sooner than later that's a consideration too.

 

If we had the time and another 500or so, we would have preferred to use a machine shop and do it ourselves, but like has been mentioned most shops are weeks if not months out.

The Autozone motor we got comes with a 4yr/unlimited mile warranty, which I think is now standard for the ATK family of rebuilds.

I did get a quote on a Jasper for our truck, and it was about 700 more and 2 months out.

 

Thanks all! greatly appreciated the responses. Truck is a 'toy' 3rd car for me, not a daily driver and a project... more of a project than I thought now with the engine issues . I'm going to take everyones advice and reach out to a couple of local shops and see what happens, as well as look into the ATK as an option.

If I can remember, I'll update the thread with the final decision & may be asking more questions/for help.

 

If you do go the machine shop route, be sure to get a solid finished date. I have been in body shop jail and machine shop jail. Good shop, worth it but your timing needs to be good. Busy season at a good shop will be right now with spring around the corner, you will have to compete with stock cars and drag cars. Just my thoughts.

 

If the last dime or getting it done instantly are the biggest concerns I can see a reman as a possibility. but for anyone else you'll be happier with a custom rebuilt engine or doing it yourself than getting one from Walmart. for most of us this is a hobby so make it fun.

 

If going for basically a replacement engine, Jasper is great. They have a good warranty that is nationwide. That means if you blow the engine on a roadtrip, any authorized Jasper installer can do the work. Same applies to the transmissions. A local machine shop usually can't offer this. However, you can probably save some money by going locally.

 

Ordered a Remanufactured 400 with RV cam from sandjengines.com for $2,048 shipped to my door the same week. Came with break-in oil, full gasket set. Had to install intake manifold, timing chain cover, and water pump. It came with a modern timing set installed (not the plastic set) and has been GREAT. Had several quotes form engine builders/machine shops for a stock rebuild or mild build and the cheapest was $2,500 (and I would still need to do the intake/timing chain cover/water pump). I've taken this thing on long road trips, wheeled it in the desert, good power and I'd do it this way again.

I've built a couple 302s into 347 strokers but for something that is mostly a stock replacement I'd recommend the remanufactured motor for the convenience. I've seen a quote for $1,500ish to install a Jasper engine. I would do that in the future unless I was doing something performance-oriented.