I tore down my 300/6 and took it to a shop to have them clean it up and check for the usual stuff, the guy is trying to talk me into letting the shop (him) do all the work for me, including assembly so that it is warrantied. He gave me an estimate of 1800, including all machine work and parts/labor. I've been adding up parts for just the motor (not the heads) on summit and I am up to 1200 in just parts.

What do you guys think the best route is? Quite a few guys have recommended this shop, I wouldn't mind doing the work my self, but then there is no warranty, and there is the possibility that I could dork it up as this is my first rebuild.

Thanks.

 

$1800 is probably close to a reman long block most anywhere on the average.

 

How did you come up with $1200 on Summit for a 300-6? Only one head, and the only aftermarket option I'm aware of is a few grand and for drag race only as it has no water jackets.
The price list for my build is under $500 including all new bearings, pistons, rings, gaskets and cam.
The best thing you could do would be to order up a Jasper engine for a late 60s F250, it'll have higher compression and a more aggressive cam with straight-up timing.

 

I was thinking of Jasper, Pro-Mar, or Motor Works in about the $1800 range.

 

I did assembly on mine. The kit was $450 with a comp cam that had lifters and springs included. Machine work was about $450.

That is about $900 for parts and labor. I stuck about $400 into alot of little stuff like all new sending units, water pump, distributor, mounts, etc, etc. Mine needed that stuff done to gaurentee reliability. ND gets down to -35F at times. leaking waterpumps and bad alternators are a sonva gun at that temp.

 

I piece-mealed all the parts
compcam w/lifters 299
rod bearings 54
timing 89
gasket set 102
cam bearings 32
main bearings 57
.030 pistons w/rings 147
hv oil pump 90
plus arp rod bolt set...
919.15 total (forgot I had a offy dp intake on there)
this is without new water pump, dizzy or starter that may need replacing. The motor bearings were almost gone

Maybe I missed some big kit on summit that has everything together?

 

Just for reference. When I bought my truck back in 97, I found an invoice under the seat from a shop that rebuilt the engine. If they did everything claimed on that invoice, they didn't miss anything inside the engine aside from pushrods. That was the only item I didn't find listed as new other than block/rods/head/crank which all had everything a machine shop can do to them. (bored/line bored, decked B&H, resized rods, bronze guides, crank .010/.010, ect)
Parts and labor total was just shy of $1800 (in 96 dollars) and that engine is still running great today, more than 125K later. A water pump and a couple thermostats, along with the valve cover/lifter cover gaskets have been the only things replaced beyond normal PM service.
No, they didn't use any kind of HP parts, but built it back to as good as new. Slightly better actually, bronze guides should never wear out. I've never seen anyone replace all 12 valves/valve springs/retainers and locks/rocker arms without using new pushrods, so I figure they just failed to list them on the invoice.

I didn't find the invoice until a couple weeks after I bought the truck, and it was dated about 18 months prior to my purchase. I *think* I got my $1550 worth.......

Moral of the story, a properly rebuilt engine is worth the money. If you're not 100% sure you can do the assembly correctly, paying someone else to do it can be cheaper in the long run.

 

What I like about buying the parts myself is that I know what I get. It is hard to tell which piston or lifters you got once installed. Also, there are different grades Felpro gaskets.

Tips: Have the head & BLOCK magnafluxed for cracks.

2.) If you buy a hp cam, get the entire kit: springs, lifters, retainers, keepers.

3.) Spend the money and get the Cloyes timing gear set. Sometimes the gears that come with kits will knock.

4.) Don't add the antifreeze until you have run the engine for a couple of days. When you're sure you don't have to replace the w/pump or something, rad. hose, then put in the antifrz.

5.) For the front cover there is a kit that has a sleeve which is glued to the end of the crank where it rides in the timing cover seal. Put on the sleeve for insurance and a tight seal.

6.) Use MotorCraft or Napa Gold or Wix O/filter. Not Fram!

7.) Buy a new cam, not a reground cam.

 

Not to start this argument again but..............My grandad uses fram, my dad, my uncles (one of whom is a fleet mechanic), as do I. Never once has anyone in my friends or family attributed one single problom to what kind of oil filter is used. Why not use a hastings? Or a quaker state? Maby a super tech? I have used all of the filters listed between you and me F250 and not once have I noticed any variation in anything in several different vehicles. Why does everyone insist that fram filters are evil? We use fram filters on log splitters, pellet mills, tractors, generators, sprayers. Not once in my 10 years of working on stuff have I ever seen one oilfilter preform better than any other in normal use! Nor have I heard anyone outside of this form profane any brand of oil filter for any reason. If it works dont fix it.

On the issue of the NAPA rebuild thing.........I would see if he will come down about $200 and still give you the warrenty. The price is a bit high for a warrenty and 3 hours work. I figure that the kit and machinging is worth about $1100-1200, and the assembly about $200. The two hundred bucks to gaurentee it for 2 years and 20K isint a bad deal.

 

Have you done engine work before? If you are experienced in engine rebuilding, get them to mic everything for you and make decisions on what needs to be done. They do the machine work and you build the motor.

If you have no engine rebuilding experience, you might consider letting them do the whole ball of wax.

 

Iv'e done carburetors before, a lot of the major fixes outside of the engine (clutch and such) And at my work Iv'e taken apart very complex items to fix and repair (aircraft electronics).

I tore down the engine my self, the shop is just quoting me the same price +/- a little to do the machine work alone + parts, or the whole assembly as well. His reasoning was that charging me individually for each machine process would cost me more vs. the package deal.

 

I highly doubt that you cannot reassemble the 300. This is a simple straightforward rebuild. Once again the decision is yours.

 

The fram filter thing, I'm sure many have heard the "rumor" about the filter media turning to mush, and clogging the entire oiling system. I've *actually* seen it in person.
I will never again use a fram oil filter.

 

I am sorry. But I will run with a combinend 130 years of experience. You are the first person I have heard of having the media disolve on them. I wont shop at a certain store in my town as they wouldent let my 8 yearold pee in their bathroom so I understand your logic. I once had a napa air filter colapse on me? Should I stop using napa parts? Mayby the pressure washer caused it?

The point is I highly dought the filter media disolved due to a fault in Fram materials or workmanship. My guess is somthing else is the root of the problom. Though I do support your decision to stop using them wulff. I think the fault is elswhere.

 

In this particular case, it was a freshly rebuilt 231cid (3.8L) buick v6, with about 500 miles on it when the "wet toilet paper" like filter media plugged the entire oiling system.
It *could* have been an isolated case, but I've heard others describe the same scenario. Granted, it was 15-20 years ago, and I haven't heard of any new incidents since then. Still, I use Wix, Baldwin, or Napa gold oil filters exclusively. I'm old enough to be set in my ways, as such, I won't budge from this point of view.
I'll use other fram filters, just not an oil filter (AKA Orange can of Death).
FWIW, my nissan truck engine is notorious for a timing chain rattle on startup. It rattled badly when I got the truck, but after changing the oil/filter (had a fram on it) to the oil I use, and a Wix filter, it no longer rattles. Kinda funny, since the plastic chain guide that breaks, allowing the rattle to happen, has been laying in the oilpan of than engine for over 100K miles.......... (Currently has 240K on it)
Anti-drainback valves rock.