ArdWrknTrk Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Short blocks are about $1800 at the cheapest, long blocks are about $2600. My last engine build, a 390 was $6500 and $3000 of that just for the machine shop bill. Of course, I had to buy another engine block and pay for a mag and sonic test twice because of that, source a good 390 crank, a set of rods, etc so that added cost to that build that normally wouldn't have been necessary, but I'd rather not have to find a 351W block and take it to the machine shop if I don't have to. Not to mention my time, I have a lot of major work I want to do to my house this year and don't plan on working on cars much more this year. Lots of projects, not enough time! Still seems a deal, for an extra 8 you get heads, a cam, timing set, guides, valves, springs and rockers. I appreciate a long block because I'm not concerned about interference, but I do want to make sure the block is square and very close to zero deck. I hope you have a productive summer working on your house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FordFETruck Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Still seems a deal, for an extra 8 you get heads, a cam, timing set, guides, valves, springs and rockers. I appreciate a long block because I'm not concerned about interference, but I do want to make sure the block is square and very close to zero deck. I hope you have a productive summer working on your house. Normally I probably would go the long block route except I'd reuse my Edelbrock heads from the current engine, my roller rockers, etc. I would NOT reuse the Comp XE250H cam even though its an excellent performing piece. I'd chose something that doesn't sound like a sick solid lifter cam under the hood. Not looking forward to all the house projects, but stuff needs to get done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Normally I probably would go the long block route except I'd reuse my Edelbrock heads from the current engine, my roller rockers, etc. I would NOT reuse the Comp XE250H cam even though its an excellent performing piece. I'd chose something that doesn't sound like a sick solid lifter cam under the hood. Not looking forward to all the house projects, but stuff needs to get done. You always reap the benefits of house projects, though. Your home or yard is nicer to come back to every day thereafter (and believe me, I've had some tasks that took months to complete!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat in tn Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Normally I probably would go the long block route except I'd reuse my Edelbrock heads from the current engine, my roller rockers, etc. I would NOT reuse the Comp XE250H cam even though its an excellent performing piece. I'd chose something that doesn't sound like a sick solid lifter cam under the hood. Not looking forward to all the house projects, but stuff needs to get done. c6 and 3.55. that puts a lot of wear in a short period in trucks/cars. od would have extended its life considerably. think of it as a high pulse rate with high blood pressure. we live longer if we chill out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FordFETruck Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 c6 and 3.55. that puts a lot of wear in a short period in trucks/cars. od would have extended its life considerably. think of it as a high pulse rate with high blood pressure. we live longer if we chill out. Yeah I suppose. It turns pretty slow on the highway with the lt265/75/16 tires. Only about 2300 RPM at 60 MPH. Most of my driving with it is below 2000 RPM. I have sat in traffic for many hundreds of hours idling though, that adds a lot of wear and tear to an engine also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essmaker Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Yeah I suppose. It turns pretty slow on the highway with the lt265/75/16 tires. Only about 2300 RPM at 60 MPH. Most of my driving with it is below 2000 RPM. I have sat in traffic for many hundreds of hours idling though, that adds a lot of wear and tear to an engine also. I have dash lights!!! When I was fixing the headlight/wiper light, I realized the dash was extremely dark. Having never driven this truck at night, and only a few miles period, I am finding all sorts of things the previous owner didn't care about. These aren't as nice as the ones Gary shared pics of, but a huge improvement still (you will actually be able to see how fast you're going and how much gas you have 😀 ) Cheaper lights $3 each, and we'll see how long they last... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 27 Author Share Posted March 27 I have dash lights!!! When I was fixing the headlight/wiper light, I realized the dash was extremely dark. Having never driven this truck at night, and only a few miles period, I am finding all sorts of things the previous owner didn't care about. These aren't as nice as the ones Gary shared pics of, but a huge improvement still (you will actually be able to see how fast you're going and how much gas you have 😀 ) Cheaper lights $3 each, and we'll see how long they last... Looking good! Did you leave the blue filters in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essmaker Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Looking good! Did you leave the blue filters in? You've got me there...not sure what you mean. 😀 All I did was replace the bulbs. Unscrewed the holder, swapped bulbs and put them back in. So, I'm guessing the answer is no. I take it there is a filter that the bulb holder screws into that can be removed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 27 Author Share Posted March 27 You've got me there...not sure what you mean. 😀 All I did was replace the bulbs. Unscrewed the holder, swapped bulbs and put them back in. So, I'm guessing the answer is no. I take it there is a filter that the bulb holder screws into that can be removed? From the factory there were blue snap-in filters that made the gauges look bluish. Apparently those have already been removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essmaker Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 From the factory there were blue snap-in filters that made the gauges look bluish. Apparently those have already been removed. I cheated and didn't even fully remove the instrument panel. I loosened it enough to get my hand around it to change out the 5 bulbs, so I'm not sure if there was something in the socket honestly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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