I could use some advice. I own a 31' Barth with the Chevy Vortex and it just blew at 55K miles. Cost to replace is $12K can anyone tell me if they think this fair price? I bought it new in 1997. Any suggestions...paulestridge@estridge.net

Is that for a factory crate engine, or what?

It sounds very, very high to me. You can generally buy truck crate motors for $4 to $5K. There is just no way to justify $7K more to change them out. I'll bet shopping around you can get the job done for $8 or less. Try your local Chevy dealer too.

Before you spend all this money you may want to investigate why you are chewing up motors. Cooling, overstress, driving habits, maintenance are all suspects.

If the 350 is too small, should you consider a larger gas motor, if cooling should you invest in a better radiator and so on.

Make sure you buy a truck motor, not a car version. In a 350 Chevy the truck motors will have a beefy 4 bolt main crankshaft and different heads and cam for better torque.


Questions you need to help us on

Is it possible the previous engine swap used a car motor? How many miles did you get on the original? How well maintained, any overheating? Did old parts get used in the first swap? What was the reason this second engine failed, and the first (meaning what parts failed)?

One final suggestion; vehicles that get used infrequently still need the oil changed at regular intervals despite the few miles. A major reason for this is that the oil becomes contaminated in an internal combustion engine when it is run. Dangerous acids and moisture will get in where they can eat you engine up despite it just sitting there.

Hope this helps,

Corey

Just by coincidence, I just saw this ad in the Tampa Bay Craigslist under boats. A 350 4 bolt main motor for $600

sale-2rxxh-1498581330@craigslist.org

Not being much of a mechanic, this may be a dumb statement. I guess the original engine was a 454. Except for very short models, Barth didn't use 350s, so, who advised you to put a 350 in there to begin with? I would think it is underpowered for the 31' Barth. Also, what is the original year and model of your Barth and the GVWR?
Jim

If I were doing this I would use a GM HT 502 (http://www.crateenginedepot.com/store/HT-502CI-Base-Truck-and-Off-Road-Crate-Engine-88890534-P14C0.aspx) and add fuel injection form Edelbrock, serpentine drive, and MSD electronic ignition. That whole setup, including labor should still be less than 12K!

quote:

Picture of Tom K

Posted 12-07-2009 10:03 AM Hide Post
If I were doing this I would use a GM HT 502

I agree with Tom if you plan to keep the rig very long term. Going to a Big Block has many complications with brackets and mounts. I would not take this leap lightly. Otherwise, I would find a decent used engine and take the risk that it is a good one. The swap should be a $1000 adventure.

Corey

I'll tell you some of the backstory on this.

The gentleman who owns this had it towed to the Chevy Dealership for pricing. The engine went boom when his employee was driving it back from vacation. He loaned his coach out so who knows how it was driven and what the true reason behind the failure was.

He has owned it since new... he is trying to justify investing another 12k into his coach. It is currently in Erie, PA and he lives in Carmel, Indiana. A 420 mile tow bill.

Barth was building gassers in 1997?

Again, is the coach a '97 or was the Chevy Vortex a '97 or both? Maybe this old brain isn't working right

Perhaps there is a little confusion here. I suspect the original engine is an L29 Vortec 7400, which is a 454.

quote:

Originally posted by Tom K:
If I were doing this I would use a GM HT 502 (http://www.crateenginedepot.com/store/HT-502CI-Base-Truck-and-Off-Road-Crate-Engine-88890534-P14C0.aspx) and add fuel injection form Edelbrock, serpentine drive, and MSD electronic ignition. That whole setup, including labor should still be less than 12K!

I'm not sure how the Edelbrock FI would interact with the computer control of the transmission, or the emissions police. The trans might need a stand-alone controller.

I love my 502, but the 502 isn't really necessary except uphill, so some of that depends on where you drive and what you tow. I really love the low and midrange RPM torque of the 502. Unlike the Vortec, it gets its peak torque at 2800 rpm, and has a table-top flat torque line on the dyno graph. Notice that I did NOT use the term torque curve.

The 502 is a Siamese block, so it needs help in cooling. So does the transmission, as the 502 puts a lot of stress on the torque converter (at least when unlocked).

It is possible that the engine can be saved. If it ate a crank from low oil, now would be a good time to put in a stroker crank.

Thanks for straightening me out, Bill.
Jim

quote:

Originally posted by Jim and Tere:
Thanks for straightening me out, Bill.
Jim

Yeah, it's easy to get the terms mixed. GM played it fast and loose with the Vortec and Vortex designation. I think they even confused themselves now and then.

quote:

Originally posted by bill h:
Yeah, it's easy to get the terms mixed. GM played it fast and loose... I think they even confused themselves now and then.

P32 or P30???

A friend of mine had to replace a 454 in his Airstream while on a trip. Total cost of rebuilt engine and installation $7600.00. If he had it home and could have talked to his mechanic, he could probably have shaved of $1000.00 to $1500.00.