How much should a basic 340 rebuild cost?

-
toolmanmike said:
Parts and labor. toolman
Click to expand...

Thank you. I really appreciate it. I know that this is just a starting point, and I need to talk to some shops now, but this is the general idea I was looking for.

Thanks to everyone else too for the ideas. I sure have a lot to think about and learn here.
 
A Colorado machine shop I had work done in June:

Clean & inspect 100.00

Bore & hone 120.00 (I would advise having it honed with honing plates and there is an extra charge for this)

Recon Rods 96.00

R & R pistons 48.00 (a 340 has floating wrist pins so this charge might not apply)

"Stock" valve 246.00
job with hardened seats and new guides

Grind crank 125.00

Balance rotating assy. 150.00

Install cam bearings and fit 48.00
 
Opinions:

I would stay away from C&S. Consider NVR or, I guess, Kilpatrick. I have not had anything done by Kilpatrick, so I can't vouch for them. I just know that a lot of Mopar guys in the area go to him.

Love my Edelbrocks. For the price, you can't go wrong.

If you go to an engine builder, you should go there and tell them what you want the engine to be, and what your budget is. Let them take you there. That's their job. I would sure hope that they can pick a better combination of parts than you or I. One guy I know will send you right out the door if you show up with a "kit".

Oh yeah, a basically stock rebuild with the factory heads, I would expect to spend about $3,000 - $3,500 parts and labor.
 
fourspeed said:
Opinions:

I would stay away from C&S. Consider NVR or, I guess, Kilpatrick. I have not had anything done by Kilpatrick, so I can't vouch for them. I just know that a lot of Mopar guys in the area go to him.

Love my Edelbrocks. For the price, you can't go wrong.

If you go to an engine builder, you should go there and tell them what you want the engine to be, and what your budget is. Let them take you there. That's their job. I would sure hope that they can pick a better combination of parts than you or I. One guy I know will send you right out the door if you show up with a "kit".

Oh yeah, a basically stock rebuild with the factory heads, I would expect to spend about $3,000 - $3,500 parts and labor.
Click to expand...

Sounds like solid advice, thanks.

Anyone by chance know anything about Motor Masters up near Hartford on 60?
 
that part number is for the polished heads you can get the unpolished ones for a lot less, fivefifty to sixfifty bare, six to sevenfifty complete, then if you want to you can polish them yourself.
 
900 to assemble? You gotta be kiddin me. General shop labor is right around 100 an hour give or take. A good builder can do it in no more than three hours......for me that would be incredibly slow. I just did a little hot 305 Chevy (yeah, there is such a thing) for 700 bucks including all parts and machine work. Now, the block was not bored, but it did get new pistons. Desktop Dyno says it puts out 276 HP. that's pretty smokin for a stock headed 305. I also have this 70 LS5 Chevelle I'm doin some resto work on for a friend....friend or not, I still charge for what I do. Although I'm cheap, because i have barely any overhead and I just love doin it. I charged him 100 bucks to assemble the numbers matchin 454, and it's now a roller motor. I usually charge between 100-300 bucks for assembly, depending on what it is. 900 for assembly is ridiculous. My friend and I are just now starting a little business and we are trying to nail down a price for a basic "crate" rebuild. Even a 340 whose parts a a bit higher than the rest I can see us doin for no more than 3K. Probably more like 2500-2750. Of course, that would be a basic rebuild excluding things like a 3 angle valve job. I don't know if it's gonna take off or not, but we're gonna try.
 
Good post guys. Stroker, you have some valid points there. First things first. Dont go off the deep end and get in no hurry. There are definatly those that will be more than glad to take your money and give you less than you bargained for. Let me ask, are there any Mopar clubs in your area? Maybe some members can point ya to someone local that has a good reputation. Here's a thought. Do you have an Oriellys Auto in your area? The have their own machine shops and do engine work for prep before assembly. Stop by and check em out and ask a lot of questions and as mentioned before, take a note pad and write this info down. What form/condition is the engine in now? You can do the port/polish stuff yourself if you have a brain. I do mine and i only have half a brain, but my father in law has always said that i'm not smart enough to know i cant do this stuff. Be carefull of the guy that says he can with no reputation. Dont get me wrong. I have a friend that has his own hobby shop. He's the go to guy when the shop says they did no wrong. This guy knows his stuff and the shops know he does. They fear his opinion. I've got spec sheets here in the shop but they are for 440 builds and i'm here in Missouri. Keep us posted.
Small Block
 
As a cheap and thrifty person, I would use the heads you already have built, and use the $1200-1800 somewhere else. It sounds like you want a street car with a lot of torque, which is a different build than one that's going to use a lot of RPM at the track. Everything is a trade-off.
 
Thanks for the info and opinions and ideas. All great advice. I have not made any decisions at all, just gathering options. I will have my X heads built if that's what makes sense after I know more. Yes, street car with good torque, streetable, not crazy, but fun, and decent enough mileage (ha ha) to drive around a bit.

I was unaware that we have a nearby O'Reilly's until now. I'll definitely stop in there.

Thanks again.
 
Here are some numbers from a local shop (I'm in CA)

Block Prep Special:
Hot tank, magnuflux, bore, hone, deck and jet wash - $400
(includes labor to install cam bearings and freeze plugs )

Total Static Balance all parts, document all specs - $200
Valve Jobs from $140
Head Surfacing from $40 (Each)


As far as the heads go, if you're looking for 350-400 hp, you don't need to go to aluminum heads. The stock X heads will let you do that no problem, especially with a better valve job. You'll save money over the aluminum heads, plus on things like the upgraded head gaskets and head bolts that go with them . Also note, that for an early 340 (high compression) your pistons are over the deck, and you'll need to get the 340 specific edelbrock heads (601719). These are open, not closed chamber heads like the regular RPM's, so you lose some of the benefits of the head vs. stockers.

I have a little over $5k into my 340 rebuild. It's .060 over, so pistons were pricey. I bought a set of 308's and had them ported, they flow 264 cfm, I have $1,500 into the heads by themselves. That was before the RHS X heads came out, although, those are also closed chamber heads. The pistons on my 340 are .018" over the deck, which is the spec on the early 340's, and it makes closed chamber heads a little interesting for valve to piston clearance. That limits the aftermarket head market quite a bit. I also have some upgrades, high flow oil pump, high flow water pump, high flow fuel pump, Kevko oil pan, Harland Sharp roller rockers, ARP bolts, Edelbrock air gap intake, Street Avenger 770, etc in that price (not all are brand new). I'm hoping for close to 450 hp though, and the price tag goes up fast once you get beyond a "stock" rebuild.

Good luck with the build, I love the 340's!
 
All I have is the block crack and J heads that I will get 2.02s in. I will get a roller cam and want about 380-400 hp. I'll have about 13,000 Canadian dollars saved up / 10,000 US dollars.. when I'm ready to do it. Is that enough for parts and labor?
 
BlueSwinger said:
Thanks for the info and opinions and ideas. All great advice. I have not made any decisions at all, just gathering options. I will have my X heads built if that's what makes sense after I know more. Yes, street car with good torque, streetable, not crazy, but fun, and decent enough mileage (ha ha) to drive around a bit.

I was unaware that we have a nearby O'Reilly's until now. I'll definitely stop in there.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Just a suggestion here.
I just spent the weekend at Road America / Elkhart Lake for the Vintage Race Weekend.
Quite a few cars in the pits had stickers on their valve covers from Motor Masters in Hartford, Wi. They don't have a website, but have a Facebook page.
Motor Masters
(262) 670-9145
Good luck with the 340 build.
 
Wow. You guys must have used some pretty strong smelling salts to wake this thread up from the dead! It's been buried almost 7 years! :eek:
 
Richie said:
All I have is the block crack and J heads that I will get 2.02s in. I will get a roller cam and want about 380-400 hp. I'll have about 13,000 Canadian dollars saved up / 10,000 US dollars.. when I'm ready to do it. Is that enough for parts and labor?
Click to expand...
im sure u have good shops in kelowna but jims engines in prince george is a good shop,moparwise, jim races a 408 himself, very knowledgable and wont rip u off, he actually talked me out of some things i wanted done, things that are recommended on here and other sites, but hes seen on the dyno its just not worth it. im sure your build would be in budget there, plus it can be run on dyno if u wish.just a thought,thats where im going to this winter for a 408 build
 
rigger3006 said:
im sure u have good shops in kelowna but jims engines in prince george is a good shop,moparwise, jim races a 408 himself, very knowledgable and wont rip u off, he actually talked me out of some things i wanted done, things that are recommended on here and other sites, but hes seen on the dyno its just not worth it. im sure your build would be in budget there, plus it can be run on dyno if u wish.just a thought,thats where im going to this winter for a 408 build
Click to expand...
Yes there are two good shops that I trust pretty much here in Kelowna
 
1970Duster said:
yeah those are the ones I'm talking about, either get a complete or bare set (because I have x-heads rebuilt with Ferrea valves that haven't been bolted to the motor yet)
Click to expand...
so your question is to stick with the stock x heads or swap you new ferrea valves to new eddy aluminum heads? The stock eddy head will flow a bit more that stock x head. You will need different head bolts to change to eddy heads. Also if you run hipo exhaust manifolds they can hit the eddy head. Header flange will space it out enough to fix it. Also the alt fitment can be a pain on the eddy heads. It can be more difficult to run bigger roller cams on sbm iron heads, not enough installed height. You can't really cut the valve spring seat, you can increase the total valve height but then you're stuck with what to do with the rocker shaft height. I have run both, but because of the class I run I have to run the x head. I you do decide to change to aluminum and want to sell the x heads let me know. Sorry to highjack the op. But to the original poster, a big variable in cost is the porting to "get everything to flow together" IIRC my porter charges $90/hr
 
It's funny I thought that this 340 rebuild cost subject would have come up a lot more often :eek: For people who save up and do everything in cash it's nice to know what your basic goal is
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top