How much should a basic 340 rebuild cost?

[Dartswinger70]

Yup I was thinking if the local repair shops aren't doing engine work as a automotive machinist you probably aren't drowning in work. 30 or 40 years ago doing head gaskets on cars was a routine job and heads got sent out etc.

 

[Deltatech]

Agreed. I'm surprised engine machine shops are still around...

3 out of 4 have closed shop in my area in the last 40 years. We're down to 1 here. It now takes 18 months to get a block zero'd and bored or a set of heads done locally.
I have to start shipping/driving a few hours one way to get machining done in a timely manner.

 

[Dan the man]

I don't think that NAPA has done any machine shop work in years. I believe that there's only 2 actual machine shops with in a 50 mile radius of where I live. No one turns break drums or rotors anymore. We have to admit that the crate engine market has hurt the machine shop business as they just can't compete with them, they come with a warranty, make good power, are shipped to your door fully assembled and test run.

 

[340six]

The main NAPA here does machinist work still. It's a big distribution center too.

 

[Dan the man]

The main NAPA here does machinist work still. It's a big distribution center too.

Your lucky

 

[340six]

Your lucky

Why? I have a real machine shop I use. NAPA would be down at the bottom of the list.

 

[Dan the man]

Why? I have a real machine shop I use. NAPA would be down at the bottom of the list.

When you mentioned that NAPA by you still did machine work. I don't know how they are now but I know that at one time they did great work at least the one that we used. As far as a quality machine shop where I live would be about 25 miles away, they do good work and are reasonable

 

[340six]

 

[340six]

When you mentioned that NAPA by you still did machine work. I don't know how they are now but I know that at one time they did great work at least the one that we used. As far as a quality machine shop where I live would be about 25 miles away, they do good work and are reasonable

Why would I eat at Mc Donald's, if the Ruth Chris has Hamburgers too? My top notch machinist does work and charges me about the same.
NAPA is fur every day say in day out new car work.
Even if NAPA would do it.
i am not trusting Think Napa is going to weight the piston/and ring pack, rods and Balance the Assembly? Assemble measure for push rods? Degree the cam? Top notch work on heads?

 

[1MeanA]

Just looked at my bill from 3 years ago. 340 block, hot tank, mag, hone, clean, frost plugs, cam bearings, supply rod and main bearings, gasket set, rings, frost plugs, regrind crankshaft - $1800! Cdn

 

[RustyRatRod]

$2500 in the good ol' days of 1985 is over 7500 in today's dollars, so a 5k rebuild isn't really a terrible deal.

Right and when you tell people 5K they run in fear. Everybody wants something for nuthin.

 

[Dan the man]

Why would I eat at Mc Donald's, if the Ruth Chris has Hamburgers too? My top notch machinist does work and charges me about the same.
NAPA is fur every day say in day out new car work.
Even if NAPA would do it.
i am not trusting Think Napa is going to weight the piston/and ring pack, rods and Balance the Assembly? Assemble measure for push rods? Degree the cam? Top notch work on heads?

The things that you mentioned are not important for a daily driver, who's concerned about what the pistons weight or if he's cam is degreed? I've put together several engines without having those things done and they ran fine for year's. Not everyone builds a high performance engine. For the purpose that we needed from a engine NAPA did great work, there was other machine shops that we used as well. Bore to piston clearance and bearings clearances were always good so the next best thing to do before putting the engine together is to be sure that everything is clean. Simple builds last a long time trust me on that.

 

[Dan the man]

Why would I eat at Mc Donald's, if the Ruth Chris has Hamburgers too? My top notch machinist does work and charges me about the same.
NAPA is fur every day say in day out new car work.
Even if NAPA would do it.
i am not trusting Think Napa is going to weight the piston/and ring pack, rods and Balance the Assembly? Assemble measure for push rods? Degree the cam? Top notch work on heads?

Quality work and parts cost, that's how it is. No matter what hobby you are into there's going to be some sort of investment whether it's money or time or both. I know that rebuilding a engine isn't cheap, but careful shopping for the parts can save you money. I know guys who buy all of their parts from e bay stores, the parts are name brands and they are cheaper than going through most other suppliers. I was shocked when a friend of mine found a set of headers for a sbm in a A body for $169.00 and other places wanted like $600. It pays to shop around

 

[Big.J.007]

Take it from dan.. he's seen and knows 1st hand quality and expertise.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Take it from dan.. he's seen and knows 1st hand quality and expertise.

And still is not a Mopar owner.

 

[Big.J.007]

Oh, he identifies as many things. I'm sure he's youtube certified. Maybe he'll share a Pic of 1 of these great engines he's built over the years.. or we'll see specs borrowed from a magazine he's recently read.

And still is not a Mopar owner.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Oh, he identifies as many things. I'm sure he's youtube certified. Maybe he'll share a Pic of 1 of these great engines he's built over the years.. or we'll see specs borrowed from a magazine he's recently read.

LOL. I can show FOUR I've put together over the last year. Two are completed and two are underconstruction. I'm fixin to start on a fifth repairing it. It has a burned exhaust valve.

 

[nutz]

ha napa....it really comes down to the machinist ...the napa gut in easton pa was ok
my guy (his shop is 1/4 mile from my house) lucky me charged $900 for my slant head new springs hardened seats guilds ect. so i'm thinking $1200 for my 340 heads
it all comes down to how good is he

 

[junkyardhero]

The things that you mentioned are not important for a daily driver, who's concerned about what the pistons weight or if he's cam is degreed? I've put together several engines without having those things done and they ran fine for year's. Not everyone builds a high performance engine. For the purpose that we needed from a engine NAPA did great work, there was other machine shops that we used as well. Bore to piston clearance and bearings clearances were always good so the next best thing to do before putting the engine together is to be sure that everything is clean. Simple builds last a long time trust me on that.

your ignorance leaves me at a loss for words.

 

[340six]

The things that you mentioned are not important for a daily driver, who's concerned about what the pistons weight or if he's cam is degreed? I've put together several engines without having those things done and they ran fine for year's. Not everyone builds a high performance engine. For the purpose that we needed from a engine NAPA did great work, there was other machine shops that we used as well. Bore to piston clearance and bearings clearances were always good so the next best thing to do before putting the engine together is to be sure that everything is clean. Simple builds last a long time trust me on that.

Changing pistons may have the rotating assembly out of balance.
Degree of cam is for stock rebuild too.
Chain sets can be far off straight up. You want it in a bunch of degrees out retarded or advanced at what you think is straight up.

 

[Dan the man]

your ignorance leaves me at a loss for words.

I made a couple of spelling mistakes and your quick to judge me.

 

[junkyardhero]

I made a couple of spelling mistakes and your quick to judge me.

it's not the spelling dan, nor is it the constant misuse of second-person possessive pronouns, heck, it ain't even the grammar.

it is the profound ability to be so wrong yet insist that you are in the right and argue the fact.

ignorance means you don't know any better. stupid means you knew better but went on ahead with it anyway. i can't really decide where you fall on that one.

anyway, here's a shovel. because i know you're just gonna keep digging.

 

[Dan the man]

it's not the spelling dan, nor is it the constant misuse of second-person possessive pronouns, heck, it ain't even the grammar.

it is the profound ability to be so wrong yet insist that you are in the right and argue the fact.

ignorance means you don't know any better. stupid means you knew better but went on ahead with it anyway. i can't really decide where you fall on that one.

anyway, here's a shovel. because i know you're just gonna keep digging.

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All I was saying is what I did in the past. I'm not saying that it was right.

 

[Michael Harrington]

I think often we remember/reference the past- in my case the 1980s and half of the 1990s when one could get a desirable engine- like a pre 1972 engine that had no real wear. Doing the work ourselves we would get a kit with rings bearings and gaskets and do a sat afternoon rebuild. Hand lap the valves on the healthy heads (Guides and seats in great condition as is) and we had a hell of a great street engine and there really was no compromise in the rebuild because the core engine was so healthy. All for several hundred dollars in parts. Now those core engines are 50-60 years old and been sitting under a tree. Or if they were stored indoors, they still had a rough life when they ran. Parts are now very expensive and finding a reputable shop is difficult and thus more $$. Maybe now in our older years we don't want to tear down clean and assemble our engine. If we are to pay to have it all done it looks like $7000 to $10000 is what the cost will be- drop off your engine core needing a full rebuild- pick it up in a couple months and pay the man. This hobby is expensive and only us old geezers have the expendable income to participate on it.

 

[74RRunner]

If we are to pay to have it all done it looks like $7000 to $10000 is what the cost will be- drop off your engine core needing a full rebuild- pick it up in a couple months and pay the man.

Where are you getting these numbers?

Looking at what different people have put in this thread already, you're looking at probably $1,500 to $2,000 for all the machine shop work. Bearings add up to about $200, some KB pistons can be had for about $400 and rings for $75 to $100.

My total bill from the shop, parts included, was $2,685.73. And I upgraded to forged pistons.

Head work, according to post #131, was $150 for surfacing the heads and 280 for a valve job.

As per the, ummm, "discussion" in previous pages; assembly can vary in price but it seems that it can be done for $500 to $1,000.

Adding it all up, I don't see why a rebuild can't be done for around $4,000, and that's including assembly.

If you or anyone else has different numbers, please share them, but this is what I came up with after looking at the real, recent prices that people shared on this thread.