What affects the cost
Two engines that look identical from the outside can need very different amounts of work. The big cost drivers are:
- Case condition — a good case may only need a clean and check; a worn one needs line boring, and sometimes machine work for oversized bearings or thrust cuts.
- Cylinder heads — cracks, worn valve guides and sunken seats all add machine-shop time. Our machine shop handles this in-house.
- Crankshaft & rotating parts — reground or new crank, new bearings, and dynamic balancing of the whole rotating assembly.
- Barrels & pistons — always measured; usually replaced as a matched kit. See our Type 1 machine sizes chart for the sizes involved.
- Specification — stock-spec rebuilds cost less than performance builds with bigger capacity, upgraded camshafts and dual carbs.
What a proper rebuild should include
A cheap "rebuild" that skips the fundamentals is the most expensive option long-term. Every engine we build — rebuilt or all-new-parts — is:
- Fully stripped, cleaned and crack tested
- Blueprinted — bearing clearances, piston & ring measurements, end play and little ends all checked and set
- Built with a dynamically balanced rotating assembly for long life
- Leak-down and compression tested, then hot run for 30 minutes and checked for oil leaks before dispatch
- Covered by a minimum 12-month, unlimited-mileage warranty
Rebuild vs new long block — which is better value?
If your case and heads are sound, a refurbished exchange long block is usually the best value route back on the road. If your core is tired or you want a known-quantity build, an all-new-parts long block removes every question mark — nothing reused, nothing worn. Our current prices for both options, plus machine-shop work, are on our engine price list and main price list.
The real cost of getting it wrong
There is no guesswork here, just built right — because we hate warranty returns just as much as you do. A rebuild done properly once will always cost less than a cheap one done twice.
Get a price for your engine
Tell us what you have and what you want from it — we'll give you a straight answer on rebuild vs replacement and a firm quote.