chagger32

Hello i have a 1995 LT1 Corvette that i traded my father for so it has sentimental value (problems existed during trade).
Information
-Body / Interior 100% great shape
-Rebuilt Trans less then 3k miles
-Cooling Issue
-Rod Knock (needs rebuild or crate engine)
-Sitting for one year
I Love this car & the fact i got it from my father makes it so much sweeter
Unfortunately i am starting to feel discouraged and wondering if it is worth it. For a rebuild & labor i am looking at a little under 10k & around 8k for a crate engine w/labor & warranty. I am starting to put the money together although i am starting to wonder if i will be a lot better off going to a C5-6
Also if you are in MD and know anyone who can do it cheaper & reliably please let me know

Topduarte

If the car is really that sentimental to you, price to get it going again is not an option.

Just my $0.02

Ted1996

If it was me, knowing it came from my father, I would keep it and get the engine rebuilt. Hopefully, others with more expertise can chime in.

Whaleman

I think your prices for a rebuild or a crate engine are high. Dan

chagger32

Yeah i think so too. I am going to give more shops a call soon. Just starting to feel defeated.

Lord Gray Hair

Rebuilt Trans less then 3k miles
Automatic?
If so are you absolutely sure it's a rod knock?
My rod knock turned out to be a converter bolt was loose
I replaced them all and used lock tite
Found out latter my trans was rebuilt about 5k before I bought it
Just a thought
Good luck

ls777z

Sounds high to me also. Could be they just don't want to work on it and are throwing out their "if he's gullible enough to pay it, sure we'll do it" price.

Incorvettei

I would suggest you look at blue print engines web site. Blueprintengines.com. Specifically the BP 383318SP which is rated at 436hp & 443 ft.lbs of torque with a 64 cc cylinder heads. $4749 for the short block!

chagger32

Have you installed any of these on a 93-96? I was told that a blueprint engine would not work with the intake and a few other things since the blueprint engine is a gen 1 and not a gen 2.

yakmastermax

In a simple economic sense almost nothing regarding a C4 Corvette is "worth it".

That being said I love these cars and they are essentially priceless to me, so I work on them in the time I earn to spend freely when off of work.

chagger32

Absolutely understandable. If i had the time right now I Absolutely would get to it. Unfortunately my time only is available for less time consuming repairs at this point if any.

Rush91

You could go the C5-C6 route, but who is too say you won't be dumping $$$ into those as well?? I love the C4, you don't see them on the road hardly anymore.........Your body looks straight, paint looks good.

Are you sure it rod knock? What is your oil level at? I agree with others that your estimates of a crate engine are a bit off. If it is indeed a shot motor, then I would buy a crate motor. You should be able to get something that is plug and play, and be on your way. Find a good shop, with a good rep, that is local too you.......

SEVNT6

Years ago a buddy with a SBC thought he had a rod knock. Ended up being carbon buildup....

chagger32

Yeah unfortunately after checking it out myself , brought it to a reputable shop to confirm then back to father in laws who's a mechanic to confirm x3 i wish i got lucky haha.

chagger32

Extremely strange part is the oil level is perfect and stays in the middle when the car is knocking sounding like someone is beating on the engine with a sledgehammer very fast. but it was confirmed of a lower rod knock from father in law who is a mechanic and a reputable shop.

QCVette

The prices are quite high. I guess I haven't looked at prices to have someone else do the work.

Is there any way that you could do the work either for the rebuild or for the installation?

Prices for rebuild kits are much lower. Rings bearings and gaskets can be as low as $250. About the same for a new crankshaft. Complete rotating assemblies can be around $1000.

In short if you do it yourself, it is like paying yourself $8000-$9000.

I rebuilt my first engine when I was 15 and didn't know anything. It came out fine. (a 421 tri-power Pontiac) I found I enjoyed the work. Since then I have rebuilt a lot of engines (for a while it was about 1/week due to a racing class with motor claiming allowed)

Who knows, you my find you like working on your car and tackling some of he bigger jobs.

Either way whether you do the work or farm it out, Good Luck.

Phobos84

I know MD is expensive but it's not that expensive. $10K for a new engine? That's insane. I don't know who told you that or why you think that but it's not true.

So the first thing I would do is pull the oil pan myself and see why the rod is knocking. There are lots of threads hear where a person swapped out a bad bearing and fixed rod knock for another 20K miles. If you do actually find something bad that can't just be swapped out then there are so many options available to you to get this right. You could pull the motor and do a nice budget rebuild yourself. Its a great learning experience. You could probably have it back together for less than $1000 depending on whats wrong. If you don't want to go that route then a low mileage short block from your local self service salvage yard would be a great option. Most of these places will sell a good short block with a warranty for around $250. This would be the most cost effective way to get it running again. And in the process you could upgrade to a block with 4 bolt mains. Lastly you could order a brand new short block for around $1000 to $1500 that would work.

The cost to fix this isn't going to be that bad.

SuperchargedC4

Take it apart and see what you find. Start with a compression test. See if you have good fuel and spark in each cylinder. Then remove the valve covers and check the rockers are set properly. Then remove the oil pan and check the rods and bearings. All simple stuff, before you dump big money on a new or worse, a used engine.