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Crate Engine or Rebuild a 289?

6

66 Mike Stang

New Member
The age old question: Rebuild a 289 for my car or by a crate motor. I am not looking to race, or run on the track. I just wanna drive around have fun and smoke the tires once in awhile and listen to the engine grumble. So should I have the engine rebuilt because I'm not gonna do it, I will have parts in my garage and an unbuilt engine. I speak the truth I have the dream of rebuilding my engine but lack the time. Realistically I know I going to pay someone to do the work. So would it be cheaper to have it done or by a crate. The engine block is date coded correctly but the car was born a six cyl it now only needs the engine.
 
I've never had a crate motor, but if I didn't want to build one and wanted it quickly, a crate motor would not be a bad choice. Now, which crate motor...I have no idea.
 
If you really will not do any of the build work yourself, I'd say just buy a crate and drive it. From a cost perspective it would probably be cheaper in the long run. Builds have a way of becoming "while I'm at it's" even if you are just writing a check. You can get a stock engine for less than a simple rebuild of your own engine by a local machine shop in most cases.
 
My Do-it-myself build price- Off the top of my head

-Block-10$
-Eagle Stroker Crank-200$
-Ford Racing Rods-150$
-Probe pistons and rings-180$
-Mutha thumpr cam kit-280$
-Milodon Oil pan-150$
-Used Weind stealth intake-150$?
-Used Aluminum GT40X heads-620$
-Bearings-Crank/Cam-120$
-Rockers-100 or 150$??
-Cobra valve covers-150$
-Machine bill total-500$ around
-Gasket kit-80$

So a "budget build" stroker cost me around 3000$ assembled by yours truly the cubic inch was 393 and to purchase one Crate Motor longblock built nearly the same is around 6000$ last I checked.

My engine builder probably would have put it together for under 800$ but It would have taken him 2 years....he was slow but did good work.

I'm far from an engine guru, Was my first build, But it was Really FUN, plus when people ask what's in it I can give them an EARFULL instead of saying umm, its a crate engine... My opinion rebuild a 289 to the same specs as the Shelby 305 hp version Half the price of a crate.....
 
I bought a used 302 motor for the daughter's Mustang for $350. 17k miles later, still going strong.
 
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