AMC 304 rebuild

Hey everybody,
I have a 73' cj with a 304 that unfortunately died this weekend. she started knocking and is all seized up.
So my question is which route to go, am i better off buying a rebuilt block or sending my block off to the machine shop and buying a rebuild kit. and doing it myself. I have a good friend who's a machinist and have rebuilt a couple motors myself. but which way is going to be the better route.
Any and all advice is appreciated.
thanx

 

http://chico.craigslist.org/pts/4559583790.html
You get extra parts and a complete 304.

 

I heard from a guy who bought a worn out 304 from me and he told me the machine work would have cost me about $3000~5000
360 would be a great swap in or a beefy-er 401

 

Only one way to find out is to price it out....................there are reputable re-builders out there on the internet that sometimes have core 304 & 360's that sell them allot cheaper than one could rebuild them.......start searching.

 

What is "best?" What are your priorities? Cheap?

The cheapest route is to find a used engine and put it in. Any of the 304/360/401 displacements will drop in, though you must use the flywheel that goes with the displacement.

Good 401 cores are scarce, and virgin cores are expensive if the seller knows what he has. If you are interested in a 401, there is more to tell.

Good 360s are more plentiful than good 304s, since the 360 was used in Wagoneers through 1991. The cheapest hp per dollar upgrade for a 304 is to replace it with a 360. A 360 is the same crank as a 304, with a bigger bore and better heads. They are balanced differently from the 304, however, so you need a 360 flywheel for the swap.

Your cheapest route, aside from a used engine, is probably an Autozone long or short block and do the R&R yourself. Autozone used to have the best prices on engines... do your homework and price it out. See if there is a shop locally that will rebuild your core for a competitive price. Reman engines are typically factory built outside the US today (Mexico?) and a local shop will have a tough time matching the price for a factory built engine.

If you want to do it yourself, you can probably save some money. The most expensive single item in a rebuild is the pistons, so if you can reuse your old pistons, you should be ahead. Conceivably you could hone the bores and fit new cast iron rings on your old pistons, install a crank kit, and redo the heads. Then you'd have like new performance, but the longevity will not be as good as if you straighten the bores.

You say you know what you are doing with engines ... then you should know that your success will be related to measuring everything and careful assembly.

Up to you ... weigh how much time and money you have, and make a choice.

 

AMC V8's are expensive to rebuild...
not saying I wouldn't do it again, or would sway anybody from doing it.. just be ready to open the checkbook

 

all of our engine suppliers are based in the US.. the problem is they don't normally have AMC cores lying around..
Grooms engine out of TN was an option when I did my 360.. they just didn't have any cores and the wait time was very long.

 

When i destroy my 304 i bought a 360 for 50$ and make it rebuilt by a specialize shop. Cost me 3000 box. Now with the experience i get since that, if i can start from beginning i would go another route. I will go with a sbc 350, rebuilt cost is half the price of a 360 and with the extra money, buy the adapter for my T18. Part for Sbc are more than available if you compare to amc.

 

Are you affiliated with Autozone, or are you claiming that there are no reman factories outside the US?

 

That would be fine, if the Chevy would just drop in. I expect the price would be no cheaper once you add up all the extra time, parts and fabrication needed for a SBC conversion. It is a popular way to go, though.

If you went SBC, you may as well get a modern engine design in the process - replacing a '70s AMC V8 with another inefficient carbureted '70s cast-iron engine seems like a waste of time.

 

heaven forbid..
My company is part of the automotive aftermarket alliance..

nothing surprises me anymore with this industry, crap is made everywhere and re labeled 10 times. even factory OEM motors are made in "north" America (Mexico and Canada)
our 2 engine suppliers however are based here in the US..

 

What are you located JM?

 

I'm in the process of rebuilding mine. Took the heads off to replace the head gaskets and realized I had minor score marks inside the cylinders and my heads needed to be cleaned up. So the heads are going to a head shop to be cleaned and the valve clearances checked and re-done if necessary. I'll be honing the cylinder walls and replacing piston rings and bearings and slapping it back together and hoping it lasts me 10k miles until I can buy another engine

 

Im leaning towards rebuilding my 304, so far i have been able to find some good rebuild kits from $500-$700. As far as machine work goes i can get it done for little to nothing. So I'm thinking that is the way to go unless i can find a good used 304 in the mean time.

Im located in Klamath Falls, OR

 

I got lucky and got a 304 for $300 but had to wait for 2~3 months for the price to reduce.