Back to the OP's original question the cost to rebuild the heads is about the same as any other v-8,the machine work is the same, standard type replacement valves and springs are fairly comparable in cost to others,now if you insist on having the latest and greatest of everything and having the utmost in power production and durability you will spend a ton of money just like you will in any other engine.The crankshaft costs the same to refurbish as any other comparable condition crankshaft,the main bearings tend to be a little more expensive than normal.The differences in machining the block have been noted already and maybe a little more expensive,any machinist who has experience with these engines won't see it as a huge deal.If he does make huge deal of it keep looking an incompetent machinist can strike water in any engine block.Same with con rods,everything else is new parts you pick to fill it they can be slightly more expensive than equal quality parts for another engine.As for the cores you begin with hyd lifter 348 and 409's are no more likely to have unusual damage as any other equally old standard production engine unless you dug it out of the ground or fished it out of a lake,the solid lifter versions fall into the same category as 406-427 fords 426 hemis and solid lifter BBC's usually rode hard to some extent.
Price to build
- Thread starter killerB59
- Start date
So with all comments in we might have a cost scenario like this, assuming you have a rebuildable and complete core to start with:
On the low-end, perhaps as low as $2-3K. This would be bore, new pistons/rings (cast), cam&lifters, Minor resurfacing of heads, guides,
use old valves if they clean up (new valve job sinks them lower in seat, but you're short on bucks). A few other things. A basic engine rebuild.
Keep an extra grand around for slush fund to purchase extra parts you thought you had. Also, you promise your machinist not to rev over 5500, and only use it for cruising.
After pricing this out you may want to up quality, add new valves & springs, better pistons, a few other things, so add $1-2K
Step 2 - At least 1HP/CI, 4-500HP. Carmine's price of 7500 a good figure. Something you can take to the strip occasionally and not be ashamed of. Figure $7000-9000, it'll be reliable and should come w/dyno slip. Again assuming core parts in place. Motor would have good pistons, blueprinted short block& heads, decent cam and springs, etc.
Step 3 - 650 HP+, 9 sec car. How many cubes ya want, how fast? Only a function of wallet thickness. Minimum $10K to sit at this game table, player keeps upping ante. Spend as much as you can afford.
On the low-end, perhaps as low as $2-3K. This would be bore, new pistons/rings (cast), cam&lifters, Minor resurfacing of heads, guides,
use old valves if they clean up (new valve job sinks them lower in seat, but you're short on bucks). A few other things. A basic engine rebuild.
Keep an extra grand around for slush fund to purchase extra parts you thought you had. Also, you promise your machinist not to rev over 5500, and only use it for cruising.
After pricing this out you may want to up quality, add new valves & springs, better pistons, a few other things, so add $1-2K
Step 2 - At least 1HP/CI, 4-500HP. Carmine's price of 7500 a good figure. Something you can take to the strip occasionally and not be ashamed of. Figure $7000-9000, it'll be reliable and should come w/dyno slip. Again assuming core parts in place. Motor would have good pistons, blueprinted short block& heads, decent cam and springs, etc.
Step 3 - 650 HP+, 9 sec car. How many cubes ya want, how fast? Only a function of wallet thickness. Minimum $10K to sit at this game table, player keeps upping ante. Spend as much as you can afford.
You don't have the only one Polio.....
Can I join that group.
Assuming a complete core with factory hi po heads, I bet I could duplicate my mid 10 sec engine for darn close to that 10k figure figuring in that I do as much of the build as possible. Of course it took doing things twice and three times to get to that level so my real cost is higher 
.
.KillerB,a significant factor affecting cost will be your own abilities,can you do some or all of the assembly,or will you need a completely assembled engine ready to drop in.I personally prefer to do most of my own assembly which cuts a lot of hourly labor out of the equation.While some people insist you need to add your own time into the cost,I don't because it's something I like to do and consider it time spent pursuing a hobby.
And I have the most expensive 14 second car....
Forgot to mention that when I had my 348 bored and stroked to 434, I needed custom pistons. Custom pistons means more money. Found that out real quick like. I got the numbers I needed from the machine shop, and contacted Ross pistons. Yup, they could make them at $100.00 each. Ouch 
. No regrets on the build. Just wish it wasn't so expensive, Carmine.
. No regrets on the build. Just wish it wasn't so expensive, Carmine.
AK-Guy
Well Known Member
I'm up to $5600 and counting on my 348 to 434 conversion. I'm going with new materials thru out as it is much better then most of what I can find. I have installed a 4" crank, new rods, Ross pistons, Edelbrock Performance heads, SS valves, roller cam and roller lifters, new balancer, double roller timing chain, engine plugs and seals, and valve springs. I still need induction, rockers, valve covers, carburators, push rods, intake manifold, oil pump and pan. This is the short list as I need various little components I won't think of later like fuel pump, headers, timing cover, water pump, etc. I am figuring it will cost me about $10K when I'm done. Like one of the other members said, if you can get good used parts or the engine you start with is in very good shape, the cost goes way down. Oh, don't forget that I live in Alaska and any 409 or 348 parts are hard to come by or non-existent.
Off a bit with my figures, huh? I figured everyone did own assembly, and as much other stuff as possible 'cause we like this stuff. I forgot we're all 40+yrs older, made some money and say screw it to lifting short blocks by hand with a buddy. That 3K figure I had from the 70s racing days probably translates to 15K or so today, we did all our assembly, had good fortune to have class machine shop less than 10 mi away.
Carmine - $100/slug for custom stroker pistons? Not bad, was close to that back in the 70s for flat-top 265 pistons.
Piston mfg (Venolia, Arias, etc) would send dwg, you'd mark it up as to where you wanted top ring, side and back clearance, a few other things, they could produce with
less than 0.0005" tolerance for 4-500/set of 8. Then we'd lighten them for a couple hundred more. I think empty piston was 310 grams, under 400 w/short tool steel pin. After engine work, no money left for suspension etc you know outcome.
Still think decent 409 build could be done for 7-9K, it'd be a solid lifter motor and assume you'd already have the block/crank/heads, do a lot of parts-running and assembly.
Carmine - $100/slug for custom stroker pistons? Not bad, was close to that back in the 70s for flat-top 265 pistons.
Piston mfg (Venolia, Arias, etc) would send dwg, you'd mark it up as to where you wanted top ring, side and back clearance, a few other things, they could produce with
less than 0.0005" tolerance for 4-500/set of 8. Then we'd lighten them for a couple hundred more. I think empty piston was 310 grams, under 400 w/short tool steel pin. After engine work, no money left for suspension etc you know outcome.
Still think decent 409 build could be done for 7-9K, it'd be a solid lifter motor and assume you'd already have the block/crank/heads, do a lot of parts-running and assembly.
I guess I thought that was high for custom pistons, because I could buy a standard size set for $339.00. At least I think that was the price. Anyway, the engine purrs like a kitten and I'm happy with it. It could run a little cooler though. Those 265 pistons are still expensive. Guess there might not be a big calling for them. I see in thread #31, there is mention made of aluminum Edelbrock heads. I can't emphasize it enough, make sure the steel push rod guide plates, have been tempered and case hardened. I had a bad experience with this issue which I posted about previously. I complained to Edelbrock and got lip service. They were using cheap steel which couldn't be tempered or case hardened. Maybe they have changed since then. I don't know. I do know I would never buy there heads again, Carmine.
"Still think decent 409 build could be done for 7-9K, it'd be a solid lifter motor and assume you'd already have the block/crank/heads, do a lot of parts-running and assembly."
I just completed a total rebuild of a 1962 "068" QB block and 690 heads and put it back together with KB-Ikon pistons, BBC rods and a stock 409 crank. I had about $3500 into the stock iron parts (from years ago) and about $4000 in new parts and labor for the fitted block (it needed 2 sleeves, boring, decking, line hone, etc.) and something like $2500 for the top end (total head rebuild, new valves/springs/keepers/cam/lifters/push rods, etc.). So that puts me at about $10K for the build. This was over the last year, so it's recent. Gosh I hope the wife doesn't see this.
Am currently in metal purgatory with respect to a certain 1962 Impala convertible (thanks to Paul Stensland for all the parts and advise!) and if you want to see Big $$$$ go out the window, go do a frame off project of a crusty vehicle
. Of course it looked pretty good when I first brought her home....
Cheers! TomK
I just completed a total rebuild of a 1962 "068" QB block and 690 heads and put it back together with KB-Ikon pistons, BBC rods and a stock 409 crank. I had about $3500 into the stock iron parts (from years ago) and about $4000 in new parts and labor for the fitted block (it needed 2 sleeves, boring, decking, line hone, etc.) and something like $2500 for the top end (total head rebuild, new valves/springs/keepers/cam/lifters/push rods, etc.). So that puts me at about $10K for the build. This was over the last year, so it's recent. Gosh I hope the wife doesn't see this.
Am currently in metal purgatory with respect to a certain 1962 Impala convertible (thanks to Paul Stensland for all the parts and advise!) and if you want to see Big $$$$ go out the window, go do a frame off project of a crusty vehicle
. Of course it looked pretty good when I first brought her home.... Cheers! TomK
Carmine - the 265 pistons were indeed expensive and one-off, hence the cost. More than half the cost was special machine work.
We ordered them special with extra material in the head so we could put deep flycut
for 0.660" cam, which was big at the time. Also the ring grooves were cut special and with tight tolerance, we used 0.043 SS or Dykes, either way cut about 1/8" below deck surface. The pistons would come flat and we had a machinist flycut only enough material for valve-piston clearance, and only 2 eyebrows, int and ex. Once all that done, there were a couple of good machine shops which could look at a piston and remove as much excess material as possible in the low-stress areas. Allen Patterson (KS) was one, also Hoffman in NJ, a few others. Patterson Racing pretty famous for sm blocks, Hoffman was associated w/Truppi-Kling Competition. At the time I think 0.060-0ver TRW slugs were about $20 a pop, add 5 or 10 for 11-to-1 popups. The extra machine work and lightening made a difference, and many did this sort of thing in class racing. Nowadays somebody has all this figured out in CAD and a machining center could spit out a custom set in short time. Most of this stuff not necessary for what we had been talking about, although the 409 piston is a heavy slug and lightening it up can help.
Tom K - Had not figured on sleeving, align-hone etc. Was block damaged or just way out-of-round? I wondered if the heavy rotating assembly causes such. Certain engine designs always had a trouble hole. So perhaps $10K is the intermediate build. I think all this info should help the OP decide. 427 John was right on with this topic being subjective.
I like the 62. My brother and I threw away a 61 rag in slightly worse condition way back. RR floorpans shot (isn't it always) as were rocker boxes, we were not keen on bodywork. I've got a pix someplace. Back then you always counted on finding another (we did not), now such a find becomes a mission.
We ordered them special with extra material in the head so we could put deep flycut
for 0.660" cam, which was big at the time. Also the ring grooves were cut special and with tight tolerance, we used 0.043 SS or Dykes, either way cut about 1/8" below deck surface. The pistons would come flat and we had a machinist flycut only enough material for valve-piston clearance, and only 2 eyebrows, int and ex. Once all that done, there were a couple of good machine shops which could look at a piston and remove as much excess material as possible in the low-stress areas. Allen Patterson (KS) was one, also Hoffman in NJ, a few others. Patterson Racing pretty famous for sm blocks, Hoffman was associated w/Truppi-Kling Competition. At the time I think 0.060-0ver TRW slugs were about $20 a pop, add 5 or 10 for 11-to-1 popups. The extra machine work and lightening made a difference, and many did this sort of thing in class racing. Nowadays somebody has all this figured out in CAD and a machining center could spit out a custom set in short time. Most of this stuff not necessary for what we had been talking about, although the 409 piston is a heavy slug and lightening it up can help.
Tom K - Had not figured on sleeving, align-hone etc. Was block damaged or just way out-of-round? I wondered if the heavy rotating assembly causes such. Certain engine designs always had a trouble hole. So perhaps $10K is the intermediate build. I think all this info should help the OP decide. 427 John was right on with this topic being subjective.
I like the 62. My brother and I threw away a 61 rag in slightly worse condition way back. RR floorpans shot (isn't it always) as were rocker boxes, we were not keen on bodywork. I've got a pix someplace. Back then you always counted on finding another (we did not), now such a find becomes a mission.
AK-Guy
Well Known Member
Just outside of Anchorage (Eagle River). It is still considered part of the Anchorage Municipality, though.
Unless you can do it yourself correctly, it's worth it to pay a well known shop (in the 348/409 department) to do it right the FIRST time.
5 years (~6000 miles) later on "Blanche", and I've had "zero" issues. Keep gas in her & an oil change once/year. My dual quads LOVE gas!
Not many people out there can say that about their 50+ year old rides.
5 years (~6000 miles) later on "Blanche", and I've had "zero" issues. Keep gas in her & an oil change once/year. My dual quads LOVE gas!
Not many people out there can say that about their 50+ year old rides.
The operative phrase is do it right the first time. I certainly agree with that. I remember in the not so distant past, I had my 409 rebuilt and dynode at what I consider a reputable machine shop. This was my 6th motor rebuilt there. The motor ran great except it used a great amount of oil. About 1 quart every 400 miles. Bottom line was, it needed new valve guides in the heads. Not sure to this day, what went wrong. Maybe poor communication between us . I just don't know. I do know I told the machinist to take care of whatever it needs on the rebuild. I never limited him to a dollar amount. Do it once, do it right. Bottom line is, I had to take the motor apart and have the valve guides installed. The motor still runs great and doesn't use as drop of oil. I learned my lesson with this motor. To do it over again, I would have asked a ton of questions on this site about a rebuild. What should I be doing and looking for?? A lot of knowledgeable and experienced members here, all willing to help, so I would have received some good suggestions. Then speak with the machinist and reduce everything to writing so there is no misunderstanding. Hind sight is such a great thing, Carmine.