The Camaro Club (UK)

Afternoon Gents,

I wonder if anyone could shed some wisdom on which is the best option out of the three? i know it depends on application but really looking for reliable cruisability (if that's even a word), about 350 BHP, won't see the strip either.

Engine rebuild of existing block (pro)
Crate engine
Build of new block (pro)

cheers

Good seasoned block is often considered preferable to new block because all core shifting and other settlement has already taken place and the block has ' set'.
Rebuild depends on really accurate machining and this will not be cheap...but cheap will not be good.
Then really a case of matching a good cam with a set of heads with good breathing potential ,flat top pistons with comp in the range of 9 or 9.5 to 1, a street type dual plane manifold and the carb of your choice. Keep it all spotlessly clean and use the correct torque settings and run it in properly .
Crate engines from the US vary a lot but the good ones are value for money,talk to people about what they run and how they like them but there are some nice spec ones for road use that are not too pricey, but again stay away from the bargain basement stuff .

For what you want, good strong cruiser engine, I reckon a GM built ZZ4 would fit the bill.. Get shipped from Jegs or similar.
Or a bit less power, but available in the UK from places like Real Steel, the GM 'Goodwrench' engines.

I'd avoid the budget crate engine builders too, from my experience, they have good power specs but scrimp on some of the parts to keep the price down.

There are a quite a few good engine builders in the UK that could throw a nice small block together for you, even using your block if it's feasible. I'd go 9:1 compression, alloy heads for less weight, 600 carb, and a mild cam for reliability, good torque, and decent MPG.

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“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”

thanks chaps, that makes a lot of sense, I have been looking at a 383 stroker engine as well which seems to be the favorite at the moment after speaking to various companies

To be honest I personally wouldn't now buy anything in from the US if I wanted around the 350bhp figure. I've seen many US derived engined cars including race cars dyno'd which make up to 40% less than they should and that's fact.

I would much rather commission something here that you can specify, track and project manage from a regarded and respected engine builder. You also have a little bit of a safety net if anything goes wrong depending on what's been agreed. If it's a US engine you are stuck to a certain degree unless you like shipping metal across the Atlantic.

Just my take on it.

G.

i needed a replacement engine quickly for my '67 camaro some 10 years ago. I opted for a Goodwrench crate engine which was available from stock at a shop near where i lived in Belgium.
I was intending on rebuilding the original engine -which is a heavy duty block- when time allowed. It is still sat in the corner of the garage. Not because i havent had the time but because the Goodwrench hasnt missed a beat, is very smooth and returns around 28mpg.
Cant beat that if you ask me.

If at all possible, build it yourself, after all the Chevy small block is about as basic as you can get.
The reason is that all the options you list involve someone getting paid, and as you know time is money. From experience the underlying profit motive changes the builders mindset from "That's perfect" to "That will do, it's close enough"