Cost of a 350 conversion VS 2F rebuild (1 Viewer)

[40Flipper]

I've searched the past threads and there is a ton of info of actually doing the conversion itself but nothing about actual costs. I know there are variables such as HP and adapter kit prices etc.

How much have people paid for 350 conversions vs a 2F rebuild? Looking for hard figures from people that have recently had these done. Thanks!

 

[dgangle]

This depends on SO many factors such as what you pay for parts, how much creativity one has, ability to weld, wire, fabricate, etc. Here are some estimates, ALL of which are debatable.

rebuilt carb'd 350 $2000
carb, alt, starter, ramshorn exhaust manifolds, HEI distrib $350
AA 4 speed kit $500
clutch, PP, Flywheel, TO bearing $ 300
exhaust system $500
aluminum radiator, clutch fan, belts, hoses, shroud $1200
drive shaft mods $250
4 speed Toyota transmission $reuse

doing it your self:
welder, torches, oxy/act tanks, cherry picker, engine stand, parts washer $2500-ish plus lots of fab skill/time and a place to do it.

pay someone else: who knows. I could never afford to do that

total: $5100 parts, $2500 special tools

Methinks $5K would rebuild 1.5-2 2F's

 

[lc69hunter]

As indicated before, and in the FAQ's, its a matter of preference. I chose to build up a 2F block that I picked up for $350. I did much of the work (except for the machining) myself, and ended up with close to $2000 in it. However, I may have gone a little overboard. I probably could have done it with $1500.

 

[FJBen]

The flip side of the 350...is going to a yard...~$750 $1,500 can net you a vortec to an LT1 complete with tranny...there is always the other stuff that adds up.

i agree..definitely all debateable...

stock radiator/taurus fan
SM420/3spd case
only one driveshaft needing modified
exhaust...I'm redoing my exhaust and I'll be in less than $100 for ramhorns/y-pipe and pipe to connect into existing exhaust.


unless you get a great deal and had really done a few conversions...I'd doubt you could pull it off for the $1,500 to rebuild a 2f...just really a matter of preference.

 

[fj40_73]

Cost of a 350 > 2F rebuild

 

[fj40charles]

Cost of a 350 > 2F rebuild

Yes, but IMHO you're getting a better engine with more power and better gas mileage. Only time the 2F would be better is if you're into restoration.

I'm not convinced that a 2F is a more durable engine than a SBC. A well maintained SBC will go 250K miles easily.

350 engine coversion, if done properly, can be very expensive.

 

[Jetboy]

One other thing to think about is that if you rebuild the 2f and it goes south for whatever reason your into another expensive rebuild. SBC's are very easy to find and cheap. My experience is that rebuild engines are seldom as good as a factory built one. I much prefer low mileage factory assembled engines over rebuilds. I've had bad experiences with two rebuild engines that cost way more than I could have gotten a low mileage replacement for. Both were done by local shots of people who were supposed to be "the best". That's just been my experience.

I still have a 2f, but I'm planning on a 4.3 conversion myself because of the cheap engines and ease of finding them.

As for cost I don't think a good SBC conversion can be done for less than a 2f rebuild.

 

[stumpy]

i put about $3500 into my 2F rebuild, but i ported and polished the head which bit off about $800 of that in the line item bill. i also had it balanced and some work done on the oiling system. if you take all that labor out and just do a stock rebuild, you can probably get a 2F rebuilt for less than $2K.

i am currently building a 2FE and did porting and polishing myself, as well as a lot of other trick work on my own. just machining the block and doing balancing, i was into the block for about $1800. doing final long block assembly myself.

cant comment on a 350, other than that my carbied 2F gets 17 mpg consistently and has been SIGNIFICANTLY more reliable than most of the 350s in my local club.... ;p

as hard as it is for me to admit, a well built and maintained 350 should do as well as a 2F though....

 

[mplatzer]

man what a question. i just got finished building my 350 a few days ago and i think i have about 4.5k into it, however if you were to buy this from a shop how i put it together you will spend 9-10k. you can see my build-up on my blog to get some ideas of what length i went to build this. if you are looking for a f-2 that you can just drop in your rig ive got one that i pulled out of mine and the previous owner of the fj said he had just rebuilt and it ran great. let me know.
my blog is mikeslandcruiser.blogspot.com

 

[1973Guppie]

there are WAY TOO MANY VARIABLES with your question, please be more specific on what you are looking to do EXACTLY and I think you will get better answers, ie: what 2f, drivetrain, what 350 & drivetrain, farming out all the work or do yourself?, then we can compare the two, etc.

Noah

 

[camcruiser13]

all depends on what you can do.

i got my current engine from a redneck for 150 bucks, threw it in myself cheap.

all depends

need more info

 

[uglyoinker]

I agree with the variables problem. I think that one of the biggest variables would be fuel injected or just carbed.
I think that it can be done for 2k if you do all the right hunting for parts. I am helping a friend put a tbi 350 in his 60. I think it will end up being about $2500 for just the engine part of the build. But that was for a strong rebuild including 3 angle on the heads fresh cam and lifters everything is being upgraded in the motor and massaged for power and longevity.
The one thing I always thought is worth some thought is the power differences between the 2f and a sbc. Weak 350's are few and far between. One last thought is the sound when you hit the loud pedal from a small block chevy is a beautiful thing.
jake

 

[F-junker]

Nothing is cheaper IMO than a quick rebuild of your 2F, If you want get fancy and P&P heads, go with super expen. headers etc. than that will increase the price. Picking up a cheap 350 is tempting, but there is a lot more than just droppin' it in there.

If I were to go the SBC route, and I will probably on the next 40, I would first buy a Ranger torque splitter and use than as my adapter to the drivetrain. It solves many problems in one shot. Drive line distance is maintained for the most part as the SBC is much shorter than the 2F and you might need to turn that disty. The other problem is an extra gear. This is cheap than a NV 4500, if you want that 5 speed or you can get that thing even lower for better crawl ratio. Pick the overdrive or under drive. I'd go overD and then drop in a set of new transfer gears with a lower ratio.

As far as the engine is concerned, you could go hill-billy to Boyd Cottington. I would go 383 for more torque, alumin. heads for weight and perfomance.

Oh yes this is so much more cash than a 2F rebuild, more brackets to be made, more oh s*** factors and costs than you'd ever expected to have.

Rebuild your 2F, or selectively rebuild it if money is super tight. Mine burns oil like a mother-f$%er. but I don't care at this point. I just want to drive it for a year or so.

 

[40Flipper]

What a can of worms I've opened! I agree there are many variables but I was curious as to peoples actual expenses. I have ZERO mechanical ability besides simple tune ups. An engine swap attempt for me would land me at my mechanic's with a shopping cart full of unlabeled engine parts. I have a troopy that's coming that I'm going to keep. The 2F has HUGE (almost 400K mi) mileage on it so a rebuild is inevitable.


I like the 350 power and cheap parts since I had one in an old Fj40. The 2F is legendary and would keep it stock.

Just today I came across the opportunity of grabbing a 2H diesel and have someone that will rebuild it for a trade. That ought to throw a wrench in this thread.

great info!!!!

 

[DaveWest5150]

I'm not convinced that a 2F is a more durable engine than a SBC. A well maintained SBC will go 250K miles easily.

...Are you kidding? I've seen poorly maintained 2 f's run to 300k and with a lot less problems. Dont get me wrong, I have a sbc 350 and am very happy with it.
However youull be lucky to get 175 k out of a 350

 

[my64fj40]

However youull be lucky to get 175 k out of a 350

Please explain to me why this is???

aluminum radiator, clutch fan, belts, hoses, shroud $1200

Wow, that must be one nice radiator.

 

[Gumby]

I'll have a couple of hundred bucks into the 283 swap in to my 67.

Can't buy a head gasket kit for a 2F for that.

 

[Gumby]

I'm not convinced that a 2F is a more durable engine than a SBC. A well maintained SBC will go 250K miles easily.

...Are you kidding? I've seen poorly maintained 2 f's run to 300k and with a lot less problems. Dont get me wrong, I have a sbc 350 and am very happy with it.
However youull be lucky to get 175 k out of a 350

I've never seen a 2F run to 300K. I've seen plenty die well under 200K

I've never heard of one going to 1,000,000, but I have heard of a csb go that far. It's well documented. I've seen many with 200K+ on them myself. Even so, you can buy another one to pop in there for nearly nothing or rebuild it for a little more. you can damn near buy the parts at KMart.

Could you please tell me who is going to drive a FJ40 for 175,000 miles anyway?

 

[VTFJ40]

Please explain to me why this is???

Ask GM.

In all my years as a diehard chevy man, I've only seen a few with more than 150k and no rebuild. Used to work for a company that had a fleet of 1980s chevy trucks and every one of them was rebuilt before they hit 120k.

It's usually the compression that wanes fast on the factory SBC.

 

[my64fj40]

Ask GM.

In all my years as a diehard chevy man, I've only seen a few with more than 150k and no rebuild. Used to work for a company that had a fleet of 1980s chevy trucks and every one of them was rebuilt before they hit 120k.

It's usually the compression that wanes fast on the factory SBC.

No, I was asking him, I want to know why I would be lucky to get 175000..


O and rebuilding an engine adds life to the fleet, and is also a good tax write-off Companies know this.