SBC conversion costs these day?

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greenbeast

greenbeast

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Going to pull the SBC with GM TBI, Toyota 4 speed with ranger OD out of my PIG in the near future.

Just curious what average cost people are experiencing these days for the conversion with a computer and all.

Sure there are many factors that play into all this just gauging what some rough costs are these days.

Looking to help someone get it all on a budget. Once I have idea of what’s a very fair price I’ll post in classifieds.
 
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Are you doing it yourself? Cheapest it could go? $2500. That’s scrounging all the parts from the junkyard. You do every drop of labor. I did it and hope to do it again, but I don’t have drop of bling in the swap.

Paying someone to do the work? Probably $10-20k and up. It’s a lot of labor and would you trust someone who didn’t charge a chunk of change.

There is nothing wrong with TBI that a quadrajet won’t fix…
 
I guess i don't understand the question. It sounds like you already have an sbc conversion with a computer.
 
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pb4ugo said:
I guess i don't understand the question. It sounds like you already have an sbc conversion with a computer.
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Let me attempt to clarify, I’m pulling a sbc conversion tranny and OD and trying to get idea what would be fair to sell to someone who is likely doing the swap themselves. I’m going with LS3 and want make a good deal to them.

It’s complete and would save some time sourcing parts which I have no ideas what costs are to procure these parts these days.
 
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matzell said:
$1000 would be a good starting point not knowing conditions. You have to find someone who wants that set up, nothing wrong with it, I have a tbi 350 in my 77.
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Agree, wife and I drove it back from Grand junction to Tulsa last September. These engines push a cruiser (55) down the highway at 70 all day long which I hadn’t experienced with all my 2fs in the past.

The PO (friend of mine) drove he and his wife all over the western US behind it for a long time before we were lucky to pick it up. Even rebuilt maybe 20k miles ago so makes no sense to scrap it if it would help someone.

The set up will likely give someone else a bunch of miles of fun.
 
PO raved about the OD and after driving it I know why. Someone had new never installed here a few weeks ago for $1800.

They aren’t made anymore but it’s doing job very well.

Not sure I’d drive a 40 over 70mph but the pig will do it all day long without issue.
 
greenbeast said:
PO raved about the OD and after driving it I know why. Someone had new never installed here a few weeks ago for $1800.

They aren’t made anymore but it’s doing job very well.

Not sure I’d drive a 40 over 70mph but the pig will do it all day long without issue.
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A 40 with a tbi will go over 75 all day as long as you have the front end set up right, caster and such. I know it will over 90
safely because that's what the cops radar gun said when he pulled me over, (94) This was right after I did the conversion in 1990
and the cop was a fellow 4 wheeler so he wrote me for 80 in a 65. I told him i was testing out the new conversion. What I didn't tell him was
it hit just over 105 the day before. Stock air cleaner would starve it out close to 90. Went to the 5 1/2" tall element and it kept pulling way past.
You'll really notice the restrictions of a stock element pulling a trailer. Stock would start falling off at 65 on a 6% grade with a 3500lb trailer.
You can pick up 10 with a larger element. Turns out, the stock element is only good for about 350 cfm. K&N says theirs will get over 600
 
lcwizard said:
A 40 with a tbi will go over 75 all day as long as you have the front end set up right, caster and such. I know it will over 90
safely because that's what the cops radar gun said when he pulled me over, (94) This was right after I did the conversion in 1990
and the cop was a fellow 4 wheeler so he wrote me for 80 in a 65. I told him i was testing out the new conversion. What I didn't tell him was
it hit just over 105 the day before. Stock air cleaner would starve it out close to 90. Went to the 5 1/2" tall element and it kept pulling way past.
You'll really notice the restrictions of a stock element pulling a trailer. Stock would start falling off at 65 on a 6% grade with a 3500lb trailer.
You can pick up 10 with a larger element. Turns out, the stock element is only good for about 350 cfm. K&N says theirs will get over 600
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You know the Pig this drivetrain is coming out of, Dave. It's the shell I bought from you more than 15 years ago and saved from the crusher. Bonnie and I stopped by shortly after we got the original restomod done and later put in the rebuilt 350 and GM TBI after getting tired of screwing around with multiple quadrajets on the older 350. Don't recall if we had the overdrive in yet when we were there showing off. You're right about handling high speeds....I've got a picture of my speedo past 80 mph and at that point it was reading 10% slow with 33" tires. Totally comfortable and under control. Wish I'd known about your air cleaner mod. Left the stock GM one on it.
 
I used to get mine with a 2F up to 80 all the time like late for work in the mornings when I worked at the Jim Bridger Power Plant which was off of the Point of Rocks, WY exist East of Rock Springs, WY and I lived farther west in Green River, WY. Now you can legally drive 80 most of the way back then the speed limit was 55 and seemed like a long drive. When I got off work after shift there would be a puddle of oil under it because of the bad rear main seal that always leaked.

I saw a Toyota add bragging about it would do 80 on the highway and still handle off road speeds. I tested that a lot. In a head wind it struggled to do 55 at times.

I don't know what you can get for that drive train. I only know that my R2.8 is costing a lot and still not done, both the R2.8 and the H55F/split transfer case each cost more the original purchase price.

What gear train are you going to use behind the LS motor.
 
charliemeyer007 said:
From craiglist $500 2F engine condition unknown - oil cap is missing - water in engine?
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conor-mcgregor-ufc.gif
 
I think I came down White Bird grade once at more than 70 in Elsie - bracing my hands on the wheel with my knees. Way spooker than when I did it on the crotch rocket at 147. My go fast days are long over.

Fighter pilot lemant. When I got wings they told me not to fly to high or fly to fast, then I joined the straffer's and we fly to lowly and too slow.
 
I’m going to put one of these on the back of my 45
IMG_0295.webp
 
Mine did not handle bad at all at 80 not different then 55.
Now it has PS and better steering components and a wider track so I should be able to do the max speed limit in Wyoming.

I-80 in Wyoming has a lot of long relatively straight runs and no steep grades at least in Sweetwater County. Between Laramie and Cheyenne going over Sherman it would not be a good idea.
 
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greenbeast said:
Let me attempt to clarify, I’m pulling a sbc conversion tranny and OD and trying to get idea what would be fair to sell to someone who is likely doing the swap themselves. I’m going with LS3 and want make a good deal to them.

It’s complete and would save some time sourcing parts which I have no ideas what costs are to procure these parts these days.
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When I sold my SBC complete I think I got $300. I had paid $500 for the the LS that was replacing it, so I thought that seemed like a fair price. Fastest marketplace sale I ever made. Maybe it was too low, but I was not tripping over it in my garage.
 
I've never done a speed run, but I'm pretty sure i recall seeing it registered 79 mph b4 resetting my GPS. I know I've seen 75 while driving in my 40. I spent a lot of time dialing in the steering and it handles great.

If your going to pull the driveline b4 selling it, I'd do a proper hot compression test, a video of cold startup with a glance at the tailpipe on intial fire and also show it running driving. Around here sbc's are common. If it has center bolt valve covers you might want to see if it has vortec heads and a roller cam in it to add value. You might consider offering the OD unit separately.
 
riderjgs said:
You know the Pig this drivetrain is coming out of, Dave. It's the shell I bought from you more than 15 years ago and saved from the crusher. Bonnie and I stopped by shortly after we got the original restomod done and later put in the rebuilt 350 and GM TBI after getting tired of screwing around with multiple quadrajets on the older 350. Don't recall if we had the overdrive in yet when we were there showing off. You're right about handling high speeds....I've got a picture of my speedo past 80 mph and at that point it was reading 10% slow with 33" tires. Totally comfortable and under control. Wish I'd known about your air cleaner mod. Left the stock GM one on it.
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I was wondering how that project went. As much as I loved the my 55, I've stuck with the 60 for the dog's sake. The dog loves a little AC 4 wheeling in the summers of AZ
 
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