An easy way to get an engine upgrade for your budget restomod
So we’ve been talking budget restomods, but what if your project came with a wheezy V6—or worse, a 4-banger? Yeesh. Turbo Buicks prove forced-induction can work, but snagging a complete OEM turbo setup costs an arm, a leg, and a tuning budget. Besides, there’s no replacement for displacement.
Enter the you-pull junkyard. In my corner of America any engine costs < $200 if you drag it out yourself. Spot a 454 in an old Suburban? Guess whose car is about to get a big-block heart transplant.
Zero-warranty parts mean you do a little homework before you yank the mill:
- Spin test: breaker-bar the crank. If it doesn’t turn freely, walk away.
- Drop the pan (if the yard allows): look for spun bearings, bent rods, metal glitter, missing pieces.
- Car-Fax the donor: $40 beats buying a cracked block.
Once home, budget ~ $400 for a machine-shop check: hot-tank, magnaflux, hone, and deck. Add $150 for a basic refresh kit: rings, bearings, oil pump, gaskets. Heads get new valve-stems and a quick seat-grind while they’re off.
Do the labor yourself and you’re into a “new” big-block for about $750 total. Small-block cores are even cheaper and drop straight into most GM engine bays with off-the-shelf mounts. Either way you’ll need new motor-mounts, maybe headers, and a refreshed fuel system, but you’re still well under $1,000 for a stout, fresh heart.
Is it the “best” route? Not always. But it is the budget route—and it beats watching that wheezy 305 struggle up the on-ramp.
