Crate 360 vs DIY Built

I won't push the OP hard either way but.....I do most of my own work on all sorts of parts of all sorts of cars and trucks simply because of the lack of consistent reliability from so many shops at all levels.. JackDodge's story is sadly not all that rare. And the risks inherent in going with a crate engine from some large shop is not that much different.

To add to the stories...I built my first serious engine not having ever built a full enigne on my own before; I had replaced some valve guide seals and helped with a flathead rebuild. I did a lot of studying and asked a lot of questions and did not do anything too wild:
- just a good cam, carb, header, etc.
- basic porting on my own after a lot of reading on what was good for that engine at that time
- block, balance, and head machine work at a good local shop that did race work
- learned about and bought good quality bearings and rings (Clevite 77's and moly top rings) and TRW forged pistons
- and then paid close attention to clearances, torques, etc.

I got over 100K of hard miles on that motor, with a lot of hard street race miles and towing a race car for thousands of miles later on. (It sits in my garage covered with tires waiting for a new body some day!)

SO I add my vote to build on your own. There is so much good info avialable on this forum and others these days that you don't need to wait to read a year's worth of CarCraft and HotRod to find out what are the good parts to use and the good things to do for your engine. I had basic car tools before, and added a torque wrench and learned how to use Plastigage and Locktite for that build.

Get that tranny rebuilt at a good local shop. Good luck!