jegs-which year 360 crate is best?

RustyRatRod said
I understand all your concerns. How much does it cost to do it twice? Just something to think about.

RustyRatRod said
I totally relate. I couldn't afford one either if I didn't know how or didn't enjoy building my own. But let me leave you with this tidbit too. I have TRIED to build 2500 buck engines before doing a lot of my own cylinder head work, even pressing on my own pistons and installing my own rod bolts. I'm here to tell you brother, it cannot be done. And that's in THIS country, much less where you are. So I cannot imagine how they're offering those engines. Whatever you decide, I do wish you the best of luck!

At about 19 years old (long before BluePrint and on a budget) I thought the same thing with a sbc 383. Why on EARTH would I pay anyone to build ME an engine, let alone a crate, when I can buy the parts for 2,000. Hell a crate at the time was probably 3000. That was untouchable to me at the time, but I could scrape up 2000 in parts. What bums those crate companies are! They won't get my extra $1000! Well...I slapped that puppy together, smiled with my "saved" $1000 in hand, and slept great that night. Over the next 10 years I pulled that absolute piece of crap engine back out of that truck probably 5 times, and fir merely double My initial $2000 investment, replacing parts, buying things twice, and weekends wasted, it finally ran "OK". That engine simply didn't want to live. It did every stupid unexplainable thing on the planet it could have done. Meanwhile I was part of a race team and building 600 hp smallblock mopars in my sleep (with other people's money) not like I was a complete noob. A BluePrint 383 would have been worth it's weight in gold!!!

Just a funny story I share sometimes.

OP I totally get budgets are budgets. By no means am I poking fun at you or anything. I'm also not saying those engines you asked about are bad. I respect you for knowing your means and not putting yourself into a stressed situation.

Like driving past a Ferrari dealership having a half off sale on the way home from work....if ya don't have the budget for a Ferrari....one 50% off doesn't mean much either! :)

Best of luck, I'm sure one of those others is adequate. No one wants to see ya sell your car!