Oregon cam nailed it!!!

I appreciate real pricing. I hate people calling everything "budget" without real figures.
My budget is whatever I can scrounge up after all my responsibilities are handled.
I save every penny I can save by buying used or building stuff myself.
I've been building body patch panels for three or four projects from the roof of a parts car I paid 40 bucks for.
The Chinese cylinder heads for about 1000.00 blew the "budget" on this engine.


The 500 came in mid sized trucks that were advertised as capable of towing 4,500 lbs or more.
I checked into this long before I put one in my Dart.
That towing capacity coupled with the A body being a lot lighter than the truck it came out of gave me the confidence that it would hold up ok.

I pulled mine from a late 90’s Dakota that had a 5.2,
Checked the pan before I pulled it to find it very clean inside with remnants of bright red fluid.
I put a stage 2 transgo kit in it with the updated manual valve along with the “First gear at any speed” option.
New front and rear seals went in as well as a new rubber over steel pan gasket.
No other upgrades, and it’s been flawless for 5-6 years so far.
And it hasn’t been babied.
I don’t thrash on overdrive or lockup.

I paid $125.00 for the trans, converter, dip stick and 7290 yoke out of the local pick a part.

( I think more people should say what things cost, so others could have some idea of what’s possible.)