Is an Engine Rebuild worth it? - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

Widget · 08-07-2020, 03:43 PM

Hello-

I posted a while ago asking for some advice, and overall I really appreciated the advice. My 2010 SS Camaro had a major engine failure a few months ago. At the time I was hoping that it was a simple valve sprint replacement.

Due to COVID, there wasn't much of a hurry to get it back up and running. I finally took the time to take off the headers to see what sort of damage I was looking at.

Turns out, the value spring busted. Causing the value to fall down, bend, and ultimately punch a hole in one of the cylinders. I have never done extensive engine work before. With this sort of damage is it worth to rebuild the engine? I assume the biggest concern are the scratches in the cylinder wall that may require it to me machined. I just have no idea if this is fixable or not.

I have about $5-10k. That is enough to get a new/used engine and get it back to stock. Could I instead, get the engine rebuilt with higher performance parts to ultimately end up with something I could build on later? I am not certain with this type of damage if it is just better to start with a fresh engine.

lemontwist · 08-07-2020, 04:02 PM

if it's me i'm starting fresh.is you car a manual or auto.
if you have a auto i might consider this.
https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=579496

Widget · 08-07-2020, 04:15 PM

It is a manual. I actually saw that before I made this post.

Would an L99 bolt into a manual? I assume not, but it looks very similar to the LS3 I have.

lemontwist · 08-07-2020, 04:53 PM

yes and no. for ease get a ls3. you could get a pretty healthy crate motor in your price range.rebuild of not your looking at a pretty good cash outlay.IMO it's just easier to swap the motor out. and your going to need a set of heads also if you go with a rebuild.

SuperChuck · 08-07-2020, 07:05 PM

It's through a friend/car club member. But I'm having my engine rebuilt to stock excluding the cam swap for under 4k. Was pulled,disassembled,cleaned, honed, and various new parts. Idk I guess to some it's kinda risky business. But I was more toward keeping the original engine with my car

ariZona28 · 08-07-2020, 09:48 PM

If I was in your situation I would lean towards a crate engine. Sure, you could rebuild it yourself and get the satisfaction of accomplishment but you also have to run around town chasing parts (or order from the internet and hope the right stuff shows up). Then you need to find a competent machine shop to work their magic. Throw in "some assembly required" and it could be some time before you're back behind the wheel. You could just drop it off somewhere but that can result in an entire different avenue of frustrations. Thumb through the current Summit catalogue and you'll see they have some fairly good deals on some stout HP engines ready to bolt in that even come with a warranty. The 495/473 looks like it would be good streetable fun.

Warship2k15 · 08-08-2020, 05:33 AM

If going boosted in the future here is my suggestion. https://www.chevrolet.com/performanc...15_14437114628
You can find them at around 9k and Chevy has a 250 off rebate.
You get the 6 bolt block with Heads etc.Hard to beat for a new engine at that price.

Widget · 08-08-2020, 04:55 PM

Thanks for the great recommendations. Question, would an lsa pulled from a zl1 be able to bolt in to my 2010 ss? Or is that way more complicated?

Saw a used one with manual transmission for about the price of one of these new crates.

CamaroCracka · 08-08-2020, 07:16 PM

Lots of guys do LSA upgrades to LS3s. You would have to make sure you get all the extra pieces like the intercooler and pump, FPCM, new tune, etc. Definitely not a direct bolt in. If you're looking to upgrade, this is a good opportunity to have a stroker kit installed along with a nice cam. When my daughters SS spun a rod, I was looking at short blocks and crate engines too, but ultimately went with a 416. It was only 2k more than a crate engine and they did the R&R for an extra thousand. Very happy with the results.

ariZona28 · 08-08-2020, 08:43 PM

Another thing to consider is how many miles are on the car/drivetrain? You start getting into FI world HP and you need to consider the health of your trans and rear-end. LSA cars had stout rears to handle the extra power. More $$$ to be spent to insure reliability.

JLGO · 08-09-2020, 06:59 PM

If you get another used LS motor is always good to rebuild anyways. Parts are cheap for the LS engine, you should be able to rebuild the engine for less than 5000

bottletalk · 08-10-2020, 01:07 AM

I'd crack it open and get an idea on exactly what is wrong.
if you have the cash and plan on upgrading anyway then I would go with a crate motor.
I would still rebuild your stock ls3, if you do it yourself it won't be that bad on the wallet, if you don't a big chunk of the funds will be on labor.

Widget · 08-10-2020, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ariZona28

Another thing to consider is how many miles are on the car/drivetrain? You start getting into FI world HP and you need to consider the health of your trans and rear-end. LSA cars had stout rears to handle the extra power. More $$$ to be spent to insure reliability.

That is a good point to consider. This vehicle was my daily driver for a while. It has around 110k miles on it. That is probably a detail I should have included in the original message.

bottletalk · 08-10-2020, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Widget

That is a good point to consider. This vehicle was my daily driver for a while. It has around 110k miles on it. That is probably a detail I should have included in the original message.

do u want to keep it or rebuild it and sell? if up the ponies first you could rebuild/replace the other parts later....if you love the car, you already have it but you rebuild and dump then buy something already upgraded and save $

08-07-2020, 03:43 PM	#1
Widget Drives: '10 Cyber Metalic Grey SS2 Camaro Join Date: May 2015 Location: United States Posts: 35	Is an Engine Rebuild worth it? Hello- I posted a while ago asking for some advice, and overall I really appreciated the advice. My 2010 SS Camaro had a major engine failure a few months ago. At the time I was hoping that it was a simple valve sprint replacement. Due to COVID, there wasn't much of a hurry to get it back up and running. I finally took the time to take off the headers to see what sort of damage I was looking at. Turns out, the value spring busted. Causing the value to fall down, bend, and ultimately punch a hole in one of the cylinders. I have never done extensive engine work before. With this sort of damage is it worth to rebuild the engine? I assume the biggest concern are the scratches in the cylinder wall that may require it to me machined. I just have no idea if this is fixable or not. I have about $5-10k. That is enough to get a new/used engine and get it back to stock. Could I instead, get the engine rebuilt with higher performance parts to ultimately end up with something I could build on later? I am not certain with this type of damage if it is just better to start with a fresh engine.

08-07-2020, 04:53 PM	#4
lemontwist Drives: 12 2SS/RS L99,11 2SS/RS LS3totaled Join Date: Jun 2019 Location: mooresville nc Posts: 1,048	yes and no. for ease get a ls3. you could get a pretty healthy crate motor in your price range.rebuild of not your looking at a pretty good cash outlay.IMO it's just easier to swap the motor out. and your going to need a set of heads also if you go with a rebuild. Last edited by lemontwist; 08-07-2020 at 08:14 PM.

08-07-2020, 09:48 PM	#6
ariZona28 Give speed a chance Drives: 2015 Camaro 2LS, 2015 Camaro Z/28 Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: Mesa, Az Posts: 2,228	If I was in your situation I would lean towards a crate engine. Sure, you could rebuild it yourself and get the satisfaction of accomplishment but you also have to run around town chasing parts (or order from the internet and hope the right stuff shows up). Then you need to find a competent machine shop to work their magic. Throw in "some assembly required" and it could be some time before you're back behind the wheel. You could just drop it off somewhere but that can result in an entire different avenue of frustrations. Thumb through the current Summit catalogue and you'll see they have some fairly good deals on some stout HP engines ready to bolt in that even come with a warranty. The 495/473 looks like it would be good streetable fun. Attached Images __________________ 2LS: a TREMENDOUS machine. Z/28: it's a BIT MORE POWERFUL, of course.

08-08-2020, 07:16 PM	#9
CamaroCracka Drives: 2010 Turbo LS3 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Palm Bay, FL Posts: 2,735	Lots of guys do LSA upgrades to LS3s. You would have to make sure you get all the extra pieces like the intercooler and pump, FPCM, new tune, etc. Definitely not a direct bolt in. If you're looking to upgrade, this is a good opportunity to have a stroker kit installed along with a nice cam. When my daughters SS spun a rod, I was looking at short blocks and crate engines too, but ultimately went with a 416. It was only 2k more than a crate engine and they did the R&R for an extra thousand. Very happy with the results. __________________ 2010 SS - On3 kit with downpipe cutout, CTR 78/80, CompCam 239/251 620/632 122+4, E85, Z28 suspension and ZL1 diff with Outlaw axles. Gen6 ZL1/1LE brakes. 2011 Vert - 416/w 230/236 .612/.602 115lsa, 1LE suspension w/32mm rear bar. Z28 diff. ZL1 brakes.

08-08-2020, 08:43 PM	#10
ariZona28 Give speed a chance Drives: 2015 Camaro 2LS, 2015 Camaro Z/28 Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: Mesa, Az Posts: 2,228	Another thing to consider is how many miles are on the car/drivetrain? You start getting into FI world HP and you need to consider the health of your trans and rear-end. LSA cars had stout rears to handle the extra power. More $$$ to be spent to insure reliability. __________________ 2LS: a TREMENDOUS machine. Z/28: it's a BIT MORE POWERFUL, of course.

08-07-2020, 04:02 PM	#2
lemontwist Drives: 12 2SS/RS L99,11 2SS/RS LS3totaled Join Date: Jun 2019 Location: mooresville nc Posts: 1,048	if it's me i'm starting fresh.is you car a manual or auto. if you have a auto i might consider this. https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=579496

08-07-2020, 04:15 PM	#3
Widget Drives: '10 Cyber Metalic Grey SS2 Camaro Join Date: May 2015 Location: United States Posts: 35	It is a manual. I actually saw that before I made this post. Would an L99 bolt into a manual? I assume not, but it looks very similar to the LS3 I have.

08-07-2020, 07:05 PM	#5
SuperChuck Drives: 2013 1SS BlueRay Metallic Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Missouri (MO) Posts: 163	It's through a friend/car club member. But I'm having my engine rebuilt to stock excluding the cam swap for under 4k. Was pulled,disassembled,cleaned, honed, and various new parts. Idk I guess to some it's kinda risky business. But I was more toward keeping the original engine with my car

08-08-2020, 05:33 AM	#7
Warship2k15 Drives: 2010 Camaro 2SS Join Date: May 2016 Location: Kissimmee Posts: 158	If going boosted in the future here is my suggestion. https://www.chevrolet.com/performanc...15_14437114628 You can find them at around 9k and Chevy has a 250 off rebate. You get the 6 bolt block with Heads etc.Hard to beat for a new engine at that price.

08-08-2020, 04:55 PM	#8
Widget Drives: '10 Cyber Metalic Grey SS2 Camaro Join Date: May 2015 Location: United States Posts: 35	Thanks for the great recommendations. Question, would an lsa pulled from a zl1 be able to bolt in to my 2010 ss? Or is that way more complicated? Saw a used one with manual transmission for about the price of one of these new crates.

08-09-2020, 06:59 PM	#11
JLGO Drives: 2015 Camaro SS convertible L99 Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 245	If you get another used LS motor is always good to rebuild anyways. Parts are cheap for the LS engine, you should be able to rebuild the engine for less than 5000 __________________ Corsa CAI w/Donalson Power Filter, BBK 1 7/8 headers, MF resonator, custom exhaust with Legato mufflers, mildly ported heads, TSP VVT 3.2 cam (whole package), 3.91 1LE gears, Circle D 3200 stall torque converter, B&M power cooler tranny cooler. Tuned by Casey TSP's tuner. 1/4 12.16 117mph with stock tires at 20 psi.

08-10-2020, 01:07 AM	#12
bottletalk Drives: 15 Camaro 2SS M6 Join Date: Jan 2020 Location: BC Posts: 732	I'd crack it open and get an idea on exactly what is wrong. if you have the cash and plan on upgrading anyway then I would go with a crate motor. I would still rebuild your stock ls3, if you do it yourself it won't be that bad on the wallet, if you don't a big chunk of the funds will be on labor.