Hey there,
Can anyone recomend a good engine shop to buy a prebuilt ready to run 396, or even a 454? I see lots of shops selling engines on ebay such as 5 star in Arizona, and they seem to offer some pretty nice deals. I was looking for a local shop with similar deals prefer the Santa Clarita or San Fernando Valley area or is it worth it to just buy one online, and hope to hell you don't get a time bomb..
thanks
Jeff

How about the local GM dealer. Rydell here in Northridge can order you something from GM performance Parts. There is a place in Chatsworth but I think they specialize in high end racing motors.

Bob

I'm guessing that it would be a lot easier to find a prebuilt 454 than a 396. Seems like the 396s are getting a little harder to find and I personally haven't seen a 396 crate motor for sale. www.summitracing.com sells the brand new GM performance products crate motors (350, 383, 454, 502, and 572) and from the little research that I did, they seem to be much cheaper than my local GM dealers. Also, I believe they come with a warranty as well. Just passing on what little I know is all.