I'm being told now that I need to replace the engine. They say a long block is in order. I have over 175k miles on her and that I've done pretty good to get that. The oil light and clatter and smoke puff at start up all seems to be worn bearings and journals. So, I'm at a crossroads. I'm starting a new job in two weeks so if I get work done, it needs to be next week.

Do I spend $6k - $7k on a new long block? (need a new heater core too)
Do I dump in thicker oil and see how long I can run her for? (need a new timing chain too)
Do I spend $6k - $7k on another used truck and transfer some parts and hope for the best?

She's no longer JUST a daily driver. She's my trail rig and set up for that. I cried at the dealership when I traded in my last truck cause of all the memories. With this one, there's memories and money and setup.

 

You can get a longblock for far cheaper than that. Keep looking, they are out there for less than 2 grand.

 

Take her to the dealership and trade her in to take advantage of that lifetime warranty if you can swing it.

KRC's got performance long blocks for under $7K. Look around and I'll bet you can find one for less.

 

Time for a 408.

 

$6-7k seems like a awful lot of money for an engine. are you racing it or something? you should check around for other price options.

i know you can get a Jasper rebuild for a lot less than that. their website says $2721 for an '01/5.2 i'm guessing that does not include shipping or installation, so figure maybe $300 for shipping and maybe $500 (maybe less) for install.
http://webapp.jasperengines.com/webcat/catalog.asp

 

That $6k is a long block from Mopar with a 3yr/80k mile warranty and installed.

Mom wants me to trade her in but then I'd have to dump a ton of money into another one to get her setup for trails AND be paying a monthly truck payment on top of that.

We have emissions here so I don't know that I can swap in a bigger engine.

 

JEGS catalog page 28-S 408 Base it's a 360 block rebuilt to a 408 30 month / 50K mile warrantty for 3599.99 I would just build on what you have and keep going. That one is built to scream.

 

or go with a remanufactured block on ebay in the 1500-2000 dollar range, they also have warranty, or check with salvage dealers, a used engine can be anywhere from 700-1000 dollars some even with a 3 month warranty to ensure it doesnt blow up after you install it

 

It's not something that I can do myself so some purchase options are out of the question. Thanks though.
I called a local shop that's as trustworthy as I know and a Jasper engine installed would be around $3k. So, I'll probably take it over there Monday and have them tell me what is really needed.

 

I rebuilt my 318 for less than $2,200.