hey guys. first off thanks in advance. i am new to this forum but i joined up after reading sime threads and seeing all the knowledge here. well, im not mechanically inclined i must say and i need some advise. i have a 1997 ram 1500 with the 5.9 liter magnum v8 360. Not long ago i found out that i had a craked manifold and so i figured I'd upgrade to some headers. I bought some pacesetter shorty's (im on a budget) About 5000 miles ago i had my tranny rebuilt. my engine has 230k miles on it. Ive been thinking about putting in a new engine so the truck will be good to go for quite awhile. (i like peace of mind) my current engine runs fine other than coolant leak that my brother says is a lower intake leak. it also leaks some oil where it connects down at the rear end by the tranny. I was looking into buying either a remanufactured long block or a short block and using some old parts and maybe some new heads, if necessary, doing small upgrades (kegger mod) What would be a cheaper upgrade and if i went with a small block would i need to go to a machine shop? if i went with a small block what parts would i need to get new? i know its alot but money is tight and i want to have a realistic figure before i start and not have to beat myself up later about it. thanks again

 

You said small block twice in the end there but if you mean short block, You may need news heads. I would take them to the machine shop and have them tested for cracking. These heads crack alot. If you get a long block it should come with heads and all you would have to do it swap your intake on it and Accesories. In your situation id pull your heads now, take them to the shop for testing. If they are good get a short block if not get a long block. Unless you want to build the new engine by yourself, then just get the block machined and cleaned up, some new pistons(if needed) new bearings and seals.

 

Maybe you can find a JY motor with half way descent low miles on it. Also , if you are having some minor probs with the current one, I'd fix it as far as the coolant leak goes. Might just be the timing cover leaking coolant. And either way, new or used you'll want to address the plenum issue. https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...um-thread.html

 

if you are happy with the stock performance (wich I dont think is bad) i would opt for crate long block and you do the plenim fix at or before install. I suspect with cracked manifold, cracked heads? it is very prevelent with these things. junk yard motor is a serious gamble and would still need plenim fix. price heads and short block versus long block.
dont forget the peace of mind goal. these projects can blead you dry. I am $2k plus on own rebuild and not even done $.