Hi everyone. I have a 1985 C4 Corvette and the motor is needing some love. I haven't figured out this money tree yet and would like to build a new motor keeping while keeping budget in mind.

So I'm reaching out asking for help, tips, advice on how I can build a budget performance motor. Thanks so much.

This has been gone over so many times but the answer never changes. You are gonna need to find a respectable engine guy in your area and talk to him. He'll need to know the intended use(drag/street/autox) and the budget just boils down to how much you can spend. There is no firm price for anything as engines can range from barely warmed over with a cam/pistons, all the way up to fully hand finished all race parts setup with lots of head time. It is impossible to ball park. Decide what you want to spend, and start asking motor guys what you can get with it.

I appreciate you taking the time to reply. I'm not looking to drag race the car, just looking for little more power than stock. Figuring alot of you may have "did it done it" and point me in the cost saving direction. Where as if I go into a shop, they are thinking whats best for them.

The way to make power from your 85 vette is new cylinder heads. They are the heart of your motor. You can build your short block back stock but with a forged pistons with the same compression ratio. Then spend $1000.00 to $1300.00 for a good set of heads then with a little tuning you can add almost 100HP to your motor.
David