S & J Engines

I purchased a Ford 302 LB engine with S and J through my local repair shop. The engine ended up having a bad head gasket from day one resulting in coolant overflowing the radiator.
Only after replacing the fan, radiator, thermostat and a/​c condenser did it dawn on anyone to check the brand new engine for a head gasket problem. VERY frustrating and not the quality I had expected after seeing all the claims on their website.
Given my experience, I would not invest in another engine from this company.

I purchased a long block from these guys last year. The sales guy I dealt with, Casey, was very knowledgeable and provided exactly the customizations I wanted. Their price can’t be beat for a rebuilt engine with a warranty and residential delivery.
What remained to be seen was whether the engine was any good. We got the engine in and running last spring, but the car finally hit the road for real on a recent trip to Vegas. I’m happy to report that the engine performed flawlessly, hauling a 4000 pound car, four people, luggage, and tools at 75mph up mountains. A slight problem with the cooling system aside (my bad, used a cheap plastic elbow where metal was called for), the drive was uneventful and the engine ran smoothly the entire 1200 mile trip.
You can certainly take the fancy crate motor route when building a car, but that’s expensive and not very fun. Or, rebuild «yourself» which often means taking parts to various machine shops and waiting for them to finish, after which you see if it will all bolt together again. Sounds fun, some other time when I’ve got a garage with more room for machine tools and a disassembled engine. Or you can start with a good rebuilt block, and bolt on your own tin and toys, and fire it up. It was good dirty fun.
For the money, time, and reliability, I think S&J delivers great value and I’d gladly purchase another engine from them.