Your stock intake, carb, and coolers will not be right for a 385 hp Rect port engine. If you want to buy a long block buy what you have so everything crosses over.

IMO find a clean 454,502 efi mag complete, or 496ho complete, drop in and sell your old parts to offset the cost. Any one of those engines will plump right into your boat, and no parts to swap out. It will be the fastest way to get back on the water, and most likely the most cost effective way. And now u will have the security of an efi engine that can somewhat protect itself from bad fuel

I agree with this. Find a complete drop in, check classifieds here for some reputable sources. Contact engine builders from this site, they sometimes have repower trade-ins that are not advertised. 496 HO or 502 Mag would be great for your boat. I went and built the base 454 in my last Baja and ended up dumping more $ than just finding a good low hour drop in upgrade. My 2 cents.

Where are you at in Michigan? Southeast Michigan I assume?

You should be able to get your engine rebuilt for a lot cheaper than buying an entirely new engine.

We had a motor done by Fall Automotive in Toledo rebuilt a couple years ago. He did a great job and does quite a bit of marine engine work around the area.

How about ME. Bring it here I will rebuild it and add what ever u want to it. I have done many of bbc for trucks and a couple for drag cars. There not hard to do at all. I just did the motor in my boat. It runs just fine. U could just put new bearings and a new oil pump in it and run it. Have done that a few times too. Just depends how long it ran with no oil pressure. No way I would mess with 3000 or 4000 for a motor when u got one that just needs rebuilt.

I am a newbie at this and am going through the same thing. You need to pull it and figure out what is wrong and whether it is worth saving. Hell - for all you know they didn't weld the oil pick up and it is rattling around the bottom if your oil pan. If there is a bigger problem and it is truly a magnum with forged internals and 4 bolt mains then I would consider a machine shop - that is a strong motor and rebuilt right will last a long time. Consider all if this and thrn decide reman, machine shop or used. I have seen a lot of nice looking low hour engines pass through this site for really good prices. Keep you options open!

I have great luck with the new GM base line engines the 502 has all the best parts you can buy through GM performance great deal for the price
http://www.1800runsnew.com/NLM/newbase-NLM.html

I just did a complete engine rebuild under similar circumstances. I've known Ron at Dynamic Speed and Marine for 20 years, I had him do mine and he did one for my brother in law. He does good work at a fair price, they are in Chesterfield. Tell him Jerry sent you, he will take good care of you.

Personally if you'd really like to be out boating in july I would buy a used engine or a remanned/new one that can be in boat and running in a week. Its almost July, no machine shop that I know around here would EVER be able to turn anything around fast enough to still be boating this summer, maybe its different in other states but I doubt it, Smitty

You must live where there is a bunch of fords if the machine shop is that far behind!!!! Them fords are always broke down...

No, I live were EVERYONE wants boat, truck and race car engine done come spring, machine shops busiest time march to june, nothing to do with fords but everything to do with you walk in and there are 30 blocks waiting to be machined so you get in line, Smitty