I am not an engine guy but do understand how expensive and disappointing they are when broken.

So my question is, I have a 1993 502 with all stock components except for the Holley carb. This engine is untouched from what I can tell and runs great but if I do the math that’s 19 full seasons on her and that sound like a lot.

What is the pros and cons of having her freshened up?

What is a decent price to have that done? I am talking just the engine work not the rest of the pulling it and putting it back in.

To top the list of questions. What does a freshen up the engine consist of? Is this a total rebuild and will it be as good as a new or remanufactured engine?

Really depends on what the work is but as a guesstimate I would say around 3k.

It is better to do it now rather than when you have a major meltdown. Hard to say what components will need to be replaced without having it tore down and gone through.

I just had mine done to the tune of 6k but that was a MAJOR overhaul. As long as you dont have cracked heads, melted pistons etc then the costs will be less.

There are engine experts / builders on the forum here that will hopefully chime in.

If you have the $ get it done is what I recommend to avoid having problems like I had.

If you know/have a trusted mechanic I'd start with leak down and compression tests. If those turn out ok, and if you're not having any current running issues, and if you don't want to mod the engine for more power, then I'd simply keep up on regular oil changes and routine maintenance, and enjoy the season.

I just had both of my 502s rebuilt (Top and Bottom ends refreshed - Cylinders bored, crank trued, etc.). Cost was about 5K per motor.