Worth $500 to install stud girdle kit?

[jspringator]

Or would my money be better spent saving for a new engine when this one breaks? I already have the stud girdle kit, but it will cost around $500 to install it. Worth it?

[jkpyper]

James,

I would save your money. I just put the stud girdle kit in myself 2 days ago. It is definitely not a $500 job. Granted, my engine was on a stand, but it was not that hard to do.

Drain the oil, pull the pan, install stud girdle, (heres the hard part) scrape the old RTV off the oil pan, apply new RTV and reinstall the pan.

It couldn't be much simpler.

[john8662]

I'd say 500 is reasonable to have someone install the kit with the engine in the vehicle, I've done it this way. I think this kit is for those what want to do the work themsevles or are having a new engine built with this kit installed. It wasn't worth installing in my 6.5 because I only got another 8k out of the engine for other reasons completly unrelated to the bottom end. At least I found no cracks at the time of the install, so I knew I would have something to rebuild, and still do. So, to have a kit installed for 500, naw I'd leave it alone, but if you want peace of mind, go for it.

Food for thought though, the later blocks usually don't start cracking from the main bolt holes, but rather the oil spray jets. I am not sold that the stud girdle will do much to help the 97+ blocks in this area, but keeping the bottom end from flexing could help the problem.