What it all costs

• Tiers are the same Good / Better / Best used in the section files. Line prices are low-high where sources disagreed or a vendor spread exists.
• Conf: C = price read from a vendor page fetched live on 2026-10-12; S = seen in a search-result snippet only; E = allowance / no confirmed price (do not order from it).
• Source: §NN = section file NN; vendor and form after it. All prices checked 2026-10-12 (as stated in the sections). AUD/GBP/CAD prices were not used.
• Scope: parts and fluids; owner does all labor. "Shop labor" lines are the only outside services (machine shop, alignment, paint, EFI tune, bed-liner spray).
• Not in any total: Gearstar core charges ($650 L2 / $750 L3 / $650 TH400 L3, all refundable), insurance, plates, inspection fee ($12 cap), winter tire set, tools, a spare engine/trans for parts, dyno time for a carb, and the 'block fails inspection' risk adders under 2.2.

Formula used for each total: (parts + services) + misc% x (parts + services) + shipping% x parts + tax% x (parts + misc).

Each system is priced Good / Better / Best. Section 4 assembles them into recipes. Items shared by two systems are priced once and the overlap is credited in the recipe roll-ups (section 4).

#2.0 Engine variants at a glance

Path A costs about Good +$2,119-$3,239; Better +$1,854-$3,401; Best +$4,852-$7,285 more than Path B at the same tier; the spread is mostly the rotating assembly and heads. Compression, cam and octane are tied together: the project design target (section 90, adopted by 01-05) is 9.2-9.3:1 static, DCR 8.4-8.6, cam closing the intake at 41-45 degrees ABDC on 93 octane; the brief's 10.3-10.5:1 and §02's earlier 9.8:1 are withdrawn.

#2.1 Engine Path A: full performance build (489 ci stroker, aluminum heads, hydraulic roller)

Good

Better

Best

#2.2 Engine Path B: freshen bottom end + aluminum-head bolt-ons (~400-450 hp)

Good

Better

Best

Risk adders (not in totals): if the sonic check fails, a new Dart Big M 31223344 iron block is $3,600-4,200 (§01) - and its 9.800" deck matches the stock Mark IV 454 block (verified; §02's earlier 10.200" was the error), so the rod/piston stack carries over; verify the rear-main style and bore (4.250" standard, takes .030" over). Sleeving is $75-150 per cylinder (generic, §01). A different pan if the first doesn't clear the C10 crossmember: +$100-400.

#2.3 Transmission 1: TH400 rebuild (all-in, driveshaft counted separately)

Highway reality (§06/§09): TH400 at 70 mph is ~2,870 rpm with 3.42 on 28" tires, ~3,130 with 3.73. Gear Vendors overdrive ($3,195 for the unit; ~$6,300 all-in per a Buick owner's report, 2-piece shaft likely on a long bed) is the no-computer alternative and is not in the tiers.

Good

Better

Best

#2.4 Transmission 2: 4L80E / 4L85E overdrive swap (all-in, driveshaft counted separately)

Core charges excluded. TCI StreetFighter EDL271000 ($3,796) was dropped to conditional by §07 because its converter is 3,000+ stall; Bowler Tru-Street is $10,527. If EFI is chosen, the Terminator X Max with trans control replaces the Quick 4 (credit applied in Recipe 2).

Good

Better

Best

#2.5 Transmission 3: T56 Magnum 6-speed manual (all-in, driveshaft counted separately unless noted)

Owner decision first: §08 says the 4L80E fits the brief better; the T56 wins only if the owner wants a clutch pedal. The T56 also needs a floor-shift column, a high-hump tunnel contingency and a bench-seat shifter decision (Recipe 3 extras).

Good

Better

Best

#2.6 Rear axle

Prerequisite: confirm the truck even has a 12-bolt (count cover bolts; a standard half-ton may have the 8.5" 10-bolt, §09). Gear ratios: GM 12-bolt 3.42/3.73; Ford 9" 3.50/3.70/3.89/4.11 (a 9" does not come in 3.23/3.42/3.73). Rear discs are priced under Brakes (CPP DBR320-V $771, SSBC $748-838).

Good

Better

Best

#2.7 Driveshaft (custom, measured at ride height)

Good

Better

Best

#2.8 Induction + fuel system (built once for carb now / EFI later)

Section 04 recommends the return-style Holley 12-136 module even for carb; its Good tier used the returnless 12-129 ($416), which cannot be converted to EFI (conflict list; +$260 to upgrade). Tank TM11A-T is for a 1973-81 short bed; a long bed (131.5 in. wheelbase) needs a different tank (TM1A / 19-455 / FT69 or FT98) and its price is not in these totals. The Recommended EFI column adds the Holley 534-237 regulator kit (price not confirmed, allowance) and the optional 4L80E trans harness BPP558405 (allowance).

Good

Better

Best

#2.9 Ignition, charging, starting, battery

Good

Better

Best

#2.10 Cooling + accessory drive (V-belt phase; trans cooler is in the transmission tables)

The trans cooler is priced in the transmission tables. Thermal-clutch-fan fallback (Torqflo 18-6996 $86.50 + OER shroud $68) saves ~$500 vs the Good electric setup (§14). Serpentine drive is priced under A/C (it brings a pump, alternator and compressor with it).

Good

Better

Best

#2.11 Headers + exhaust (parts only; custom pipe labor shown where a shop is assumed; 'S' = section 90 Recipe 1, 'R' = Recipe 2/3)

The R tier is the section 90 Recipe 2/3 pick: Hedman mid-length 69170/69176 (HH626-V from $437, 69176 price not confirmed) with the OWNER's dual 3-inch X-pipe plus resonators (a custom fabrication; the $1,200-3,500+ range is a Shawnee shop's own published price list, §19, self-published) - the H-pipe is an option, not the default (§15). The S tier is Recipe 1 (Elite long tube + the 2.5-inch Flowmaster kit). AFR/Trick Flow raised-port heads (0.375"/0.300") make header fit a gate (§02, §15). Jet-Hot coating $165-279 if uncoated headers are bought.

Good

Better

Best

Section 90 pick (R)

Section 90 Recipe 1 pick (S)

#2.12 Brakes (Good / Better / Best, plus the section 90 Recipe 2/3 pick 'R')

Hydroboost is the pick in every recipe (§12/§90). The R tier is the Recipe 2/3 pick: Wilwood ProSpindle + 12.19-inch 6-piston kit, a Ford-9-inch rear disc kit (kit identity and price not confirmed; allowance), POL HB2-T7387 hydroboost with hoses. The Right Stuff kit (B tier) is Recipe 1's pick; its rear is the 12-bolt GM flange and does NOT fit the 9-inch. Good tier is vacuum booster + electric pump and is not recommended with this cam. Owner said 'drums all around'; catalogs say 1971+ C10s had front discs - the Good rebuild assumes discs. ABS not researched.

Good

Better

Best

Section 90 pick (R)

#2.13 Steering

Good

Better

Best

#2.14 Suspension + stance (incl. wear-parts refresh, cab mounts, alignment; 'R' = section 90 Recipe 2/3 pick)

The R tier is the Recipe 2/3 pick (ProSpindle drop in the brake kit, 6454 springs, 4-inch lowered leaf pack instead of a flip kit + C-notch). Spindle choice must match the brake kit (Right Stuff and Wilwood ProSpindle both bring their own drop spindles - credited in recipes where the B tier is used). Measure rotor thickness (1.0" vs 1.25") before ordering Belltech 3100 vs 3200.

Good

Better

Best

Section 90 pick (R)

#2.15 Wheels + tires (street)

17" is the recommendation (§10): deeper tire supply to 2042, clears the drop. The Nitto NT555 G2 is summer-only; a KC teen needs a winter/all-season set (+$1,000-1,500, not priced).

Good

Better

Best

#2.16 Wiring, gauges, lighting, radio

Painless 20205 and AAW 510347 are effectively a tie (§16). Painless 20205 does not support TBI/computer carbs; EFI needs its own harness. The TH400 speed signal (SEN-01-128) is priced in the transmission table, not here.

Good

Better

Best

#2.17 A/C + heat

Vintage Air 945619 already includes the compressor and BBC brackets - do not also buy Old Air 40-116R or an SD508 on top of it (§17). The Front Runner (X tier) already includes the compressor, pump and alternator and is the Recipe 2/3 pick; its compressor side on a C10 is undocumented. Kit needs the dash out; schedule with wiring/interior. No Kansas City shop quote for evacuate/charge was found (DIY with the owner's vacuum pump, or $150-300 simple recharge elsewhere).

Good

Better

Best

#2.18 Body, sheet metal, paint, interior, safety (estimates dominated by paint + seats)

Paint and seating drive the spread. §18 gave Good $1,500-2,500, Better $5,000-9,000, Best $12,000-25,000 as estimates; the itemization here is higher at Better and Best because it counts paint, dash pad and materials. No KC paint, bedliner or glass quotes exist.

Good

Better

Best

Each recipe follows the section 90 recipe of the same number. Lean = every system at Good (with the axle held at Better when the engine is Path A: §09 says do not run a 12-bolt behind 500 hp). Recommended = the section 90 picks (tier codes R and S above are the section 90 picks for brakes, suspension and exhaust). Premium = every system at Best. Recipe 1 stays carbureted with a Path B engine (the brief's 'phase 1'), Recipe 2 is the full performance build with EFI controlling the 4L80E, Recipe 3 is the manual with a carb. Winter tires, the ididit column ($1,461 / $1,056), a long-bed tank/lines/floor and any Be Cool upgrade are NOT in the totals.

Tier map per recipe (Good/Better/Best per system):

#4.1 Recipe 1: Carb + TH400 (Path B engine)

Lean

Recommended

Premium

#4.2 Recipe 2: EFI + 4L80E (Path A engine)

Lean

Recommended

Premium

#4.3 Recipe 3: T56 Magnum + carb (Path A engine)

Lean

Recommended

Premium

Drivetrain core = engine + transmission + rear axle + driveshaft + induction/fuel + ignition/charging/starting. Running drivetrain adds cooling and headers/exhaust (the engine cannot run in the truck without them). Both include the same 10-15% misc, 2-4% freight and 7.6-8.1% tax. Overlap credits that touch these systems (e.g. the Quick 4 credit on EFI, the T56 flywheel credit) are included.

Note: the drivetrain core excludes the wiring harness, gauges, brakes, steering, tires and body/paint/interior, A/C and suspension, but the truck is not road-safe until brakes, steering and tires are done - budget those (sections 2.12-2.15) before the first road test.

#Mix-and-match deltas (add to any recipe)

Same totals without the Body / paint / interior / safety system (mechanical, electrical, A/C, wheels - the part that does not depend on paint and seat choices):

Planning midpoints (average of low and high): R1 Recommended $57,640; R2 Recommended $80,084; R3 Recommended $78,542.

What the three are: R1 is a streetable ~400-450 hp carbureted truck with the original transmission architecture; R2 is the full ~500 hp build with a modern overdrive automatic and self-learning EFI (best match to the 35-minute 65-70 mph commute, §07/§08); R3 is the same engine as R2 with a clutch pedal. Recipe 3's Lean column is not a bargain: the T56 swap alone costs about as much as a Gearstar 4L80E.

1. One cost basis (resolved). Before the integration pass, section 90 summed its own recipe picks without freight, misc or tax ($49.9-60.6k parts for Recipe 2), this file priced a different recipe set (AFR 3610 heads, Right Stuff brakes, V-belt-phase cooling, long-tube headers) at $57.9-71.5k parts and $66.5-87.7k all-in, and section 93 carried a third range ($56-80k). All three now use THIS file's roll-up (parts + services, +10-15% misc, +2-4% freight on parts, +7.6-8.1% tax on parts and misc) on the section 90 picks. Sections 90 and 93 quote the totals in section 6 here and no others.
2. Deck height (resolved). The Mark IV 454 deck is 9.800" (four sources, §02 note); §02's earlier 10.200" was the error, §01 and the Dart 31223344 (9.800", 4.250" bore, takes .030" over) are correct. The zero-deck piston compression height for a 6.135" rod is 1.665" (4.000" stroke) or 1.540" (4.250" stroke). Remaining unknown: the Scat 942-1-42452 kit's actual piston compression height, relief cc and balance type (section 90 U1); vendor ratios for that kit (9.4:1 at 112 cc) cannot be reproduced.
3. Static compression target (resolved). 9.2-9.3:1 (9.5 ceiling), DCR 8.4-8.6, intake closing 41-45 ABDC. The brief's 10.3-10.5:1 and §02's earlier 9.8:1 are withdrawn. The DCR ceiling itself is a community rule of thumb (forum threads; an Engine Labs search summary gives 9.0-9.5 static as the conventional pump-gas guidance); no engine-builder standard was retrieved. The Howards CL120265-12 (needs 10.0:1+) is not used.
4. Displacement vs heads (resolved). The recommended 489 uses the Edelbrock 60455 (standard exhaust location). The AFR 3610 (rated to 468 ci, raised ports) appears only in the 460 Path B Best column; AFR 3670 (300 cc) is the Path A Best bounding case with its header-fit gate.
5. Cam and lope (resolved). Hydroboost removes the vacuum reason for a wide LSA; the default stays 110 LSA (230/230 stand-in), with 108 LSA as the owner's lope option and nothing tighter (§03, §84 C2/C3).
6. Power claim (unvalidated). About 450-500 hp (about 480 expected) and 520-560 lb-ft for the 489 is a reasoned estimate from the published ZZ454/440 (469 hp at 9.6:1, 454 ci) and Edelbrock RPM-head tests; there is no dyno or simulation result. The owner's 500-520 hp goal is at or above the top of that range.
7. Path B compression. §01 computes 7.7-8.7:1 for flat tops on the 4.000" stroke with the piston 0.040" down the bore (CH 1.625" on the 9.800" deck); §02 computes 9.2-9.5:1 at a 0.004" deck. Both are right for their piston heights: a piston ordered at CH 1.665" (or a 0.036" deck cut) is what turns §01's result into §02's. The Better tier prices new pistons; Path B Good (stock pistons reused) is ~8-8.5:1 and wastes the aluminum heads.
8. Fuel Good tier. §04's Good tier uses the returnless Holley 12-129 ($416) while its own recommendation says never to use it (cannot convert to EFI). Budget it at the $416 figure or add ~$260 for the 12-136. The EFI column adds the Holley 534-237 regulator kit (price not confirmed; allowance $150-245) and optionally the 4L80E harness (allowance $0-300).
9. Water pump rotation (resolved). The Stewart 21123 ($193) is reverse rotation (serpentine only) and is now labelled that way; the V-belt tier prices a standard-rotation long pump ($130-147, rotation to be verified). Recipes 2 and 3 are serpentine from day one, so the pump and 140 A (or 170 A) alternator come inside the Front Runner kit and the credit is applied.
10. Overlapping kits. Right Stuff THB7355DP-P and Wilwood ProSpindle include drop spindles; UMI Stage 4 includes CP4S4 spindles; the Vintage Air Front Runner includes a water pump and alternator; the AP T56 Pro-Fit combo includes a driveshaft. Spindle, pump and alternator overlaps are credited in the recipes; the AP driveshaft is NOT credited (conservative) - up to $625-1,000 could come off Recipe 3 if the AP shaft is built for the chosen axle.
11. Hydroboost pricing. §12's Better and Best totals leave out the $343-401 hose kit (§13); this file adds it. The Hydratech 3039K master cylinder is extra (price not confirmed); the recommended POL HB2-T7387 includes its master cylinder and proportioning valve.
12. Out-of-stock / lead-time items. AFR 3610, Be Cool module (Eckler's OOS), Cold Case GMT556A-1, Holley 19-454 tank kit, Flowmaster 17742, COMP 11-432-8 (OOS at one retailer), Terminator X 550-1013 (special order), TCI/Hooker items. Prices are the last seen; expect substitution.
13. Truck facts the owner must confirm (each can change a tier or a line): 12-bolt vs 10-bolt axle; 5-lug; front discs vs drums; bed length (117.5 in. vs 131.5 in. wheelbase: tank, brake line kit, bed floor and driveshaft length all branch on it; only the short-bed versions are priced here); water-pump length; A/C compressor side (and the Front Runner's compressor position on a C10, which is undocumented); rotor thickness; balance type of the 454 and of the Scat kit; TH400 tag; hood, firewall and core-support clearances (never measured).
14. Exhaust (owner's spec restored). The Recipe 2/3 exhaust is the owner's dual 3-inch X-pipe with resonators, not an H-pipe default. The fabrication range ($1,200-3,500+) is a single self-published shop price list (§19) and the header price for the coated mid-length 69176 is not confirmed, so the exhaust line is the widest allowance in the recipe. 2.5-inch off-the-shelf kits are the Recipe 1 path.
15. Cooling sizing. The Cold Case 21-inch dual-14-inch kit is a starting point; §14 now carries a heat-rejection estimate and a pass/fail hot-day test. A 3-4 row core or the Be Cool module (out of stock) is not in the totals; the core-support depth with the 0.75-inch condenser is unmeasured.
16. Sales tax. The brief estimated ~8-9%. Sugar Creek's sales tax shows as 7.6% and the city's own use-tax notice as 8.1%; both come from search snippets, not a rate lookup tool. Verify with the Missouri DOR before a large order.
17. Services pricing. Machine work, paint, bed-liner spray, custom exhaust and the EFI tune have no Kansas City quote; the only local number found (the $140 tank + Magnaflux quote) is from 2011.

All line sources are the section files 01-engine-bottom-end.md ... 19-local-kc-resources.md in this folder; their own Sources/Verification sections carry the vendor URLs and the 2026-10-12 check results. The integration pass re-based the recipes on section 90 and added the Section 90 pick tiers (R, S); the new lines use prices and sources already in sections 01-19 (the Holley 534-237 and Bilstein B6 lines are allowances, flagged E). External sources used only for tax: sale-tax.com (Sugar Creek 7.6%, search snippet), sugar-creek.mo.us notice of use tax (8.1%, search snippet), kintsugi/Avalara (Jackson County 9.975% common rate, search snippet).