DIY Engine Rebuilding?

In reply to curtis73:

My grandfather once claimed he was as accurate as plastigauge by watching how the 30wt assembly oil squished out of the bearing. I dont doubt him, but I didn't spend my life in an automotive machine shop, so plastigauge will have to work.

Rod bolt stretch gauge?

codrus wrote: Rod bolt stretch gauge?

we building F1 engines here?

to do a basic rebuild on an American V8 you only need a few special tools..

torque wrench- beam style is the best, but a decent 1/2" drive clicker is good enough and a lot easier to use.

piston ring compressor. i like the adjustable band style.

feeler gauges for checking thrust clearance and ring end gaps.

snap gauges and caliper for checking clearances.

damper installer.

that's it- everything else is just basic hand tools that you'd get in a 100 piece Craftsman starter tool set.

some other tools make life easier- flywheel turner, engine stand- things like that... but those aren't necessary.

once it's together, a gutted distributor to use as a preluber is a good idea, but not totally necessary, either..

novaderrik wrote:

codrus wrote: Rod bolt stretch gauge?

we building F1 engines here? to do a basic rebuild on an American V8 you only need a few special tools.. torque wrench- beam style is the best, but a decent 1/2" drive clicker is good enough and a lot easier to use. piston ring compressor. i like the adjustable band style. feeler gauges for checking thrust clearance and ring end gaps. snap gauges and caliper for checking clearances. damper installer. that's it- everything else is just basic hand tools that you'd get in a 100 piece Craftsman starter tool set. some other tools make life easier- flywheel turner, engine stand- things like that... but those aren't necessary. once it's together, a gutted distributor to use as a preluber is a good idea, but not totally necessary, either..

I agree with this, except for the ring compressor. Get one of these:

The cheapy band style one crapped out when I was putting the engine in the van together. I bought one of these, then slapped myself for not stepping up sooner. Yeah it's 30 bucks, but with 8 slugs to deal with it's worth it.

moparman76_69 wrote: I agree with this, except for the ring compressor. Get one of these: The cheapy band style one crapped out when I was putting the engine in the van together. I bought one of these, then slapped myself for not stepping up sooner. Yeah it's 30 bucks, but with 8 slugs to deal with it's worth it.

Oh yeah, those conical ring compressors? That is awesome. I watched someone throw together a big block with one of those and it was cake compared to monkeying around with those crappy pliers/compressor abominations.

Fifty eleventy billion + on what Aeromoto said about cleaning.

I had a cleaned and polished crank in a plastic bag returned from the machine shop. I started to install it and seconguessed. I ran a brush through the feed holes in the journals and it was unbelievable the crap that came out. That engine would failed quickly. This was my first rebuild and I guess everybody else knows clean isn't clean.

Also, the tools Novaderrick listed will suffice. But you don't have tell that to SWMBO.

FWIW, I always have the machine shop install the pistons and crank in the block. Comes from having broken a piston ring once and having to hunt all over East Bejesus trying to find the right replacement (obscure British iron with aftermarket pistons, so not easy and cheap like everything 'Merican). Also negates worries about bearing clearances, torque values, etc. Of course, you have to trust the machine shop to do it right...

IMHO, on a 200k Exploder you can probably get an off-the-shelf remanufactured motor with a warranty for not much more than it is going to cost you in parts and machine work to DIY, especially if you make a mistake along the way. Though the experience might be priceless to you...

O'AdvanceZone Auto Parts has the reman unit for about $1600. And yeah, that's hard to beat buying tools and machinework. Of course, Ford Racing has a 300 horse crate for $3k.....

ultraclyde wrote: O'AdvanceZone Auto Parts has the reman unit for about $1600. And yeah, that's hard to beat buying tools and machinework. Of course, Ford Racing has a 300 horse crate for $3k.....

I'd sooner spend the 3 Gs on the Ford, then $1600 with Auto Zone

tuna55 wrote:

moparman76_69 wrote: I agree with this, except for the ring compressor. Get one of these: The cheapy band style one crapped out when I was putting the engine in the van together. I bought one of these, then slapped myself for not stepping up sooner. Yeah it's 30 bucks, but with 8 slugs to deal with it's worth it.

Oh yeah, those conical ring compressors? That is awesome. I watched someone throw together a big block with one of those and it was cake compared to monkeying around with those crappy pliers/compressor abominations.

never tried those. they look slick, but you are tied to a very small range of bore sizes with them... the ones i have are the band style that you use a 1/4" ratchet to tighten up... it has a quick release on it, so you just have to set it on the first piston and then it's set for the rest of them.. it also has a bore size range that would allow you to use it on anything with bores from about 2" to 6" or so,,,

novaderrik wrote:

codrus wrote: Rod bolt stretch gauge?

we building F1 engines here?

The instructions for the Carrillo rods in my Miata motor called for it, so it's not that exotic...

codrus wrote:

novaderrik wrote:

codrus wrote: Rod bolt stretch gauge?

we building F1 engines here?

The instructions for the Carrillo rods in my Miata motor called for it, so it's not *that* exotic...

Carillo rods for a Miata are exotic compared to the stock parts in a 302 Ford...