How long did it REALLY take to rebuild your motor diy?

[bpu699]

I have been working on mine for over 2 years... not every day, not every weekend. Simply working on it when life allows... it’s taking forever.

I keep seeing threads on here with folks rebuilding a motor and reinstalling in a month...

How??? No job? No kids? No wife?

There’s ordering parts... usually about dozens of times...

Machining work... that’s weeks to months...

Getting the right tools, researching...

Documenting, taking pictures...

For example, testing and balancing the CIS system easily took 2 full weekends. Sure, next time I could do it in a couple hours... but not the first time. And you need to clean the injectors, which means you have to build a contraption to do so. And then it leaks...and then you need more copper washers...and then...

The engine tins... have some rust. So sand blast, prime, paint, that’s a day...

The blow off valve has rust. So sand blast, vht paint, reseal, new nuts and washers, reinstall... that’s a day...

Rebuilding the motor, even with Wayne’s book, takes forever. Mostly due to the immense fear of doing something wrong. You triple/quadruple check. You buy bore gauges, micrometers, etc...

Perhaps a carbureted motor is easier, but a turbo seems to take way longer...

So realistically, from when you started dropping the motor, to when the car was driveable? How long?

And I figure 20% or so never go back together...

[faapgar]

Between 40 -65 hours.Lack of knowledge breeds fear.Reading posts takes time.Read Neil Harveys take on things.He is there to help and reduce your fear.Ciao Fred

[bpu699]

Originally Posted by faapgar

Between 40 -65 hours.Lack of knowledge breeds fear.Reading posts takes time.Read Neil Harveys take on things.He is there to help and reduce your fear.Ciao Fred

From beginning to end?

You started on a Monday and were driving on friday?

[Flat6pac]

You have to allow time for the heads in the shop, parts to come in, figure what you forgot to order.
I generally quote 4 to 6 weeks.
My brothers car was in last year, trucked in from Colorado, top end, case opened inspected bearings, power washed, resealed,reinstalled, driven a couple hundred miles then trucked back to him
Total time was about 6 weeks
It was an 89, you can look up my post on the build.
Search “89 reseal and top end “
Bruce

[arbita1]

It took me exactly one year from engine drop to first start up.

Worked when I could. I have a demanding job, kids in sports, vacations, skiing etc. machine shop took longer than expected.

Thought it was going to take 3 months.


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[Cheshire Cat]

if money not a problem and parts are in place - yeah a week or so or even less...
in some cases 2 years it`s just for taking things apart and saving money )

[bpu699]

Originally Posted by Flat6pac

You have to allow time for the heads in the shop, parts to come in, figure what you forgot to order.
I generally quote 4 to 6 weeks.
My brothers car was in last year, trucked in from Colorado, top end, case opened inspected bearings, power washed, resealed,reinstalled, driven a couple hundred miles then trucked back to him
Total time was about 7 weeks
It was an 89, you can look up my post on the build
Bruce

I kind of figured a pro would take at least a month. I know you are working on multiple motors at the same time. You have the tools, the know how, and the experience.

I suspect a year, for a complete newbie, is conservative.

I have a well equipped hobbyist shop. More tools than most... there’s still a learning curve...

[bpu699]

Originally Posted by Cheshire Cat

if money not a problem and parts are in place - yeah a week or so or even less...
in some cases 2 years it`s just for taking things apart and saving money )

The first time you do it, you don’t even know what you need...

I’m sure the second time is 10x faster...

[bickyd]

about six months . top end job.

[VFR750]

First time pulled engine August 2014.
Full rebuild complete and installed May 2015

Sent out cams, heads, rods and crankshaft for repair and got them all back January 2015.

Sent oil pump out too for inspection and replaced gear on intermediate shaft

Discovered pistons were no good. Ordered P&C set from EBS Racing and got them March 2015.

Started actual rebuild mid March and completed it early May. So two calendar months to completely rebuild the engine.

I made time at 2-3 hours at a clip. It just takes some negotiation on time now, on the build, in exchange for very specific efforts on other projects.

[trond]

took me a month or so including waiting for things. Between jobs so had the opportunity

[florio]

3 months on weekends and many evenings, including getting the heads machined and the cylinders nickasiled. Started on the first try, been running it in for a month since completing the rest of the car. Wayne's book is a definite help to plan forward.

[jons911]

I pulled the engine/transmission together the last weekend of March and had my first startup in mid October. It took another couple weeks before I worked on the tune and got it driving on the road. This was my first engine rebuild. The only outside work I had was sending out the heads to Craig Garrett to be rebuilt and taking my crankshaft to a local shop for inspection and polishing. I used new rods, new pistons, and a rebored set of cylinders I had bought a few years back, so I had them waiting for when I was ready to assemble. If I remember correctly, I had the full block completely rebuilt by mid June. The design and fabrication of the turbo exhaust and intake is what took forever. Since it was originally a 3.2, I had to make it all from scratch. I definitely lost at least 4-6 weeks over the course of the project due to needing to order parts unexpectedly or things not working as expected during disassembly and reassembly.

[Richey]

Getting the parts ready ; cylinder heads , ultrasonic cleaning the oil cooler , case work , zinc plating ,
camshafts rocker arms refurbished , P's & C's , carburetors or MFI , etc. takes a lot longer than the actual assembly .

[boyt911sc]

Originally Posted by bpu699

From beginning to end?

You started on a Monday and were driving on friday?

bpu699,

The number of hours (40~65) quoted by Fred A. is the total man-hour an experienced person would spend to complete a typical 911 engine rebuild. That is the estimated or calculated time spent to finish the job. That is totally different from the time frame you started the project to completion.

Secondly, it also depends on your proficiency. Since we don’t do this job regularly like the pros, it would take us more man-hours than the projected 40~65 man-hour. I made a time-motion study of a couple engine rebuilds I did in the past and accumulated 70 man-hour total on the worksheets over a period of several weeks.

Another experiment I did was to determine how long it would take me to assemble a 911 engine using pre-cleaned and ready to install engine parts. All parts were pre-checked and inspected prior to assembly. I did three (3) separate runs in a span of 2 weeks and were able to complete the assembly under 8 man-hours. At a leisurely pace, 12 man-hours is easy.

For me, it is not how fast you completed the rebuild but how well you did the job at your own pace. Who cares if you are slower than John Doe and takes longer time to get to the finish line? For me, it is all about enjoyment and satisfaction.

Tony

[Trackrash]

I just looked up the dates on the pics I took during my last build. Two years.

Then again, I still had a great running motor in my car, so there was no rush. Plus I did EVERYTHING myself. No machine work was required since I started with an SC core. But, I did all the cleaning, assembly, measurements, painting sheet metal, zinc plating misc hardware, and even did my own valve job. Tons more details to attend to as well. Worth the time and effort.
You will notice that I used JE pistons, which needed to be checked for fit, CR, deck height, and clearances.
I did not do a build thread, you are welcome. But I did document the build, here are a couple of shots.

[bpu699]

Originally Posted by Trackrash

I just looked up the dates on the pics I took during my last build. Two years.

Then again, I still had a great running motor in my car, so there was no rush. Plus I did EVERYTHING myself. No machine work was required since I started with an SC core. But, I did all the cleaning, assembly, measurements, painting sheet metal, zinc plating misc hardware, and even did my own valve job. Tons more details to attend to as well. Worth the time and effort.
You will notice that I used JE pistons, which needed to be checked for fit, CR, deck height, and clearances.
I did not do a build thread, you are welcome. But I did document the build, here are a couple of shots.

Nice job...

I’m doing my own plating, powder coating, etc...too...

Very satisfying, yet time consuming...

I’m in no rush, have other cars to enjoy...

[bpu699]

Originally Posted by boyt911sc

bpu699,

The number of hours (40~65) quoted by Fred A. is the total man-hour an experienced person would spend to complete a typical 911 engine rebuild. That is the estimated or calculated time spent to finish the job. That is totally different from the time frame you started the project to completion.

Secondly, it also depends on your proficiency. Since we don’t do this job regularly like the pros, it would take us more man-hours than the projected 40~65 man-hour. I made a time-motion study of a couple engine rebuilds I did in the past and accumulated 70 man-hour total on the worksheets over a period of several weeks.

Another experiment I did was to determine how long it would take me to assemble a 911 engine using pre-cleaned and ready to install engine parts. All parts were pre-checked and inspected prior to assembly. I did three (3) separate runs in a span of 2 weeks and were able to complete the assembly under 8 man-hours. At a leisurely pace, 12 man-hours is easy.

For me, it is not how fast you completed the rebuild but how well you did the job at your own pace. Who cares if you are slower than John Doe and takes longer time to get to the finish line? For me, it is all about enjoyment and satisfaction.

Tony

I agree. What I wanted to know was the real world timeline, with life included...

I suspect many folks think they can rebuild a motor, in the real world, in 3-6 months. It’s just unlikely...

Life, has a way of intervening...

[spyerx]

And the more custom you get the long it takes on parts lead time. And have a mag case that needs work? 3 months right there...

The disassembly assembly part isn’t the long tail. It’s waiting for custom parts, machine work, plating, painting ,etc...

[patkeefe]

The 2.7 in my garage is going on 12 years.