For Those With a Rebuilt Engine...

Amanda · 04-27-2006, 08:15 PM

...who did the rebuild?

afterburn 549 · 04-27-2006, 09:29 PM

not that hard, just $$ parts. my labor helped take the edge off, and i would never have gotten a shop to do what I wanted

2.7RACER · 04-27-2006, 09:35 PM

Still learning. This bbs is a great forum. I open my 2.7 once a year, between seasons, for upgrades.
I'm not sure if I enjoy the motor work more than the driving.

HarryD · 04-27-2006, 10:59 PM

Amanda,

I had a shop do my top end. Why? For me it was an issue of time. While I am sure i could do the work, I also knew it would take me 2-4 times as long as the shop since I would be unable to give it my undivided attention but would be only able to work in 2-6 hour spurts once a week. My shop did the work in one month (car into shop/car out of shop). Plus I get a waranntee.

You need to ask your self if you are willing to put inthe time and have the time/space to get the work done. If you do, and feel you have the skills, go fo it.

Amanda · 04-29-2006, 08:47 AM

Thanks for the votes/replies. Although interested, definitely not enough time to DIY.

Nickatnyt · 04-29-2006, 11:36 AM

Time is definitely an issue for me as well, plus if I screw one thing up then I am SOL and no mechanic likes to fix other people's screw ups.

I firmly believe in having professionals who stand behind their work take car of my cars. Kudos to all the DIYers though!

Grezdlitn · Grezdlitn's Garage

Rebuilt mine but had to live with the anxiety of whether or not I did it right! 1500 miles and still hanging together. Feeling pretty smug and wishing I had a 3.2 to try next.

Mark

Amanda · 04-30-2006, 09:48 PM

The DIYs had a huge early lead, but it's now just about 50-50 with the shop rebuilds. The results have me wondering about the impact of a DIY rebuild on re-sale value, considering very few have sold. However, I'm sure part of that low number is due to DIY rebuilders not interested in selling their cars.

JeremyD · JeremyD's Garage

If you are going to sell - then have a shop do it. Also - if you are anal retentive - then take the time and multiply by 5 = it's pretty easy to get past a hundred hours into an engine rebuild if you dissassemble... clean, paint... etc...

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

I had a friend do mine, kstylianos, here on Pelican. Heads went to a local shop and cams went to Camgrinder, here on Pelican, for 964 spec. welding and regrind. We pulled my engine out one night and I left it on a stand with a credit card for Charlie, while I went to China for three weeks. When I came home he was timing the cams. He had called and emailed me photos while I was travelling. The very next weekend after I returned we threw the engine back into the car, broke it in and I even managed to get 1000 break-in miles on here in two weekends. We reringed my Alusil P&C's and 7k miles later, she burns very little oil. My car is 90% track and I flog it as hard as I can. She keeps begging for more. I couldn't be happier with my rebuild. If I sell it, I have it so well documented, there's no way the DIY rebuild could detract from the value. In fact, I probably wouldn't sell it to anyone who valued a shop rebuild over DIY anyway.

GothingNC · 05-01-2006, 12:05 PM

I have kstylianos old 82 SC Targa and couldn't be happier.

He rebuilt the motor 15,000 miles ago and it is bone dry.
I've driven about 700 miles so far with zero oil consumption.

He also provided me with a ton of photo's and receipts documenting the rebuild.

Any motor rebuilt may have problems and if the shop is in a rush they might miss checking out a part see see if it's worn beyond tolerance or if it's defective.

GothingNC · 05-01-2006, 12:07 PM

I have kstylianos old 82 SC Targa and couldn't be happier.

He rebuilt the motor 15,000 miles ago and it is bone dry.
I've driven about 700 miles so far with zero oil consumption.

He also provided me with a ton of photo's and receipts documenting the rebuild.

Any motor rebuilt may have problems and if the shop is in a rush they might miss checking out a part see see if it's worn beyond tolerance or if it's defective.

wilke3169 · 05-01-2006, 12:23 PM

I am #30. If you really want to understand all of the discussions here on the board, rebuilding is a great education. I did send machine work out of course but did everything else myself. The day I finished and cranked the engine my wife asked if I would do it over again. My response was that I would if I had another one to rebuild. Very rewarding, while nerve-racking. It now has over 8000 miles on it and no problems.

MattKellett · MattKellett's Garage

I had mine rebuilt by Tom Amon of Mobile Works West. I choose Tom because of his stellar reputation here on Pelican and also because of his reasonable rates and that he could rebuild the engine at my home. If you do a search on Tom you will find many results.

Also there is Mobile Works East with Jimmy Deering who is a regular poster on this forum. he is based in Sacramento, but I believe will also travel into the bay area. Jimmy and Tom worked together before going mobile.

I didn't rebuild my own engine because frankly I wouldn't have had a clue where to start. I can only imagine the pride and satisfaction that those who did do their own rebuilds have. And, my hat goes off to them.

Matt