Engine Rebuild Shops in Tampa, Fl Area

karleick · 02-10-2009, 12:40 PM

Hi guys,

After lots of dithering, I'm at the point where I believe I need major engine work. I'm burning oil at the rate of 1qt every 200 miles from both combustion and leaks. Visible smoke from the exhaust at idle, acceleration and deceleration is significant. This is from a 1983 SC with 140k miles. I have previously dropped the engine and replaced all the usual gaskets, seals and O-rings to stop the common leaks with good success in stopping most of the visible leaks. I haven't done a leak-down or compression check, but the quantity of oil being lost leads me to believe I need at least a top end rebuild. There are no broken case studs and no unusual noises or vibrations coming from this engine, and it runs very well except for the oil consumption.

Due to time and space limitations, I am not able to perform the necessary work myself. I can take the engine down to a long block and ship it to a quality re-builder. I've sent queries to the best of them outside my local (SW Florida) area. I've also started talking with a couple of local shops with good reputations.

I prefer to find a quality local shop where I can deliver the car and have them do all the necessary work. Before I make a commitment I wanted to ask for suggestions and recommendations from all who have had recent good experience with a quality re-builder in the Tampa/Sarasota, Florida area.

Thanks.

carr914 · 02-10-2009, 12:45 PM

Fritz, contact Mike Bruns @ JB Racing at 352-343-8900 / mbruns@jbracing.com or mbruns here on the forum. Most shops in Tampa send their motors to Mike. Get it done right the 1st time.

T.C.

JeremyD · JeremyD's Garage

John who works for Joe Vatter at Germantech rebuilds -

Mickey at European Performance.

Those are the two I would recommend that do in house

(of course, Mike Bruns too - but he's a haul for you)

pozee · 02-10-2009, 03:43 PM

At what level on the dipstick do you fill it to? If you have it at the full mark and then find it midway between the two hash marks after 200 miles and refill it to the full mark, you may be chasing a non-issue.

karleick · 02-10-2009, 04:00 PM

I keep my oil level no higher than mid-level on the dipstick. When it reaches bottom (rather quickly now) I add another quart.

I didn't mention what precipitated this issue. I followed a ill-advised suggestion that I try Mobil 1 20wt 50 synthetic because it might refresh seals and slow the process of combustion oil consumption caused by worn valve guides, seals or piston rings. I knew this went against all advice posted on this forum, but figured one tank of oil wouldn't hurt anything. Boy, was I wrong! After 200 miles I was losing oil faster than I could imagine. Prior to this experiment I was using one quart of dino 20wt 50 oil per 700 miles.

Obviously the Mobile 1 oil did something to upset the equilibrium of my engine. Using Brad Penn 20wt 50 now isn't curing the problem.

JeremyD · JeremyD's Garage

Go talk to Joe Vatter at Germantech - Mention my name - He's a straight shooter and will tell you first hand what you need and don't need.

Mookster · Mookster's Garage

Eibell Performance in Clearwater
727-573-0911

karleick · 02-12-2009, 04:42 AM

Thanks to all who replied. The recommended shops are providing good information about rebuilding my engine locally.

JFairman · 02-12-2009, 10:17 AM

Do you see burnt oil on the spark plugs?
If so, overall or mostly on one side closer to the intake valve?

Goodluck finding the best engine rebuilder for the money spent.

Maybe ship it to Henry at Supertec is a good option...
I have a hard time trusting south florida streetcar mechanics from my and others experiences. I've seen rushed sloppy work and bait and switch pricing on the final bills.
Lots of good racecar mechanics down here though.

karleick · 02-12-2009, 03:30 PM

Well, I have bad news and I had to move quickly. I was receiving great feedback from a number of Porsche shops and engine re-builders with good reputations. My plan was to take time to review all options and make a decision which would give me the best value for a great engine.

Unfortunately, I received a shock this morning. My idle started fluctuating and I was getting a popping backfire and lots of smoke when driving cold. Once hot, the popping stopped but the smoke was constant. I traced the problem to cylinder #4, where I found oil all around the area.

I called the local shop which had given me several direct proposal answers to my requests, and the owner said it sounded like I broke one of the head studs on #4. I have never had any studs break until now, but I suspect he was correct. This is my daily driver and I certainly wouldn't drive it long in this condition. The proposals I received were very fair and I decided to turn it in to him to start my rebuild. I've authorized him to proceed with the transmission rebuild and top end. Once he has the engine down to a short block we'll consult on what he finds and go from there. I'm prepared for a full rebuild, including building a 3.2 SS if I have to replace the P&Cs. I intend to keep CIS and single plug ignition, but would port the intake to match early SC runners and use a European fuel distributor and re-mapped distributor.

Has anyone heard of P&Cs from Jarvis? This is what the shop suggests, but I haven't seen any reference to anything from Jarvis except distributors.

JeremyD · JeremyD's Garage

The only P & C's I would use are Mahle matched, LN Engineering nickies and matched JE pistons or if I was going to Turbo then the Iron lined cylinders from JB Racing. That's it.

Jarvis?

Jbizzle78 · Jbizzle78's Garage

One more for German Tech!

Joe is great!