Engine build update Bad news

[DR1665]

Dude. The car is down. Break down your engine and rebuilt it. You will save hundreds of dollars and feel better about things when you fire it up for the first time. Consider this very rough budget, then tell me you still want to drop $1500+ (don't forget shipping) on a "rebuilt" engine from a stranger.

- $000 - Tear down your long block. Keep all the nuts/bolts/brackets sorted in baggies.
- $200 - All new piston rings, rod and main bearings. Also full OEM gasket kit from dealership. (EDIT: Push comes to shove, get the gasket kit from Rock Auto.)
- $550 - Take pistons, rods, bearings, rings, crank, and head to local machine shop. Have them hang the rods/pistons, deck the head for MLS.
- $300 - Order new oil pump, water pump, belts, hoses, thermostat, radiator cap from Rock Auto while block at machine shop.
- $050 - Buy a case of cheap, Autozone conventional oil, 2 oil filters, 1 gallon of non-diluted coolant, 4 new NGK spark plugs.
TOTAL: $1100

This is very rough, as it's been a few years since I've done any serious mechanical work, but it should be within $100 or so. If you do it this way, you'll have...

- A brand new engine with ZERO miles on it.
- All the technical, precision-type sh*t done by professionals you can trust right here in Phoenix.
- CONFIDENCE: You've taken apart your engine and put it back together again. Anything else is a piece of cake.
- CONFIDENCE: You built this f***er. It doesn't leak a drop. It doesn't burn anything but gas and poseurs.
- CONFIDENCE: You have un-fucked a GVR4. You have $1000-$1200 left in your budget. It's time to start kicking ass.

DO EET.

 

[boostedinaz]

Quoting DR1665:
Break down your engine and rebuild it.



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Wow im just gonna keep my mouth shut its obvious to me that I have been going about this all wrong ... First I have no idea what im doing and will have no idea when it comes time to rebuild. Just the fact that I dont have the tools needed for such a build and the precision that I dont posess is whats deiving me to find a motor that is already built . Hell ive already lost most of my bolts and just looking at my garage scares me now . I have no physical help on this project other than my younger brother and a good friend who like most needs there to be something more than a 6pack to get dirty these days . Again thanks to all who have helped me and michael a big thank you for loaning me your stand and picker and ill get them back to you soon /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Muskrat]

Tools you need:

Metric socket set

Pry Bar

Breaker Bar

a little ingenuity for those stubborn pieces

Engine Stand

Shop Crane

Torque wrenchs

Baggies for bolts and a sharpie to mark them

That's basically it. Same tools if you want to buy a complete engine and just swap it.

Have the machine shop do the assembly on the block, so they can check all the fiddly clearances, and tolerances etc.. You then take your assembled block and put everything back on the same way it came off, with new gaskets and seals. It's not rocket science. Just find a shop in your area that people recommend.

 

[DR1665]

If you've been able to get the engine out, you've pretty much got everything you'll need to go all the way, man.

Step 1: Collect all those loose nuts and bolts before they disappear forever. Throw em all in a coffee can or something and put them somewhere they won't get lost. Worst case scenario, you'll be putting something back together, find you need a bolt, and dump the whole can out onto a towel to search for one that works.

(Forget what you've heard, the most valuable thing anyone ever gets off a parts car is spare nuts and bolts!)

Step 2: Start taking that engine apart. Remove the obvious stuff like the alternator, and manifolds first to get warmed up. Each time you remove something, put the nuts/bolts into a baggie so they stay together. Toss the baggie into the coffee can or whatever. Theoretically, when you go to put the new engine back together, the first bolts you'll need will be right at the top (in a baggie) and you'll work your way down to the mix-n-match stuff.

When you get to something you can't figure out, snap a picture and post it up in a new thread called "Engine disassembly" or something like that. We'll tell you what you're dealing with and get you back on track. If you find you need a tool you don't have, we'll know and work something out and get you back on track.

You don't have to worry about precision anything, really. If you go this route, professionals will be handling all that for you. You'll get back a brand new engine, man. It will be all clean and shiny. You won't want to install it because you know it will just get dirty again. The bottom end will be ready to go. Same with the head. You'll mount the short block on the stand, set the MLS head gasket on it, set the head on that, and start torquing things down. You'll be bolting up the simple stuff within an hour of starting.

You can do this. If you got the bastard out, you can finish it.
And if we can't help you get that thing back on the road, what good are we? Am I right?

 

[boostedinaz]

Issac, I wasn't trying to give you a hard time I am just trying to help out based on my personal experiance. I have been in your exact same shoes with two of my own DSMs. My Laser and my Talon at one point both needed new motors. In both cases I didn't even consider a used JDM motor. My experiance with those motors personally and 2nd hand through friends is that they just aren't worth it. They are nothing more than a quick fix and as I have preached many times the quick fix is rarely the right way to do it.

As for the tools needed you really won't need any special tools other than a torque wrench and any tool you do need I have and will let you borrow. Brian hit the nail on the head because as he mentioned a good machine shop will assemble the short block and the head for you so all that needs to be done is to have the motor put together. I told you that once you got short block and head from the machine shop I would put it together for you....free.

While it may not feel like it, you have a TON of resources available be it the board here or the local GVR4 crew.

I will say that step 1 (not cut a hole in the box) should be to get organized ASAP. An hour or two doing that will save days of headache and frustration in the long run.

 

ok I get it bit first as I am still considering the rebuild from kar king since I have 2 friends who have bought from them and there motors are still running great . But first I will pull a couple bearings from the crank and pull the head to see what the real damage is and see if my motor is salvagable

 

[DR1665]

Understandable if you want to consult with friends who might have dealt with a particular vendor before. I'm just going to point this out one more time and then I'll leave you to your own devices, boss. I just took a closer look at that Kar King website you linked above.

- $1450 - rebuilt, stock long block (no valve cover or oil pan)
- $ 300 - shipping (they ship you one, you pack yours up & ship it back or give them $200)
- $ 150 - you're still going to need oil, filter, coolant, plugs, thermostat, radiator cap, intake/exhaust/tb/vc gasket
TOTAL: $1,900.

Either way, you're still going to have to remove the alternator, manifolds, thermostat housing, motor mounts, and such. The Kar King deal - not to besmirch their reputation in any way - is pretty much you paying $800 more for the exact same engine you could get done locally yourself. It won't save you any work. It won't save you any time. Don't take this the wrong way, but, dude, had you stripped the block the first weekend back in early December when this thread was started and took it to a local machine shop, you could be on your second oil change by now.

Do we need to have an intervention? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hsugh.gif @Michael - How's your Saturday AM, January 15th looking? Think we could rally some troops and convince Isaac to spend some of that $800 on burgers and beer instead?

 

[boostedinaz]

No dice on the 15th but I could do the 22nd.

 

Well that all sounds great but the reason it is not appart by now is that my budget kicks in with my bonus I get every year around the 23rd of jan. So the motor will get deflowerd then and you may all have a wrench at her !

 

Oh and in case I did not say it befor my budget starts at 1500.00 but I could go to 2500 if I found some decent upgrades /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif

 

[DR1665]

22nd... 22nd... I think I can swing that. I'll check with the missus and pencil it in. Shouldn't take too much time if the lump is out of the car. Whatcha figure, Michael? 2-3 hours to strip a long block and maybe sort some loose bits?

(And aren't we supposed to be going to Barrett-Jackson on the 23rd? Also a possibility.)

I am going to be spending so much time in the east valley...

 

well I pulled the head and it looks ok but on the crank the 2 outer rod bearings were loose enough to shake with my hand and when I pulled the main bearing the one that has that bridge with 2 bearing? see picks the big bearing closest to the side where the tranny connects, after I removed that part the motor freed up there is some noticable marks on the bearings and i dont know whats good or bad. On first inspection the cylander walls look and feel ok . I guess next step Is where is a good place here in the mesa,tempe, phoenix area to get the block inspected and have the short block rebuilt for a good price I have 1200.00 for the block and head? thanks all for the large amount of help you have given me /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worthy.gif click

 

Well got my head back and it looks great but it was warped and the bill went up to 320.00 now for my short block, I sent it down to Basko her in Gilbert Az, and after I thought it was not all that bad boy was I wrong . Rick at Basko said the pistons are odd shped and need to be.replaced as well as the block is shaped odd as well so it needs to bored over this is all on top of a crank kit as well so were at.1300.00 plus tax this whole thing is.about too be put in the back yard and rot .... I should have known that when I found this car for such a good price 3500.00 that it was too good to be true because I only got to drive it for 2 months and then it just locked up..... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bawling.gif

 

[boostedinaz]

Any idea on a price for a non-running 1101? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rofl.gif

 

Nope never for sale it will go to my grave /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif

 

[boostedinaz]

I said the same thing when I had it, and when I had my Talon, and my GTO, and now I drive a beater Corolla. But hey it's a DX. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rofl.gif