to rebuild or not rebuild

1930artdeco

1930artdeco

Well-known member
My current engine is pretty well shot. She will get me out and about for about another 5-10K but it is time to make a decision. Should I spend the money and do it myself or buy a long block and drop a motor in. I am planning to counter ballance the crank, use inserts and the police head. Any references?

Thanks,

Mike
 
To me it sounds like you have already made some of the choice. You could do that with your own engine but you will still be spending the money on those options if that is what you want. The question then becomes two fold. Do you have the time/money/skills to do it all yourself? Do you want to have the downtime if you could have a good engine ready and waiting to just drop in? Just some thoughts.

Eric
 
Is your engine the one that was delivered with it from the factory? That would be an important consideration for me. I am running a rebuilt engine swap in my car but have the original #'s matching one here on a bench.
 
Personally, I think the choice is simple. Do it if you want the experience - or - don't do it if you think you are going to save a lot of money. Overall for me, although I loved every minute of it, I saved only a couple of hundred dollars total on a rebuild. I think this is because much of the necessary rebuild will require going somewhere to get the work done - i.e. bore & hone cylinders, grind crank, balance crank, mill block, install hardened seats, machine block for inserts, balance rotating components, etc.
 
After doing some research on parts, I am leaning to doing it myself-with lots and lots of help from dad. I won't save a huge amount but a couple of hundred and like GordonJ said I will love every minute of it. She is not the original engine so that does not bother me and I will know what I have in her.

Mike
 
All it takes is CARE, CLEANLINESS, and CASH. You'll have fun doing it yourself. In Minnesota it would be a good winter project, but where you live, I don't know if you have a down season.
 
1930artdeco said:
After doing some research on parts, I am leaning to doing it myself-with lots and lots of help from dad. I won't save a huge amount but a couple of hundred and like GordonJ said I will love every minute of it. She is not the original engine so that does not bother me and I will know what I have in her.

Mike
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Why don't you ask around your local club for a good core engine and start rebuilding that engine while you are still driving your car. You can take your time and search out the best machine shops and parts deals. When you are finished with the short block, you can pull your engine from the car, strip the needed parts, refurbish these parts and install them on your fresh engine block. The luxury of having all the time you need to rebuild the engine will make the experience much more enjoyable. Good luck with your project! ps: It's a rush firing up your own engine for the first time after spending hours rebuilding it.
Good Day!
Dave in MN
 
I know a lot of you want the original number off the motor but this can be done and still swap motors just file the numbers off and stamp away, yes you can tell its been done only by how smooth it is, In most cases it look better than Henry, because you bet those guys were not taking time to line up. Or if you lucky enough to live in a state that does not hassle you with title issues via Mississippi stamp in any number,
 
You can do it yourself but by the time you pay for the operations you CAN'T do you'll only save a few hundred to a $1000. Lets say you spend 3500 to DIY and a respectable shop would do it for 5000. When the time comes to sell the car would you pay 3500 of the asking price for your work? or would you pay 5000 for a reputable shop's work. I'd go with the shop any day. That's why I decided not to do my own engine. Throw away 3500 or get back most of 5000. Seems clear.
 
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