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engine overhaul

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lclark0624

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You may have missed my question under the string "good news. bad news? so I'll ask again here.

In reading the prior string, you saw that the engine broke and there's something loose and there is no oil pressure. Dry compression checks show low readings for 1, 2, and 4 cyl's (see prior string). Wet readings show the same with much higher readings. since there is need of tear down I might as well to more of an overhaul since the compression readings are so weak. Someone said the parts should run about $400- $500 for the parts if I do it myself.

My question is, what are we talking about if a reputable shop does it? $1,500, $2,000, $2,500, or ________.

I'd like to have an idea going in. I'm talking a normal rebuild, not a soup up. If the shop is way out in left field, I'd like to know that in advance.

Surely someone had had this done by a shop receintly. Would you share your experiences.
 
"or"

& you can do it youtrself - especially if you have a good machine shop should you ned machine work

however, you might get by with new rings since the variance between dry & wet tells me they're shot.
 
My last machine shop bill for an MGB engine was about $800.00. That included installing eight valve seats to make it a 'no-lead head'. I also had it balanced which is not necessary but nice to do. Anywho , when you vat and bore the block , turn the flywheel and crankshaft , rebush the rods and rockers , surface the head and sometimes the block and get a valve job on the head it adds up quickly. Parts and labor extra.

Alan T
 
Machine shop work 360

Included, and more

Head and valves, new guides, leveling
Resurface flywheel
Boil block, Boor to .060 over, new freeze plugs
Mag rods and balance rods and pistons
Balance crank

May have left a few things out even. Excellent work, this is where all the folks with the cool stuff down here go.
 
I'm rebuilding a "B" motor. Just a couple of suggestions:
1) be sure you, or whoever does the work, removes the oil gallery plugs and cleans the galleries. WhenI tore the motor down, the bearings had lots of scratching from crudy oil. On the suggestion of John Twist (University Motors) I drilled and pulled the 6 plugs (2 front, 3 rear, 1 bottom). Using long brushes (gun cleaning or check your local machine shop) I pushed a lot of sludge out of the block. The next step was to take the stripped block to the carwash along with the long brushes, my small air compressor, and a can of WD 40. After 2 or 3 wash and rinse cycles all over, including all of the holes and cavities, with good hot water I blew the water out of everything and then wet it down with WD 40. Then I bagged it up and am now ready to start putting parts into it.

B) Take lots of pictures when you tear it down. It takes longer than you would expect to get all of the parts and the pictures will jog your memory.

III) John Twist gives seminars and has a technical manual. I can't vouch for the seminars, but the manual is a steal. There is all kinds of great info for anything from simple repairs, to numbering sequences, to complete overhauls. I wish I had the manual when I started. (This is an unpaid recommendation.)

4) Take your time.

Good luck!
 
A word to the wise...
Many car washes do not permit the washing of engines or parts of engine and other such parts, as the the water is recylcled in a modern car wash system. Further, many states and municpalities forbid the discharge of this waste into a public sewerage disposal system without the proper use of pre-treatment facilities.

Federal law prohibits the disposal of such waste without pretreament in any manner other than the proper disposal at a liscensed oil product recycling center in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and I assume a few other ecosystems thoroughout the US.

Let the machine shop or other places that have the proper pretreatment equipment do this job!

Rant over...sorry...just a FYI for those who care about the earth.

Bruce /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif When I took the tranny from the B to a local do-it-yourself car wash - just to wash the grime off the outside - I was politely but firmly told to go home! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Mickey
 
they do that around here too, something to do with the EPA making them trap all the grease before the water goes into the sewer
 
My apologies. Your all right and we care about the environment. We recycle, keep the house at 67 in the winter and 77 in the summer. We also drive a Prius.

Cleaning has been a dilema since I started this project. I can remember washing parts for my dad in gasoline and dumping it in the weeds next to the garage 40+ years ago. But we are much smarter and aware of the consequences now. I have been looking at the "biodegradeable" cleaners, but of course once they have been used they are not biodegradeable any more. And then there all of the paper towels I use to wipe and clean with that end up in the trash.

So I talked to the recycle center this morning. In case anyone else is wondering, (check your local center to be sure what they can do) they take used oil and will take any liquids that have grease/oil in it, even if in solution with the petroleum-based or "biodegradeable" cleaners. The paper towels are still a headache, but I'm going back to cloth shop towels and then try washing them in the "biodegradeable" stuff.

Thanks for screwing my head on straight.
 
I am sorry if I offended anyone with my post...it was not meant to chastise anyone, but to be informative. Many people have no idea what happens to what gets washed down the drain. Petroleum product not only do not break down during most treatment processes, but actually retard the treatment of other waste by killing the "bugs" that are used in most advance wastewater treatment facilities.

Again, my apologies, especially to Lynn, for the way my post may have been percieved, but not intended.

Bruce
 
Might be good stuff if it kills bugs, hehe.

We use to put it on the farm dirt roads. Kept the dust down.
 
The thing that I like about this forum is that topics get discussed, not debated or screamed about. Bruce very civily pointed out something that I shouldn't do, and I am taking his advice, we all should. No apology is necessary, and thanks for your comments.

Just to reiterate my main point, don't miss cleaning the oil galleries.
Lynn
 
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