Suggestions on Rebuild

[Anonymous]

Well, my "thrifty" 200 is finally showing her age. She's burning oil pretty bad- I had to add two quarts yesterday.

I get a mix of black, blue and white smoke under acceleration. I did the stem seals, but I am pretty sure the rings are shot.

How much am I looking at to rebuild it?

Any recomendations? I am in Western Mass.

 

[CobraSix]

I would honestly look at buying one from someone. Rebuilding in Mass seems to run about $1000-$1500 depending on the shop. I picked up a rebuilt block from a guy that was doing a V8 swap for $100. If money is an issue, that's probably the best bet.

try www.vintage-mustang.com or ebay.

Slade

 

[Anonymous]

yeah, I wish I had gone the "buy one from someone" way

paying the mechanic to do work sucks

how handy are you? can youtake a long block and finish it? that might be a good way to go

 

[mustang6]

I recently priced out doing a basic 200 rebuild doing everything I could myself to keep costs down and I figured it would cost about $800 - $1000. I even bought a rebuild kit through NAPA and prepared to take the block and head to my local machine shop to get started. Then I looked on ebay and found new engine parts much cheaper than my NAPA kit (which I ended up taking back for a full refund). I bought other people's unused new parts- pistons, rings, bearings, cam, lifters, gaskets, oil pump, timing chain, valves, seals- all new for less than $150 total. It took about 2 to 3 months to find all the right parts in the right sizes, but I got everything I needed. I only ended up with about $400 into the motor when it was done and I ended up with a few more new parts (cam, oil pump) as opposed to reconditioned than I'd first planned. So far I've fired up the engine and broken it in, all seems to be working well with no smoke, overheating, leaks, or strange noises.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the tips so far, guys!

I do feel comfortable putting a long block back together. A long block has all the "guts" already assembled, correct?

As long as the internal components are finished, I can install the external components.

However, I was hoping to keep the original block with the car due to its rarity in the Montego. I also noticed, notwithstanding the core charge, most long blocks are going for $1090, which seems almost the same price as having the original block rebuilt.

During a rebuild, what is actually done to the engine? (I am trying to see if I can do this myself).

 

[addo]

Exactly what is done in a rebuild, will reflect the competency of the shop, your final specs and the prior condition of your motor.

Important stuff: Torque plate honing, cleaning all the corrosion out the cooling passages, extra-thorough cleaning of the oilways after machine work is done. Attention to CR (this applies to head and block). Proper installation of the timing set, checking of the cam.

Due diligence will avoid you then posting stuff like "I have low compression in #1", "My rebuilt engine runs hot", or "I think my new cam has a flat lobe"...

Regards, Adam.

 

[mugsy]

I bought a "short" block off a guy in Illinois for $75. He was parting out a '66 Mustang Convert to install a 351W or something. The guy stated that the rebuild was done by the person he bought it off of and it was a "standard" rebuild. I checked everything and found that the #1 con rod didn't match the other 5. It was 17 grams too light and 0.030 too short. So the moral of the story: yes, you can save yourself a ton of cash by buying off of another person versus the machine shop; but check EVERYTHING. If you go thisroute buy yourself a dial indicator and a set of calipers, minimum.

A "short" block is the block, along with the crank, pistons, rings, cam, etc. A "long" block is the short block plus the cylinder heads that include the valves, springs, retainers, etc.

 

[Anonymous]

That's exactly my fear. So, if I decide against getting my own block machined, I would buy w/ a warranty. I am just fussy with the casting numbers, etc.

Has anyone purchased an engine from auto-car-engines.com?

Although I am sure this is debated on here all the time, tell me why I should stick with my 200 and not bump up to a 289 if I am going to all this trouble?

Again, thanks for all the suggestions and opinions!

 

[Anonymous]

I built mine from ground up when i got it was in pieces. My rebuild set me back about 2500 but i did alot of add ons like the carb alternator fuel pump it had nothing on it and accessorys i did alot with colors like chrome and stuff. Did the machine work myself but depending on what all u have is savable then you might be able to do it around 1k