It will be easier on you to get the engine done before it blows, it sucks when you're not prepared, it happened to me with my Capri, and it can be very frustrating.
I went to sell it for $5500 during the summer. I saw the cash in the guys hand and everything. Since that night, I have never been able to look at it the same ...it's my 2nd baby, and I am full of shame that I almost sold it.
It was my bearings that were screwed up. I was quoted $615 for the job. I asked them if they'd throw in some 3.73s while they were in there, and at first, they said it'd cost $37.50 more, but then they said they'll do it free of cost. So I went and bought the 3.73s and put them in the back seat. They rebuild the rear-end, using the stock gears, because the gears in the backseat were overlooked. They tore it apart again and put the 3.73s in. I had a mad leak months later. For some reason, they pulled the cost down to $565...which I was kinda weary of.
So after it was done, I had paid $765 to have my rearend rebuilt with 3.73s!
Any oil will do, but if it were my car, with that many miles, I would just keep using whatever you're using now. The Royal Purple is a pure synthetic, but it's extremely expensive @ $7.50/quart, what you're using is definitely good enough.
I recommend saving ahead of time for students or young people in general, it's usually much harder to come up with the necessary funds. Although, it really depends how important the car is, is it worth the money, do you have debts already, if you had to, would you get a loan to do it, or do you have plenty of money, and it's really not an issue, ya know. As for the engine, it's really a matter of preference. Some people swear by a rebuilt engine, some swear by a new one, whether from a lower-end company for cheap, 2-2.5k, or a really good one, or even a brand new Ford motor. Myself, I've had two engines rebuilt by hand, and one brand new, and I definitely prefer a hand built engine. But honestly, I would ask around, especially here at Stangnet, and get a lot of opinions and advice, and try to make a good decision based on what you think is best. Rebuilding or replacing an engine is never cheap, and you definitely need a trusty mechanic, for anything ya can't handle yourself. It took me about 2 years to find a really good mechanic, it's nice to have someone you can trust, ya can't put a price on that, I learned the hard way. GL
Any oil will do, but if it were my car, with that many miles, I would just keep using whatever you're using now. The Royal Purple is a pure synthetic, but it's extremely expensive @ $7.50/quart, what you're using is definitely good enough.
I recommend saving ahead of time for students or young people in general, it's usually much harder to come up with the necessary funds. Although, it really depends how important the car is, is it worth the money, do you have debts already, if you had to, would you get a loan to do it, or do you have plenty of money, and it's really not an issue, ya know. As for the engine, it's really a matter of preference. Some people swear by a rebuilt engine, some swear by a new one, whether from a lower-end company for cheap, 2-2.5k, or a really good one, or even a brand new Ford motor. Myself, I've had two engines rebuilt by hand, and one brand new, and I definitely prefer a hand built engine. But honestly, I would ask around, especially here at Stangnet, and get a lot of opinions and advice, and try to make a good decision based on what you think is best. Rebuilding or replacing an engine is never cheap, and you definitely need a trusty mechanic, for anything ya can't handle yourself. It took me about 2 years to find a really good mechanic, it's nice to have someone you can trust, ya can't put a price on that, I learned the hard way. GL
Wow, you really put it to me in a way that I understand. I really appreciate it.
*I will continue to use the same oil, 10W-30 Valvoline MaxLife.
*It's hard for me to save when I want to mod my car a lot now.
*The car is priceless to me, so it is worth the money.
*I have very few debts, just my motorcycle and $1200 credit card right now.
*If I had to, I would take a loan out for the car.
*Right now, I have a steady income of $550/week. Bills, at minimum, are about $750 a month. It all depends on how much I pay on the motorcycle and credit card.
*I think I would have more fun rebuilding an engine myself. The only problem is that I do not have a garage. I live in an apartment complex.
*I have considered an 04 GT create engine...but am now leaning more towards an 03 Cobra setup. That would be ULTIMATE!
tha max life is a great oil,t hat and Lucas (as stated) keeps my F150 alive. About that new/rebuilt engine, i'm gonna get flamed for this but that's jsut the way it goes. Sinc ehtis will probably be your first engine you may not wantto get too crazy with it. That 03-04 cobra motor sounds great on paper but after screwing around getting all the electronics and wiring for it you may find the engine itself was the cheap part. You have a couple of choices, you could got o the junk yard and find a low mileage engine like you already have, change out the timing chains, cam it, or do some light internal mods and throw it in the car. That is not a bad way to go and since you have the motor sitting there, you can usually swap it in weekend. (ad $$ for clutch & motor mounts and misc stuff while it's apart). Or..you could, since you have another ride, just build what you have, rent the hoist, pull it out, take your time, check everything twice, depending on the damage and wear you may not have to replace the pistons/ rods and crank or bore the block. They might mic up OK and so just clean up the piston and rod assemblies, have the crank polished, a valve job, new cams and t/chain and put it all back together. (let someone with experience make this decision)This would not be a "rebuild" by any sense of the word, you would be freshening it up. It all just depends on time and $$. When I built my first engine @ 17 the small block Chevy was sitting in my bedroom for months while I saved up money to work on it, it was apart and clean, but since we didn't have a garage I had no choice.