Help! Unsure of rebuild kit needed.

[Levi.Productions]

I am currently tearing down my 4.6 2v out of my 1996 gt for a rebuild. I have identified that the engine is without a doubt a romeo engine. (10mm bolts, R stamp on block) I am looking to get a rebuild kit for the engine as it is needed. The one I'm after is on Ebay right here: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335821607&icep_item=301978357443 Ebay says this kit will work however the listing says it is for winsor engines. So I alternatively found this kit: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335821607&icep_item=301978357623 This one ebay says will NOT fit however the ad description says it fits Romeo (what my engine is.) So my question is are all romeo engines the same?? Will that second kit fit my car? The ad says its for Crown Vics, Lincolns etc which use the same engine. Anybody know?? Thanks in advance!

 

[wmburns]

Just wondering. Why buy such an important set of parts from an Ebay seller with may have a difficult return policy when it's possible to buy from a real brick and mortar site such as RockAuto.com

Rebuilding a motor is hard enough as it is. It doesn't seem to me that the few bucks saved is worth the risks.

1996 FORD MUSTANG 4.6L V8 SOHC Engine Rebuild Kit | RockAuto

RockAuto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. Easy to use parts catalog.

www.rockauto.com

Are you planning to have the block hot tanked and rifled brushed cleaned? Any checking by a qualified machine shop?

 

[Levi.Productions]

Just wondering. Why buy such an important set of parts from an Ebay seller with may have a difficult return policy when it's possible to buy from a real brick and mortar site such as RockAuto.com

Rebuilding a motor is hard enough as it is. It doesn't seem to me that the few bucks saved is worth the risks.

1996 FORD MUSTANG 4.6L V8 SOHC Engine Rebuild Kit | RockAuto

RockAuto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. Easy to use parts catalog.

www.rockauto.com

Are you planning to have the block hot tanked and rifled brushed cleaned? Any checking by a qualified machine shop?

Thanks! Ended up going with their kit. Get's here Friday

 

[wmburns]

Do you have a local machine shop that is going to help you with this rebuild? I hope that you do. The advice and expertise of someone that does this sort of work for a living can make the difference between success and failure.

Note, I'm not saying to have a machine shop do the work. What I'm advising is to have the machine shop do the work that machine shops are best at. Things that are difficult for a home based DIY'er to do. For example:

• hot tank cleaning
• rifle brushing cleaning of all oil galleys and passages ways.
• checking for cracks
• checking for leaks especially in cylinder heads.
• performing the key measurements to check for flatness and clearance.

 

[Levi.Productions]

Do you have a local machine shop that is going to help you with this rebuild? I hope that you do. The advice and expertise of someone that does this sort of work for a living can make the difference between success and failure.

Note, I'm not saying to have a machine shop do the work. What I'm advising is to have the machine shop do the work that machine shops are best at. Things that are difficult for a home based DIY'er to do. For example:

• hot tank cleaning
• rifle brushing cleaning of all oil galleys and passages ways.
• checking for cracks
• checking for leaks especially in cylinder heads.
• performing the key measurements to check for flatness and clearance.

I haven’t sourced out a machine shop yet. It’s on my list of things to do. Is it really worth taking it down and spending the money for them to go over the block? This engine isn’t gonna be making any crazy power it’s gonna be PI swapped and then maybe a few bolt ons. Main concern is budget, just spend the $600 for internals but it is what it is. Should I take it in then for a hot tank and a few other things?

 

[wmburns]

I have a friend that is a GM LSx fan. He is working on an upgraded LS motor using a "formula" approach recommended by others on the forums. During planning he was picking my brains on my thoughts about his project. Needless to say that he did little of what I recommended.

Fast forward to recent times. He is now on the 4th rebuild of this same project. The previous attempts suffered various "problems" related to assembly "errors". EVERY one was preventable if someone had more experience and/or double checked their work. What would your thoughts be after the 3rd time to remove the motor?

One of my recent projects was to rebuild a GM 3.5 for a 2007 Pontiac G6. The prior owner had run it low on coolant. The motor over heated and threw rods out the side of the block. With the help of my local machine shop, he helped me to pick the best parts from (3) core motors to create one working motor. New rings, bearings and gaskets were added to the mix.

Looking back on the project, the experience of the machine shop provided me:

• with the assurance that all clearances were checked to be sure they were within "standard" range.
• the heads and deck were flat
• there were no hidden cracks
• the heads were completely checked and ready for bolt on. Wear parts replaced.
• The bore of the block was measured. Only a slight re-surfacing was needed. No over bore.
• Perhaps the MOST important thing was just how clean everything was. The parts were so clean they looked brand new. It made so much difference not having to worry about external dirt getting inside the motor while it was being assembled. This was an important "lesson learned" for me. I was surprised just how hard it was to keep everything clean during assembly.

Recommendation. If budget is really a top concern, did you really need new pistons? Were the old one's even checked?

Bottom line. For a true budget rebuild it's hard with today's high cost of labor to rebuild a motor and do it right. I generally recommend if $$'s are really that tight, the use a whole salvage yard motor.

This is your project and you should do what you think is best.

 

[Levi.Productions]

All great points, thanks a bunch! I should be more specific about budget the main thing being that I’m trying to avoid upgrading every little thing. I bought th is car mainly as a learning platform so the reason for the rebuild is so that I can learn. I’d rather make my mistakes and mishaps on a POS 4.6 with 260000km than on a nicer car or engine I may own later on. Nevertheless I will check out a shop. I found one I plan to check out this weekend. A few of my crank bearings had some scratching so the crank might need to be polished. I’m trying to take this slow and don’t want to rush anything. My internals should be here this week so I’ll make a trip to the shop with the block and stuff and get their .02 on what I should do.