Motor rebuild

SVOconvLX85 · Sep 3, 2005

I have a spare 86 t-bird block in the shed. I want to get it rebuilt. Its 42 to clean the stuff. 80 to bore it out. 20 for freeze plugs. Im not getting the engine kit from them but they want 24 to install the pistins onto the rods. They want 20 to check all four rods. Do the rods need checked? 110 to recondition the crank. All together it will be 300 dollars. She also said that they may need to deck the block. Is that a common necessity? She said that they may need to look at and inspect the head because turbo heads are known for cracking??? I just dont want to be a sucker for these people. Its a well known machine shop but i like my money too much just to give it away. They also port there and the head porting starts at 175. How should I have them port it? Is there a recommended amount to be ported?

egnorant · Sep 4, 2005

I don't know much

I'm headed that way myself. I just picked up an 87 T-coupe and the motor needs work.
One thing I have heard is that you never use heat on the rods. I think these are press fit wrist pins and some places will heat the small end to get them installed and it will ruin the rods.
Bruce

Distortion 5.0 · Sep 4, 2005

When I rebuilt my engine, it required block decking, main bore shaving, a new head because mine was cracked (N/A, and I saw the crack in the valve seal) That doesn't sound like too bad a price for putting in pistons. I've done it, and can't say I'd want any less. it doesn't look (to me) like you are getting boned.

Stinger · Sep 4, 2005

SVOconvLX85 said:
I have a spare 86 t-bird block in the shed. I want to get it rebuilt. Its 42 to clean the stuff. 80 to bore it out. 20 for freeze plugs. Im not getting the engine kit from them but they want 24 to install the pistins onto the rods. They want 20 to check all four rods. Do the rods need checked? 110 to recondition the crank. All together it will be 300 dollars. She also said that they may need to deck the block. Is that a common necessity? She said that they may need to look at and inspect the head because turbo heads are known for cracking??? I just dont want to be a sucker for these people. Its a well known machine shop but i like my money too much just to give it away. They also port there and the head porting starts at 175. How should I have them port it? Is there a recommended amount to be ported?

Honestly, 42 to clean it all isn't bad...I find cleaning blocks a real PITA. Most likely it doesn't need bored, if you do, count on spending another 250-450 for new pistons that you will need after the rebore. Freeze plugs probably don't need replaced, for 20 bux you might as well have them do it if you decide you want new ones. If you don't have it bored and use the stock pistons, they are already on the rods...no need for them to install them. If you do have them do the install, make sure you stress to them that they don't overheat the rod ends when they do it. If they come back discolored, they just ruined your rods. Decking the block is a crap shoot, you may need it, may not. It would need to be checked for flatness to verify. It may be worth the money if it's not too expensive as having a flat deck and head is critical to head gasket life. If they check the head, they will find cracks. Doesn't really matter though...they run just fine cracked as 98% of the turbo heads on the road today are that way (all 8 of mine are cracked and I don't care).

Don't let them port it, if they start at 175 bux, they don't know what the hell they are doing. If you want to pay to have it done, go to someone that knows 2.3T's specifically...it will be alot more than 175 bux though (and rightfully so, it takes 15-20 hours labor to do it right).

SVOconvLX85 · Sep 4, 2005

Well the lady asked me if there was a ridge at the top of the cylinder wall and sure enough, there is. Of course She said it would need bored. Thats fine with me. So then I'll need new pistions. I saw that master kit from the Northern site for 400. We can install everything except the pistons to the rods at my house so that will save $$$. Ill be sure and tell them to be careful with those rods. I didnt know that about them. What do they do if the head is cracked? Can that be repaired? I think it will be ok though. I just want the bottom end to be fresh. I want to get it out of the shed and ready for another car when I find a cheap coupe. I also picked up an ATR header for 60 bucks so that will add a nice touch hopefully. Thanks guys

SVOconvLX85 · Sep 4, 2005

Well the lady asked me if there was a ridge at the top of the cylinder wall and sure enough, there is. Of course She said it would need bored. Thats fine with me. So then I'll need new pistions. I saw that master kit from the Northern site for 400. We can install everything except the pistons to the rods at my house so that will save $$$. Ill be sure and tell them to be careful with those rods. I didnt know that about them. What do they do if the head is cracked? Can that be repaired? I think it will be ok though. I just want the bottom end to be fresh. I want to get it out of the shed and ready for another car when I find a cheap coupe. I also picked up an ATR header for 60 bucks so that will add a nice touch hopefully. Thanks guys

Stinger · Sep 4, 2005

That's what you get when you talk to a lady...

The ridge doesn't mean a damn thing. The bore needs to be measured to verify that it is within spec for diameter, roundness, and taper. If they are all in spec (odds are, they will be) and you have a rindge...you simply remove the ridge with a "ridge reamer", hone the walls, and move on with life...saving a few hundred bux in the process.

Yes, a head crack can be repaired...it will just crack somewhere else though. As stated, it doesn't cause ANY problems unless it's cracked clear into a water or oil jacket (not common at all but would be evident as soon as you pulled the head off the block if this where the case).

SVOconvLX85 · Sep 4, 2005

Sorry about the double post, i dont know what happened. In the beginning, i actually called up there about getting it honed and cleaned up. Then she went into the whole boring out thing. Thanks for letting me know all this. Ill go back up with some more knowledge now.

Red_LX · Sep 5, 2005

FYI- the Northern master kit has hypereutectic pistons in it, you don't want those.

Also- $110 for the crank, is that to turn the crank or what? I had them check mine and it didn't need turned, so I just had them polish the journals for I believe it was $40, I can't remember. Sounds to me like this machine shop wants to part you from as much of your money as possible.

SVOconvLX85 · Sep 5, 2005

Thats what a business like that is about..taking your money. I think the 110 was to do everything to the crank. If I just buy the re-ring kit and have the honing done and the ridge reamed, the motor will be fine? I want to run around 20 lbs with an aftermarket turbo.

Willy0314 · Sep 5, 2005

you have to check it to see if it will be fine. Some 2.3L (most likely yours too) only need a simple hone job and then can be thrown back together with new rings and gaskets. Tell them you want them to clean the block and inspect it. After they inspect it, ask them what they think and if they say it needs a bore job, tell them to show you the "mic" (pronounced mike) numbers. Make them prove to you that the motor needs the work they are telling you it dose. If the motor was beat on and/or not taken care of, missed oil changes, over heat ect. it may need some work. However It sounds like the person on the phone sensed you weren't quite sure of things and is trying to bleed you dry.

SVOconvLX85 · Sep 7, 2005

Good news. I have a buddy who is in tech school and theyre gonna start rebuilding motors and he said hell find out for syre if he can bring mine in and bore it out and so on. It is like a bring your own project if you have one kind of thing. He also said they have a cnc machine where they can port the head and stuff so hopefully it works out.

Stinger · Sep 7, 2005

I still don't think it needs bored...

CNC's don't magically port heads...you need to have a port profile to load into the CNC which isn't a "freeware" type thing, nor is there one available for the 2.3's (though I do know one person that will have one soon).

SVOconvLX85 · Sep 10, 2005

Well, there really isnt a ridge like I thought there was. It appears to have been rebuilt once before. My dad and I were looking at the rods and they had already been numbered and he said they dont come from the factory like that so someone must have done something. There were newer gaskets on the bottom portion of the motor also. I dunno if that meant anything but maybe Ill just get new rings and bearings.

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