I took out the Engine and stripped the heads and intake so I have just my l-82 block on my hands. I called a local machine shop and basically asked him how I can get a rebuild for as cheap as possible
He broke it down like this:
He can rebuild and assemble everything (incl/heads) for about $1500.
I then asked about him doing the machine work and me doing the assembly. He stated that for $625 incl/ heads he would do all the machine work and then give it back to me to assemble. I plan on buying different heads anyway so Heads are out of the equation. So I imagine he would take some of the $$ off the $625 to machine the block. At least he sounded like he would work with me and I do think that it would be "funner" to build my own and learn something...
Engine folks: Am I way over my head in thinking that I can do this? Perhaps if you have done this before your answer may be "yea you can". But what if you are just a shadetree type?
I have some books etc. ???

 

You can definately do this yourself. Get a book called "how to rebulit a small block chevy" and you will have no problems. Just take your time and you will be fine. It is all about confidence, it isn't that hard if you follow that book.

 

Sure. I don't even think you need many special tools. Torque wrench,
some plastigauge, a piston install tool (I just have the cheap type),
a ring installer. I can't think of anything else, somebody else who does them more often will chime in.

 

I too am some what shade tree when it comes to auto mechanics. Best thing I ever did was have the bottom end rebuilt by a professional and did the top end myself. Not difficult this way and for my first motor I was not about to screw up my block by "trying my hand at the crank". Start slow and go from there.

 

Actually Guys, that is the exact book that I have. It seems very easy to follow and has tons of pics...Uh Oh..my confidence is rising now...

 

just remember if you're reading David Vizards "how to rebuild..." if you run into a step and you don't know how to do it or it seems to not be applicable to your motor, stop, ask someone, and figure it out before continuing. don't skip any steps.

good luck

tbw

 

I did my first ever complete from the bottom up, engine rebuild on a BB. It wasn't easy, but if you can think and turn a wrench I'd say you can do it.

I took my time and bought parts & pieces when I can. I spent about $1500 at the machine shop and had everything done to a block possible. That price also included mounting the pistons to the rods, cam bearings and balancing the rotating assembly.

I had some experience in the past with heads, headers, cam & carbs but never from scratch.

 

I just got my block back yesterday and for comparison this is what the shop charged:

Labor only

Install can Brgs $35
bore & hone w torque plate .020" $175
Recond rod install ARP bolts $125
Fit piston to rods, hone wrist pins for fit $95
polish crank $40
balance $250
power wash $30

Parts ran about $400-$500
new heads were $650

I'm going to fit the rings so they are .005 over but you can buy gaped rings. I went for the plasma rings which I probably didn't need which added to the cost. I had most of the tools already but did have to buy a ring filer.
Good luck,



Gary

 

For those that have taken their block to the machine shop, did you try to save some $$ by removing the internals like the crank, rods and pistons?

 

Yes, I first took my crank to the shop and had it cut & polished. I was sort of getting my feet wet and a feel for the shop. It also gave me an opportunity to talk with the guys there and see what I needed done.

I knew before hand though that I was going to need new pistons so a complete disassembly was in order. I literally removed ever piece of that engine and installed everything myself except the cam bearings and freeze plugs.

When I dropped off the engine block at the shop, it was truely a "bare" block.

A bare BB weighs about 269lb and we were barely able to lift it into my Explorer. I couldn't imagine trying to lift it with a 70lb crank, connecting rods and pistons still installed.

 

Jughead, I'm impressed - picking up a 400 SBC is enough for me!

 

Before disassembly, if doing it yourself, stamp numbers into your rod and main caps to return everything home. A good book will explain this. Also, a book will explain simple modifications to promote better oil flow in the engine. There are many things you can do to improve your end product that don't cost anything but time on your part.

 

I may have been in the lucky minority but my block didn't need any machine work when I tore it down at 92K miles. Like most I got a copy of David Vizards book on rebuilding small block chevy's and even got a video on how to do it. After reading everything I tore the block down and measured the piston bores and the crank journels. Much to my surprise they were still within factory specs and some of the hone marks could still be seen in the bores. I then cleaned up the block using degreasers, engine cleaning brushes and a high pressure hose. I cleaned the pistons in a 3 pound coffee can filled with carb cleaner and the pistons came out like new. The crank was also cleaned using degreasers and small brushes. After I was done cleaning it i polished the journels with 2000 grit wet or dry lubricated with a light oil. After everything was clean I followed the assembly instructions in the book. The only special tools i used were relatively inexpensive. I used a 6 in. dial caliper, a set of telescoping gauges, and a few micrometers to measure the critical clearances. I used an adjustable piston ring compressor to install the piston and rings. I used a harmonic balancer remover/installer for the balancer and some plastigauge to measure bearing clearances. And of course I had a 3/8 and 1/2 inch Torque wrench. The only thing I paid for was to have someone remove and install the cam bearings because at the time there was no reasonably priced tool to do it. There are however a few places now where you can get one for about $70. I got my rebuild kit from Summit and it included all the bearings and gaskets needed for the rebuild. i also got an intake, cam, new pushrods and lifters from them along with a high volume/high pressure oil pump with the pickup tack welded onto the pump body and a new timing chain set. I purchased a set of World Products SR torquer heads with 67 cc chambers since my original heads were low performance and basically shot. All in all I think my rebuild cost about $1000 to $1200 including all the new parts and the engine runs fine and uses no oil. It pulls much stronger now due to the heads and cam (Crane 272 Powermax) and is very streetable. I asked someone to run the combo on DD 2000 and the results are shown in my sig. Also, this was my first attempt at rebuilding an engine. Now, here's the disclaimer. If you are looking for maximum horsepower you should have the block machined using all the correct procedures (torque plates, etc.). But if you're looking for a mild performance rebuild with the target being a nice streetable engine odds are that you're block and crank (unless they were abused) should be in pretty good shape. I would measure everything first before I made the decision to have it machined. The tools don't cost much and you'll probably reuse them down the road so they're a good investment. Just my $.02 based on my experiences. Good luck.

 

If you decide to DIY... make sure the shop puts a -small- bevel on the top of the cylinder bores. This will help you avoid breaking a ring when you install the pistons/rings. Although most shops automatically bevel, I have worked on blocks without the bevel and 9 times out of 10 a ring gets snapped during assembly... regardless of which design of ring compressor you use.

Yes... it can be done without the bevel. Odds are more in your favor with it, especially as a "first timer".

With the rings compressed properly you should be able to insert each piston by hand.... no pounding. When you pound, you break a ring.