Seen a number of posts on here about what type of engine to have and some folks saying that rebuilding or building an engine is pretty easy/straight forward as long as you take your time. I was wondering what people's experience has been. Particularly the non-professional/1st timers. Is it REALLY worth saving the money on labor and/or a professionally built/crate engine? Did you really save money? Is this something you would do again (especially the first timers)? Did you need experienced help or was a good book/manual enough? Opinions are good but the experience of first timers would be great. Thanks!

 

You aren't necessarily going to save money, especially on your first build, unless you already have all the tools required to do the job properly. You'll need lots of little tools, like a block washing brush kit, torque wrench, measuring tools, pushrod length measuring tool with light springs, etc. etc. If it's something you think you would enjoy, I would recommend giving it a shot. You can rely on a good machine shop to do some of the work, like installing the cam bearings, but be sure to check everything. Clearances are critical. Also, there are some good books on building small blocks. Buy them and read them several times before beginning your project.

 

Thanks rcread! Kinda what I've been thinking. While I have a basic set of tools, I figured there would be a fair bit more I'd be borrowing or buying. I am currently leaning toward buying a complete engine versus rebuilding the one I have. I believe paying the money for this will be worth it in a lot of ways. Thanks for the reply!

 

I did my first bottom up engine rebuild a couple years ago. I would still do as much of the work myself as possible. Some mechanics want $70+/hr labor. And they don't hurry.

Next time though I'll have the engine shop install the balanced rotating assembly and the pistons & rings....they charged only $400 and the pistons & rings were a PIA for me.

 

The first couple of engines I rebuilt, I had few "special" tools other than a tourque wrench. I used "plasti gage" for measuring bearing clearence. That was good enough to tell me that i had mixed up my order for bearing..the mains were 10 over and rods 20 over..something like that,I forget now..its been years ago.But I had gotten it backwards. I installed the rings by hand..all of them..I did buy a ring compressor for install of pistons in block. I also bought a wooden "JIG" for install of trans back into motor. That was it. I DID have the books,with pictures.I read,then read some more.I then read some more.Twas easy,wasnt perfect,but ran great and trouble free. Yes, since then,I have bought tools.Oh, the first few times, I did have the machine shop install vavles ect..till the heads were ready to install. Also had them install cam bearing,freeze plugs ect.The one other thing I had then do was install pistons on the pins. HOWEVER..the first time I rebuilt my big block...i screwed around,doubted myself..tightened the rockers to tight..and wiped out my cam lobes..lesson learned.

 

Unless you want to do it yourself and it really interests you it will actually cost you more to do it yourself. My machinist said he would assemble my 406ci for $175. Special tools needed to build it cost me more than twice as much and if you don't use all the correct measuring tools your motor will likely not last.

This said it is a very satisfying feeling to fire a engine you built yourself. I think it is alot of fun, as a matter of fact I am waiting for a 400ci block to be delivered to me in the next hour, I will be building another motor just for the fun of it

 

I agree about doing it if you WANT to do it. You can do most of the work with simple tools, and the rest, you can have the machine shop do. You can save alot by R&R'ing the engine, as compared to a shop doing it. You can buy paperback books--new $15-$25-- that will walk you through the whole process. And I think you will probably do a more conscienous job then most mechanics. So, if it intrestes you, go for it.

 

build an engine because you want to build an engine. not to save money. after putting a few together i don't belive anyone but the highest paid shops will do as good a job as you will.

 

It wasn't about money for me. If it was, I think I would have bought a crate engine with a warrenty.

I did the work myself because I wanted to learn how to do something I had never done before. I enjoyed reading and learning and problem solving. It was an amazing challenge, which was completely worth it when the engine fired up for the first time.

I look forward to building another enigine someday, maybe a Big Block, but that won't be too soon.

Chris

 

did the first one when I was 17 or so. Dad helped put the crank and one piston in and left us (me and little brother) to finish it. took us a while but when it went in, it fired up first time and had no problems.

haven't messed with cars for a while now but if we could do it at 15 and 17, you should be able to handle it now....

 

lots of good advice here. you have to figure out why you want to rebuild an engine. if you think you're going to save money, you're very much mistaken. the engine i just put together will only be worth about 300hp and i could have spent less and bought the 290hp GM crate motor with a warranty. i wanted to do it though for the attention to detail, and the satisfaction of doing it myself.
if you're intimidated, read lots of books until you feel like you can go through the entire process in your mind without the help of the book. even the simple haynes (preferred) and chiltons manuals will tell you how to do a basic rebuild.
if you want to build any real power, say 350hp or better, i'd suggest a crate motor. there are some specific attention to details needed for higher power applications you can skip on a "going down the road" motor.
the SBC is really a whiz to build. damn near bullet proof and will tolerate alot of sloppyness for a basic rebuild. your corvette motor may not be the best one to learn on. even if you do decide to try it. there's lots of help here and we can walk you through pretty much anything.

 

The same here. I did my first complete build about 3 years ago just to learn something. Since then nothing seems too complicated any more. I'm currently thinking about building a 406 or maybe a blown 350. I now know that I've got the skills but am just waiting on the budget.

 

Just finished building my first engine eventhough some parts were a PITA I felt it was very rewarding. It started out a friend of mine sold me their 454 big block for $50 because they needed to go bigger in their Camaro. So I got some books to walk me through it and after a few months I finally had a finished product. What I enjoyed most about it since I was starting from scratch I could really go all out with chromed parts and a stroker. It might have been cheaper for me to go with a crate but now I know how things work. I havent got the payoff by dynoing it yet but what people who have built engines before said it seemed solid, so we will see.

 

Your chances for success in rebuilding an engine on your first attempt will very much depend on the competence and/or integrity of the machinist you choose. I've done about ten rebuilds and occasionally had problems with my machine shop, the worst of which was when my machinist inadvertently angle-milled my Vette's heads which then caused a huge oil leak through the intake which took two more teardowns, hundreds of $$$ and months to diagnose and correct. The expense of the project can also vary greatly depending upon what you want to accomplish....if you're looking for a large HP gain, you'll be in for $1500 worth of new heads, between $200-$500 worth of valvetrain parts (cam, rockers, pushrods, etc.), aluminum intake ($200), new carb ($300-$600) AND forged pistons, trick rods, and steel crank to hold the bottom end all together ($1200-$2000), and that's all BEFORE you have the block cleaned, bored, honed, and get the new rotating assembly balanced. I probably wouldn't advise building your own if you're gonna go that route since the crate motor offerings that are out there are definitely cheaper, and you're gonna need the extra $$$ for a new aluminum radiator and a killer set of headers once you've installed your shiny new lump and realized all that newfound power comes with a big heat penalty.
ON THE OTHER HAND, if all you're trying to accomplish is to get your tired old one back in shape, that can be done pretty cheaply if your cylinders aren't worn to the point where new pistons are needed. You'll need a machinist to clean the heads and grind the valves (usually $200-$300), clean the block and replace the cam bearings, (about $100) at which point you can clean up the pistons and rods, polish and clean the crank, and ridge ream and hone the block. I did this to the first motor that I rebuilt (with cheap iron rings and a $29.00 Summit bearing and gasket set) about 20 years ago, and it fired on the proverbial first crank and ran trouble-free for 50,000 miles in my '72 C20 truck before I pulled it out and sold it for $400. With the cost of the Weiand 8004 intake, Holley 600, RV cam and cheapo Blackjack headers included the whole thing cost me around $700 to build. If you do decide to go that route you'll need a torque wrench, ring compressor, feeler gages, engine stand and a good basic set of tools. It's not that intimidating if you keep in mind that Bubba and all Bubba's cousins and brothers and sisters worked at GM putting these things together for 40+ years and for the most part they ran fine- best wishes and good luck with whichever route you decide to take.

 

Seems you have a good bit of advice already on the compete build option.


i'd say if you want to build an engine do it, but if your wanting a good engine, let a pro assemble, it shouldn't take too much time and money.


I would say depending on the parts your going to use, you can get alot done yourself in prep.

If your going to get a used block, you could take it apart and clean it yourself, perhaps taking some time to deburr with a hand grinder, also do some easy grinding in the heads/intake/etc...

This still gets your hands dirty and you can spend some good time working on the engine, but your not going to have to buy tons of tools that you might never use again.

 

Thanks all for the input! It's given me a lot to think about. As an engineer I really would love to do the build myself. Unfortunately time and to a lesser extent money are likely to be the deciding factors. You all have given me enough to recognize this is not a no brainer! I suspect that I will likely go for either a simple crate engine or get one of the more reputable outfits to build me one.

Thanks again for the advice!