I'm getting ready to get my '86 into the shop for all the body and interior work, so I am thinking about doing a tear down while it is there. Does anybody know where I can get an affordable engine rebuild kit (pistons, rings, gaskets, etc), I am going to reseat the valves and everything is going to go back stock. I am hoping to do it without actually removing the block from the car, because it will be on a suspended lift, with walkway, so I have access above and below without any trouble. I need to know who has a reasonable quality rebuiuld kit for a steel head '86.

Thanks in advance

 

Just a word from experience. A friend of mine wanted to rebuild his engine while it was still in his 2nd gen Camaro. I ended up helping him out with it because it was his first engine rebuild. With it still in the car, there was an option to remove the crank or keep it in. He opted to remove the rods but keep the crank in place. This limited the amount of honing that was dine on the cyls and of course the new rings never sealed correctly. He ended up buying an old Ford from me the same week cause he was disappointed. I guess the deciding point will be how much of a ridge is built up at the top of the cyls.

As far as the kit...if you don't have a pronounced ridge and you just have to hone the cyls, there wouldn't be much of a point buying new pistons unless you actually had to get the block bored. Believe it or not, most parts chains have some package deals if you ask to speak to their engine department on the phone. In fact, AutoZone even has some cranks turned 10/10 in stock every once in a while. You didn't mention a cam, but I got a set of Fed. Mog. main/rod/cam bearings, pistons, cam, rings, gaskets, lifters, timing chain, freezeplugs, for just at $150 as a show special (yes, it was all new). -Matt-

 

If you are looking to refresh your stock engine you might be able to pull this off but you are in for problems to say the least... If you are looking to renew the engine or do any engine job related to keeping the car for any period of time you are already sunk... The engine work that would be beneficial will not be possible... The single biggest problem with factory engines is the tolerance factor... Stock, these engines are sloppy pieces of junk at best and to correct it you need to do some things that simply can not be done in the car... First off, you iron heads are cracked... Believe me when I tell you, that is not presumptuous to say... Siamese heads are a terrible design and out of 100, 99 crack... Understanding that, you will need to have them checked and stitched at the very least... From there, the standard head job should be fine... The real work will need to be done to the block and that is where your problems start... No pre cut cam has great tolerances... Some are good but none are great... Money should be spent where it will do the most good and the first place that is, is in the cam... Decide what you want and spend the doe to get a good one... Next is the crank and as the other writer said, The crank is unavoidable when redoing a stock engine... That crank is way off if it is stock and it will need to be sent out to be trued if not replaced all together... Forget honing too... If your car has more than 50-60 thousand, it will need to be bored based solely on the lack of tightness these stocks have... Check to be sure of coarse but if there is scaring, scratches or even worse - pitting from the water in the center cylinders, you are done and will need to bore... Pistons, rings and rods are all-important and make sure you give them proper attention because in my 82 there was 6 of one kind rod and 2 of another... From the factory I might add... After you decide on the compression you want and pick out those items then it is off to balance them with the crank... Align honing is very important and if you decide to get a decent set of heads, the block should be decked...

Sounds extensive right?? Well that is the truth of the matter and that is really the basic job done right... If you do these things and do them right to factory specs (cam, pistons, valves, etc) then you will end up at the factory HP rating or a bit above... Those that think they are there from the get go are mistaken... The cars that set these standards are the prototypes and they are hand built to proper specs and tolerances... Those that come from the factory are slapped together and the allowable tolerances are shameful... 86 is surely a better year than the 82 I did last year but nevertheless, drop the pan first and check to see if it is a 2 or 4 bolt main... My 82 was a 2 as were all of them... If it is, the tolerances are much more important and you should seriously consider doing it right or waiting till you can... Throwing a summit rebuild kit in and nothing more will not have the desired effect... The block itself needs to be cleaned, tested and gone through for problems too... Cleaning out all of the flashing is important, as is a hundred other things...

Good Luck either way... :cheers:

P.S. Whatever you do, don't get one of these race ready oil pumps everyone seems to have to have these days... With a stock pan you don't have the oil to feed it and it will suck your pan dry all over the place...