Engine rebuild thread

Hey Veeky Forums i have a pos small block chevy sitting around and i figured i would give it a shot at rebuilding it. My dad said he replaced it when it started developing a rod knock. I have a near endless supply of sockets wrenches and screw drivers, i was wondering what tools i would need to get the job done. Also share experiences and tips.

Ring installation tool is a must have. Keep good track of every bolt with Ziploc bags. Head bolts in one, valve cover bolts, etc.

what's a good procedure for a pleeb like myself to establish proper crank and rod bearing clearances?

watch some scotty kilmer

I'm actually replacing the engine in my wife's escape. Thought it was a head gasket, turn out the block is worn away between two cylinders. Installing the new (used) engine this weekend.

Anyways, I laid out everything in my garage in the order it was removed, with labels on the nuts and bolts.

My favorite specialty tool is the pulley spanner/holding tool. It keeps pulleys from spinning when you try to loosen them. It's awesome for things like flywheels or crank pulleys that require a lot of torque to remove.

harmonic balancer puller, torque wrench, sockets, maybe a short extension.

impact wrench or other electric tool will speed the process, but take your time the first few times.

You'll also need a feeler guage, new seals, mains, rod bearings, and cam bearings (if they come off), metal from a bearing will tear shit up fast, seals aren't meant to be re-used when they come off. Slops will re-use them but they're cheap. You should also be fine re-using head bolts, just get them torqued right.

Then find a nice cheap truck with a fucked motor, toss her in, and enjoy.

I rebuilt the th350 transmission for a class and i figure if i can rebuild the engine and sell them together i can get $1200 for the pair. I got a nice list of tools ill get and see if i can pull this off. Thanks Veeky Forums

How hard is this to learn to do on your own? I want to learn more about basically everything as far as working on cars goes, but I have no car friends. I also have an old saturn sitting around with a blown head gasket that I've been meaning to try to sell, but now I'm wondering if it could be a good learning opportunity.

If the engine is shit, theres no harm to be done. That how i usually look at it.

its not hard. especially not anymore with the internet and car forums.

you are going to spend a couple hundo in tools/parts though if you want to do it right. like at least 500 bucks.

Thanks I'll probably end up trying this eventually then. The car's a real piece of shit that I doubt I could get $1k for as is anyway, so it's not like I'd be out much if I fuck something up or come across bigger problems.

>rod knock
Be prepared to toss the crank

just do it one piece at a time as you can afford parts. get the engine out, stripped down, and on a stand. that barely costs anything and will take you a dozen or so hours.

Shit

I can get a junkyard crank for just $40. That should keep the cost down. Will the crank from any sbc fit?

You'll definitely need a torque wrench, my man

Plasti-gauge.
You will also need a torque wrench and a rebuild kit with necessary gaskets and seals. What year and model did the motor come out of?

Short answer yes. Sbcs from the late fifties have a small journal and won't fit. If you use a crank from a motor with more cubes it will probably have a longer stroke which may cause piston clearance issues.

Im not sure. Id have to find the casting numbers and try to date code it

If the bearing spun then the rod is toast too.

I want to get an LX9 3500 from a junkyard car, and rebuild it to swap into my 02 Grand Prix. I've never rebuilt an engine before, but I feel like it wouldn't be an impossible task. Any tips for someone who has not a lot of experience in this?

H-has anyone ever rebuilt a rotary here? I'm thinking I might rebuild mine preemptively, it pulls great even at 126,000 miles but I don't want to have it break at a bad time.
Is it really that hard to ensure proper clearances with engine internals? would I be better off just sending it off to some place and having them throw some new seals on it?

>Not impacting everything so it doesn't come loose

Fuck that moron.

Plastigauge or crush gauge is how you measure clearances. It's a piece of waxy plastic that spreads farther the tighter the clearances. A manual will tell you what the clearance should be.

Engine stand and hoists are a must buy. Doritos are stupid easy compared to other engine types.

Op here, i have both already. Harbor freight had a 30%coupon on the 2 ton crane and a 20% one item coupon!

dont let him catch you at your local autozone

Are those coupons still available?

Harbor freight always has coupons