Are rebuilding engines a thing of the past?

[Vern_in_IL]

Everyone tells me to pop in a factory/crate rebuild.

The last motor I rebuilt was a Ford 2.0L out of a Ranger. They never run like brand new(I had a local racing shop do the machining, I did the assebmly) and the shop did find some cracked bearing caps when he fluxed it.

Seems like rebuilding engines had died. Rebuild kits are $$$, and seems like the only time you should rebuild a motor (after a mechanical failure) is if a crate motor is not available.

We used to rebuild motors when we got all the parts back from the machine shop(Chevy Small Blocks), a fun night with the garage door open, it's like a Barbecue.

 

[Chris142]

I just had a 22r Toyota rebuilt locally last week

 

[spasm3]

I think for sbc and sbf its cheaper than you can do it in some cases. They are buying in bulk and have low price bulk contracts for parts.They buy the parts less that you can.

 

[javacontour]

I had something go wrong in one cylinder of my Protege5 and rebuilt it 116k+ miles ago.

I had just bought the car used and either missed it, or the plug I installed dropped the platinum pad or something similar.

I had a misfire indication with a flashing CEL and pulled the plug in cylinder 1 to find the ground electrode bent.

But the damage was done. Cylinder wall scored and burning a quart of oil every tank of fuel. The piston top looked like someone poked it a few thousand times with an ice pick.

I went through the same dilemma, get a reman, find a good used engine, or rebuild. Since the labor was going to be the same to pull and re-install, I sprung for the rebuild since I knew the shop and the state of my engine.

Iron block, so it was bored 0.030 over, new pistons, rings, bearings, etc.

The head was cleaned up and re-installed. New valves in cylinder 1 IIRC. The rest of the combustion chamber for cylinder 1 may look a lot like the piston, but it's run for over 116k miles, so it doesn't seem to be a problem.

 

[Zaedock]

I have the machine work done and assemble myself.

I have rebuilt a couple of engines and a few axles for customers but most didn't have the coin and opted for a boneyard assembly.

I had an account with Jasper and thought they did a decent job, especially with Ford mod motors.

 

[Kool1]

I've noticed less automotive machine shops over the past 20 years. I would say that more automotive machine shops are closing than opening.

 

[JustinH]

Or buy a used motor from LKQ and get a warranty with it, have it delivered to your door.

 

[RazorsEdge]

I've built engines in the past.

Would I do it again today? No,this day and age,time is money and with crate motors on the market today,it's too easy to pick one up,ready to go.

Less down time = more fun

 

[Zaedock]

Originally Posted By: Kool1
I've noticed less automotive machine shops over the past 20 years. I would say that more automotive machine shops are closing than opening.


Absolutely. It's very sad, IMO.

 

[Zaedock]

Originally Posted By: RazorsEdge
I've built engines in the past.

Would I do it again today? No,this day and age,time is money and with crate motors on the market today,it's too easy to pick one up,ready to go.

Less down time = more fun

The fun is in the building.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
Seems like rebuilding engines had died. Rebuild kits are $$$, and seems like the only time you should rebuild a motor (after a mechanical failure) is if a crate motor is not available.

We used to rebuild motors when we got all the parts back from the machine shop(Chevy Small Blocks), a fun night with the garage door open, it's like a Barbecue.

Engines have changed a lot since those days. They last longer, and rebuilding them is more involved (more precision, more complexity, etc.).

The one modern exception is the Renesis engine in the Mazda RX-8, especially in early model years. It's relatively short-lived and dead-simple to rebuild, so it gets rebuilt a lot!

 

[demarpaint]

I'll have to tell a friend of mine engine building is a thing of the past. He has a machine shop for over 40 years now, and he said he's busier now than he has been in years. I don't see any new shops opening, but the old timers are doing well.

 

[ShotGun429]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I'll have to tell a friend of mine engine building is a thing of the past. He has a machine shop for over 40 years now, and he said he's busier now than he has been in years. I don't see any new shops opening, but the old timers are doing well.
+1 I agree, 66 year old family owned Machine shop/Speed shop here, All the work we can handle here! plus they dont make matching number crate engines for the Muscle car Crowd.

 

[fdcg27]

More modern engine designs are not intended to be rebuilt and will typically never need any sort of overhaul through the service life of the vehicle in which they're installed.
To rebuild an engine, the block and heads have to have excess metal to machine and modern designs don't have much of that.
Also, you start running into timing problems when machining the block and heads of OHC engines to correct any lack of true flatness.
I think that rebuilding of modern engines is becoming a lost art because they typically won't need it and are typically not very rebuildable.

 

[bdcardinal]

I will be rebuilding the engine in my 95 hopefully soon. Instead of having the block machined I will order one of Summit's .030 over 302 blocks that are already clearanced for a stroker crank. Pretty much nothing will be reused, maybe the fuel rail and wiring harness.

 

[tomcat27]

After hunting for a machine shop recently - I agree with everyone's comments: machine shops are harder to find because there are fewer of them. the ones that remain are very busy. crate engines are very common but I personally would prefer to build it myself or have it built. I recently spent more on new parts than it would have cost for a crate engine. (new block, heads, rotating assembly, etc) but I know what I have and my son helped assemble it.

 

[DP78]

I think there's a combo of things here. A lot of the older machine shops that were good are shutting down cause they can't get anyone in of quality. Couple that with some minor extra complexity of newer cars along with the warranties available on a crate engine make it a hard case for a rebuild. At my job we rarely rebuild them since the warranty is only 12/12. On a crate motor it's 3/100. It's not a ton in savings since there's more labor involved on the rebuild as opposed to a swap. Most customers will shoot for the new engine on warranty alone.

 

[bubbatime]

I've done engines in the past.

My days of driving beaters are done. I highly doubt I'll need another engine in my lifetime. I maintain my stuff, and trade it in before all residual value is lost.

 

[Chris142]

Many machine shops around here.probly 10 or more within 10 minutes of where I work

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Zaedock
I have the machine work done and assemble myself.


Same here. I might even be shipping my engine off to Missouri someday for machine work.