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Engine rebuild recommendations


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Just thinking ahead, when I remove my engine to clean and paint the engine bay I'd like to send both the gearbox and engine off for a refresh. Nothing immediately wrong with either but I'd rather look at prevention than catastrophic failure in a few years time. I'll know what I have once it has been rebuilt. Any recommendations for someone who could re-build both or someone for the engine and someone else for the box and overdrive?

Any upgrades recommended as well e.g lightened flywheel? Roller rockers, cam shaft etc and finally an idea of budget for the following:

Engine.

Basic rebuild back to factory settings - ££££

Intermediate rebuild - ££££

Bells and whistles build - £££££££

Same for the gearbox and overdrive if there are any ugrades avaialble for those.

The car is a road car and will be used for touring and normal everyday work throughout the warm months.

Thanks

P.S I know someone will say how long is a piece of string but I'm just doing some research and would like the benefit of everyones experience. I'm prepared to spend money on it but I don't want to waste money either.

 

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1 minute ago, ctc77965o said:

This is a tractor engine...if it aint broken....

Fix it until it is ?

Mick Richards

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No, not a tractor engine, although there are similarities - see my articles on the development of the TR 4-pot engine in TR Actions 241 & 242 (March & May 2010).

The tractor engine was a wet-liner unit, has the same crankshaft (machined differently) and was governed to 2000 rpm.

More correctly, the TR unit is a developed Vanguard engine.

Ian Cornish

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11 hours ago, Jase said:

Just thinking ahead, when I remove my engine to clean and paint the engine bay I'd like to send both the gearbox and engine off for a refresh. Nothing immediately wrong with either but I'd rather look at prevention than catastrophic failure in a few years time. I'll know what I have once it has been rebuilt. Any recommendations for someone who could re-build both or someone for the engine and someone else for the box and overdrive?

Any upgrades recommended as well e.g lightened flywheel? Roller rockers, cam shaft etc and finally an idea of budget for the following:

Engine.

Basic rebuild back to factory settings - ££££

Intermediate rebuild - ££££

Bells and whistles build - £££££££

Same for the gearbox and overdrive if there are any ugrades avaialble for those.

The car is a road car and will be used for touring and normal everyday work throughout the warm months.

Thanks

P.S I know someone will say how long is a piece of string but I'm just doing some research and would like the benefit of everyones experience. I'm prepared to spend money on it but I don't want to waste money either.

 

Just how long is this string !!!!:)

The GB and OD would be apprx £400 each.  With the ORS mod's etc the two would be nearer £1200 the pair.

Haven't a clue about engine costs but when I did my own I spent a good £1200 on parts with me doing the rebuild.

Do not ask a retailer about the bells and whistles as he will sell them to you.  If you are touring and want a reliable car keep it standard(ish)

Many owners go for 89mm liners. This is tempting fate a little.  Go to 87mm and be happy.

If you want a little bit more of spritely effect fit a Newman PH1 road cam with their chilled iron followers and a fabricated exhaust manifold (Phoenix seems to work well).

With the head off consider hardened seats for the exhaust.

Definitely get the crank crack tested - No.4 big-end to web radius is known for cracking. The head can also crack get it tested BEFORE any work is done.

New heads and cranks are available from Moss - and they are good.  Fit your old (soft) valve springs to the new head.

Make sure the water pump is working well. Continue with the old one if you have had no TRouble with it.

Roger

 

 

 

 

Edited by RogerH
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Most would say 89mm liners are fine and it is the case that if you go over this you have to worry about using fancy head gaskets.

Definately get the crank crack tested if you are getting the work done by someone else.  If doing it yourslf it is a toss up between the cost of your time and the cost of testing.  if paying someone else to do the work the cost of crack testing is relatively less compared to the builder's charges! yes new cranks are available but they are not cheap so if you need one go the whole hog and fit a forged steel one for not much more! However cranks are generally strong and reliable.

Get the flywheel lightened and the bottome end balanced and the crank should last a lot longer. Forged steel rods are so cheap there is no point lightening the originals.

A fast road cam will give a more tractable engine with a bit more power for overtaking. But don't go daft - the 4 pot engine will benefit from a hot cam but too much and you lose drivability - we drive on the roads not the racetrack.

If the head is off get hardened valve seats fitted to the exhausts to ensure longevity on unleaded fuel. Gas flowing can be beneficial but expensive.

Gearbox rebuilds are around £400 ish but I would suspect that the O/D may well be less than this at O/D spares in rugby (unfortunately they don't do gearboxes)

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The crank will cost about £50 to be FMPI crack test - this must be worthwhile n matter who does the rebuild.

#4 big-end is a serious contender for a split personality

 

The new Moss crank is £1197. This is under 50% of a steel billet crank.  Why skip crack testing yet consider a new billet crank.

The Moss crank is as per OEM spec.

 

Roger

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The only person for the overdrive is Overdrive Repair Services. Sheffield 0114 248 2632 who will run a test when finished and adjust it correctly. Peter Cox knows all about gearboxes for many decades and is expert.

Engine rebuilding is more difficult and mine was done by a local engine specialist in Sussex.  I supplied a copy of the instruction for the liner heights and he got them all wrong. Darryl at Racetorations rebuilt it for me. But he has a faulty business plan because this was 1987 and it has been trouble free ever since.

This is all my experience of using the wrong people driven by cost, never again 

Good luck Richard & B.

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