Editing How to rebuild an engine

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== Summary ==
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== Requirements ==

=== Tools and work area ===

====What tools are needed?====

The first tool you need is information about your engine. Get a service manual with complete specifications, such as torque values and tolerances.

You will need a basic set of hand tools, such as a good variety of boxed end wrenches, ratchet and socket set, screwdriver set, and a gasket scraper. This basic set of tools will get you through the majority of the disassembly steps.

You will need a few special tools when it comes time to build or reassemble the engine. A good torque wrench, Plastigauge [http://www.plastigauge.co.uk/], and a cam bearing installing tool (unless machine shop installs cam bearings). Also you may need a ridge reamer, a ring groove cleaner, a ring expander, a ring trimmer, a ring compressor, and a good cylinder hone. 

Depending on how indepth and involved you want to get with your rebuild(s) and how many engines you think you are going to rebuild, you may want to acquire some additional measuring equipment.Items such as a set of outside micrometers, an inside micrometer, vernier, dial or digital calipers and maybe a dial bore gauge can let you know precisely what your sizes are. Think of these tools as indespensible if you are planning on blueprinting your engine(s).

====Selecting tools====
For each tool needed to rebuild an engine, we'll need to know:
*How much does it cost?

*Is it better to buy a cheap version of this tool, or should you spend money to buy a high-quality version of this tool? If you're starting a "project" or work on cars often it would be wise to spend the extra money on higher quality tools. Craftsman and Snap-On are commonly known to be the "best tools". Snap-On is a lttle better quality, but cost considerably more and can sometimes be a pain in the butt to exchange your broken tool since you would have to chase down one of their trucks. Craftsman is a good brand of tool too and can be bought at almost any Sears department store. Both of these brand tools come with a lifetime warranty which comes in really handy.

Eventually it will come time to install your camshaft as well.  If you are planning on doing this yourself, you will need a degreeing wheel for sure!  You can buy these alone, or in comprehensive kits from somwhere like JEGS, or Summit Racing Equipment, maybe even the local shop.  They go for around $200.  You will also need a dial indicator as well as a stand for it.  This can also be purchased at Jegs and Summit.

====Purchasing tools====
Sears (Craftsman tools), hardware stores or home centers, such as Home Depot, or companies such as Matco Tools, Snap On, and Mac Tools. Harbor Freight is another favorite tool source among hotrodders.

===Work area===
Can you rebuild an engine outside? Is garage space necessary? Overhead cover? How much floor space is needed? How clean does it have to be? What about temperature? Will hot/cold extremes be a factor?

Most people who are going to rebuild their own engine will be tearing it apart before taking it to a machine shop and then reassembling it when the machine work is done. When tearing it apart, try to work in an area that you can get dirty and where bolts and other small items won't get lost. 

When assembling an engine, your work area can't be too clean. Do yourself a big favor,get and stay organized. It will make your assembly go much smoother and easier. Take your time. Double check everything. Keep parts and work sufaces clean. Remember clean, clean, clean!

=== Skill level ===
How much mechanical and automotive skill/experience/ability is required?

The amount of skill necessary to rebuild an engine depends on what engine you are rebuilding and just how much of the work you plan on doing yourself. If you are rebuilding a standard single cam V8 such as the small block Chevy with all the machine work being performed by a reputable shop, then the skill needed is basically nothing more than being good with your hands, the patience to do things right the first time and the ability to read a comprehensive manual on the subject.

If you are rebuilding something more exotic, such as a rotary engine or a turbo diesel then you should take the time to research and learn more about them first. Some engines require complicated computer controlled management systems which may require extensive modifications depending on how the engine is to be rebuilt, which will therefore also require a greater skill level.

The main thing to keep in mind is that there are close tolerances to check and a certain order of steps to follow. Just take the tme to research your engine and, above all, ask questions when necessary.

== Deciding on an engine ==
What are your needs? What's the application? How much can you afford? These are the things you need to decide ahead of time, otherwise you might end up with one of those unfinished projects just wasting away in the backyard.

Picking an engine is no small chore. It's a crucial step to building a hot rod, and one that affects the performance of the final product. It is entirely up to you which engine you want to run in your hot rod. Pretty much anything is possible, but not anything will be money and time efficient. Big Block Chevy's have been jammed into little Chevettes, and Chrysler Hemi's have been sandwiched into VW Bugs. With the right tools, mechanical skill, knowledge, money and time, any combination can be achieved. But most people don't have unlimited amounts of money, and most people don't own a fully equipped shop for massive chassis and body modifications to allow the engine to fit. So it would be recommended to pick an engine that's suitable for your application, and your skill level.

===Stock===
A lot of people choose to run the stock motor that came in the car. This would be a good idea if it's your first hot rod, if the engine in your car is still in good condition (if it even came with an engine) or if your motor and mechanical skills aren't developed enough yet to undertake an engine swap. Depending on what kind of car you're working with, the stock engine will often suffice, if the car is meant to be a daily driver or a weekend cruiser. If you're planning to build a wild custom car, strip racer, or weekend warrior, the stock engine probably won't be of any interest to you. There are many performance parts available these days for the older popular engines. Anything from Ford Flatheads, Chrysler's Hemi, Mopar Flat 6's, GM Stovebolts, Buick Nailheads, and Ford Small Blocks has a big variety of aftermarket parts available. Taking the stock engine and hopping it up a bit to squeeze a little bit more performance out of it is a very common thing done by a lot of people building a first time hot rod. Just by changing the exhaust, intake, and camshaft a stock boring engine can often become a neat hot rod mill with plenty of power for daily driving and weekend cruising. If your plans for your hot rod include a loud nasty fire breathing monster motor, your stock motor probably won't do alot for you.

===Mild===
The next step up from a stock motor would be a mild engine. Often times stock motors cross into the mild engine category. The most popular engines used for a mild HP powerplant are Small Block Chevy's, Small Block Fords, and Small Block Mopar's. Any of these three engines are used widely in the hot rodding industry, and they all have a huge choice of aftermarket parts available. They all present a good platform for a first time rebuild or for somebody who needs more than stock. Again, which engine to pick is entirely up to you. Some people swear on the reliability and avialability of parts of the Small Block Chevy's, while other people preach a Ford should go in a Ford. Many rodders consider it sacrilegious to put anything but a Mopar in a Dodge, Plymouth or Chrysler. But in the end, it all comes down to your choice. If you find a Small Block Mopar fitting better in your rod than a Ford or Chevy would, and if you are able to get one cheap, who's to say you shouldn't use it? There are many books written on rebuilding these 3 engines, and while the choice shouldn't merely be between these 3, they are the most popular. 


===Wild===
A lot of rodders prefer their tunes coming from big displacement high horsepower output engines. If this sounds like you, your engine rebuild might cost a considerable amount more money than a stock engine rebuild/hop-up. The most popular route for Wild engines include the big 3 American car producers: GM, Ford, and Mopar. The 454 Chevy Big Block motor has long been considered the ultimate hot rod powerplant. However, over time the Chrysler Hemi's and the 427 Ford Big Block have made a big comeback and are all considered perfect candidates for supercharged wild engines.

== Locating an engine to rebuild ==
This section should cover the basics of where to find a potential candidate for an engine rebuilding project. How to search junkyards, classified ads, the internet, etc.

Locating an engine can be as easy as ordering a shortblock crate engine from Edelbrock on the phone, or removing an old rusty flathead from a totalled car in a junkyard. 

===Classifieds===
Probably the best way to go if you don't have an engine hoist, a cherry picker, or some device to lift the engine out of the car. Most newspapers have an Auto Parts section in the classifieds, often the engines get a section for themselves as well. Usually, the engines sold in classifieds are either pulled already or the owner will pull it for you. This saves you quite a bit of work, time and money. Care should be taken however, to buy a fairly complete engine. The alternator, starter, ac, wiring, intake, carb, fan etc. will all add up to a very big sum of money if purchased separately,for that reason it is advisable for you to buy an engine that comes with all the necessary accessories to make it run. The transmission is another important part when buying an engine from the classifieds. Be sure to check if the engine comes with a transmission, unless you already have one or will be acquiring a different one (before doing this, you should check to see if the tranny and engine you're buying can be adapted with the proper bellhousing). 

Another good way of finding an engine in the classifieds is by browsing through the car wrecking section. Often times, people will sell cars for parts, or as beaters, or for wrecking. These cars can be had for as cheap as $100, and if you're lucky, the engine in them might be half decent yet. Often times these cars are no longer roadworthy because the body is literally falling apart due to rust, but they're mechanically sound. An advantage to buying a complete donor car is that you get to hear the engine run, the engine is already mated to a working transmission, you can use all the accessories and wiring of the existing car to make the engine run, and if you're lucky you might even find a good use for the rear-end. Sell the interior and seats on eBay or your local classifieds and get a small portion reimbursed. The drawback to buying a donor car is that the engine has to be removed, and the car takes up space (which a lot of us just don't have). A disadvantage to buying from the classifieds: you often don't get to hear the engine run (as it's pulled already in a majority of cases).

===Junkyards===
Junkyards can be a great resource for locating missing car parts, or locating an engine for your hot rod. Junkyards are full of cars from the 1970's and 80's waiting to donate their mechanical heart. Junkyard shopping might be a good idea in order to find the best prices in town. A majority of the cars built during the past 3 decades came equipped with a V8 engine. Now tons of old cars are forgotten and thrown into junkyards.

Most Chevy, Dodge and Ford trucks from the 70's and 80's came equipped with carbureted (non-EFI) V8's perfectly usable to power a hot rod. However, junkyards can be a very rough place to work. Time is going to be needed to remove the engine, and all tools and equipment have to be brought from home. It might take several hours before the engine comes loose and out of its nest. Each car has different places where parts bolt onto and where the engine connects to the frame, and each bolt has to be removed. Most of these cars have been sitting there for a while, so be prepared to wrestle with rusted, stripped and broken bolts, layers of caked-on grease and dirt on the undercarriage and oil pan, and a lot of rust. Care should be taken when selecting an engine. Engine size, width, and length should all be taken into account. Depending on which car the engine is destined for, measurements are crucial to determining the fit. 

Engines with massive amount of surface rust, missing parts and an apparent cracked block, should obviously be avoided when chosing an engine. Make sure to pick an engine in a car with a hood on preferably. Cars that have been sitting out in the yard with no hood and missing carburator will have rust built up inside the cylinders from the rain pouring into the engine. The more accesories and parts that are remaining on the engine, the better for future use. Testing if the engine turns over by taking a wrench and turning over the crankshaft is a good way of measuring if a block is frozen or rusted solid. Again, if an engine doesn't turn over, it would be a good idea to avoid going that route.

== Acquisition ==
This section should cover what to do after you've decided what engine you're going to use. It might need to be removed, hauled in your vehicle, shipped, etc.

=== Removal ===
How to safely and properly pull an engine.

<em>Engine hoist -- A device for testing the tensile strength of ground straps and fuel lines that you forgot to disconnect.</em>

*If you have a digital camera, Now would be a good time to take many good photos before you pull it down, for Installation reference,i.e. brackets and wiring. For more information on documenting your project, see: [[How to document your project]].
*Disconnect the battery.
*Use baggies for ALL your nuts and bolts, and label them.
*Remove the hood.
*Be sure to drain any fluids beforehand, to keep from making a mess, and to be friendly to the environment
*Remove the fan, fan shroud, and water hoses (drain and dispose of coolant properly; it's poisonous to humans and animals). You may also want to remove the radiator, but if you are careful, it is not necessary.
*Disconnect fuel lines, vacuum lines (mark termination and make a written list), wiring (mark termination and make a written list), belts, and pulleys that may be in the way.
*Place a jack under the transmission to keep it upright in the vehicle, unless you are removing it as well. 
*If you plan on removing the transmission, don't forget any linkages, backup lamp switches, neutral safety switches (some are transmission-mounted), modulator valve vacuum lines, TCC control wiring, and the speedometer cable (or speed transducer and wires). Cover any holes with tape.
*Fit a plastic bag over the tailshaft, and duct tape it after you remove the driveshaft. This will keep residual oil in, and dirt out.
*Be sure that whatever you are using to lift the engine is strong enough to lift more than the weight of the engine safely, and is on a completely level surface. If outriggers are provided, use them. Be absolutely certain that the lift can not roll on its own, or become unbalanced side-to-side.
*Use some type of lift ring on the engine, such as a plate that bolts to where the carburetor was. For easier engine removal, the [http://www.myks-tools.com/ Engine Hoist Pivot Plate] has been recommended.
*Be sure to use padded fender protectors; a strike from ring gear teeth can do serious body and fender damage.
*Jack engine up slightly, and remove the bolts to the motor mounts and the transmission bell-housing (unless you are removing the transmission also).

=== Transportation ===
How to ship an engine through a third-party shipping service. And, how to safely load, secure, transport, and unload an engine.

An engine, because of the oil and gasoline residue it holds, is considered hazardous material in the United States and comes under special requirements for shipping documentation.  If you do not already know how to do this, it isn't worth your while for one engine.  Get somebody who does this regularly (maybe a friendly auto dealer or salvage yard) to do it for you.

== Disassembly==
Step-by-step. Everything you need to do to your engine prior to assessing it for machine work.
Before you start taking things off of your engine there are a few items you want to have on hand so you can start and finish with few stops and starts.
You will need an engine stand.  Putting the engine on a stand is the safest and fastest way to dissemble an engine.
You will need baggies to put all of your nuts and bolts into so you do not loose any of them. Make sure to label the baggies. Some like to use a metal coffee can with some 1/8th inch holes poked in the bottom and sides, to clean parts with prior to putting them in the baggies.  This will allow you to rinse the dirt and grime off all the fasteners very fast and you do not have to worry about any of them falling out into the solvent bath.  A can of WD-40 or something like it to be used on the rusted fasteners.  It is a good idea to have a bunch of clean rags.  Some of these engines can be DIRTY and if you keep your tools clean as you go, you will not waste time washing your hands.  I would also like to take a few pictures of the engine from all angles.  Then when you are putting things back together you have a reference photo to figure out just where that bracket goes.

The first items that come off of an engine I am going to rebuild are the exhaust manifolds.  Then take off all the brackets holding the A/C compressor, alternater,power steering pump, and smog pump.  Then take the distributor out.  I wrap a clean rag around the bottom end of the distributor and then put it into a zip-lock plastic bag.  I can then clean this later.  Now for the carburetor or fuel injection or throttle body.  For the injectors I put them into plastic bags.  Again when it comes time to put new "O"-rings on the injectors I can work on each, one at a time, without getting them dinged up in the fastener can.  If the engine has a carburetor do not turn it upside down unless you plan on installing a rebuild kit on it also.  Any "crud" that has settled to the bottom of the carburetor fuel bowl will become lodged in places you do not want dirt or rust, so keep it right-side up and again wrap a clean rag around it and then pop it into a plastic bag.  I do not like to keep the carburator in the garage all wrapped up like this so I put it in the storage shed with the gas cans and things.  If you are working on an engine with a throttle body just put the unit in a plastic bag for now.  At a later time you can put in new "O" rings.  You just don't need all these parts in your way until you start to reassemble the engine.
For an engine with a carburetor now is the time for the fuel pump to be taken off.  On Small Block Chevys (SBC), there is a spacer plate that needs to be removed also so you can take the fuel pump push rod out of the block.  I put this rod and the spacer plate in with the fasteners.

== Machining ==

=== Deciding what machine work to do ===
What will the engine be used for? This will be the determing factor on how much you're going to spend. In either case, whether it's a stock replacement swap or a race engine, there are a couple of things that should be done. 

#Have your block acid dipped so when you put it back together you will have a nice clean block to work with.
#Always have it sonic tested, this way you know if the engine block is even worth using. 
#Have your cylinder walls checked out for roundness, this will prolong the life of your piston rings and life of your engine.
#Have your machinists put a fresh hone on your cylinder walls, unless you plan on doing this step yourself.
#Don't Forget to have new cam bearings and freeze plugs installed, for most guys its alot easier having the shop install these
==== What to expect to pay for machining work ====
List of specific procedures and average prices.

=== How to select a machine shop ===
Cleanliness, experience, referral from trusted sources, knowledge, etc. Remember, anyone can purchase the machinery and equipment. Good equipment is necessary, but so is experience. No two shops do things the same way. Talk to the shop owner/manager and find one that you are comfortable with. Big names don't always assure top quality.

== Assembly ==
Step-by-step engine assembly process.

Always chase your threads with a tap on all holes where torque values are critical,
like head bolts to block. 
Clean and oil them for a good torque reading.
Clean all bolt threads thoroughly, A wire brush on a grinder works well for this.

Be sure to check and verify before using existing head bolts, some engines require new ones.

== Testing and break-in ==
Testing, tweaking, tuning. How to break in an engine.


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