How to rebuild an engine

Sears(Craftsman tools)and companies such as Matco Tools, Snap On, Mac Tools and Cornwell.

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! Plastic trash bags of various sizes are excellent for completely covering an engine on an engine stand. Also the smaller ones are great for heads and any other item you need to keep dust free. Sweep your floor with a sweeping compound or use damp sawdust to keep the dust down.

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, understand and follow a comprehensive manual on the subject. If you don't understand or are not certain of a procedure...ask an experienced professional!

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.

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 engine/vehicle 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.

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. Remember, almost every modification for performance will alter fuel consumption and/or reliability. A competition engine is not built to perform on the street as a daily driver. The more radical the modification(s)...the more maintence is required. Use common sense and make your modifications compatable (carb, heads, cam and etc).

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.  

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. 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 back. 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).

When choosing an engine, engines with thick amount of surface rust, crtitcal missing parts or a obviously cracked block or heads should be completely avoided . If you can, pick an engine in a car that retains its' hood. A car that has been sitting out in the yard without a  hood or a 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 the engine to see if it turns over by turning over the crankshaft with a long breaker-bar type wrench is a good way of determining whether the block is frozen or rusted solid. If an engine doesn't turn over, leave it be.

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