How to Engine Rebuild For Cheap - Car Craft Magazine

Yes, that is a seatbelt on the hook. Don't do this.

'The idea behind this story came to our inbox by way of one of our readers. Glad said, "It's a picture of a guy washing off his mains with a garden hose." The guy in question races Camaros on lots of boost and nitrous. He wrote in to tell us that when he blows up one engine, he goes to the junkyard and gets another one, hoses it down, drops it in, and goes racing again. We all thought this was completely crazy, but kinda cool too, and it got us wondering how little money we would need to rebuild an engine.

A third quick, prepurchase check is to drop the oil pan. Check this out-that's the oil-pump driveshaft hanging out in the pan. Also alarming was the milkshake-brown oil indicating the lethal mix of oil and coolant, probably due to a leaking intake manifold gasket. The combination of contaminated oil and a dropped oil-pump drive indicated why this car ended up in the junkyard in the first place. We knew to examine the crankshaft and pistons very carefully to see if the engine had seized up. "That engine probably knocked like a *@!#," exclaimed JMS' Mike Johnson.

A third quick, prepurchase check is to drop the oil pan. Check this out-that's the oil-pum

Of course there are a lot of variables with this situation. Yes, it is possible to buy a junkyard engine, hose it off, and put it in your car. You may get lucky and the engine will run fine for a while, or you could end up with a turd like the Gremlin 304 we stuck in the CC/Rambler last year. That engine labored to an 18-second eighth-mile elapsed time and oiled down the mufflers from Los Angeles to San Diego and back on the '06 Anti-Tour. Here's what you need to consider: Is it financially responsible to buy a string of junkyard motors? Do you want to swap an engine every year?

The good news was that our combustion chambers were in good shape. Here Hernandez points out a place to look for cracks, particularly on Ford cylinder heads.

The good news was that our combustion chambers were in good shape. Here Hernandez points o

We're calling this story the cheapest rebuild ever, but we're approaching it from an angle that will help you make educated decisions when buying and rebuilding a junkyard engine. We want to show what to look for in an engine, what parts can be reused, how to tell if something is too worn out to be reused, and how to reassemble the engine, all while spending as little money as possible. To that end, Glad yanked a supercrusty 302 from the yard, and we took it over to the folks at JMS Racing Engines in El Monte, California, for their assistance in our budget rebuild. Here goes nothin'.

CAM SPECS
Camshaft	Duration	Duration @	Lift	Lobe Separation
	(Adv.)	0.050 in.	(in.)	(degrees)
Summit hydraulic
flat-tappet, SUM-K3601
Intake	276	218	0.471	114
Exhaust	286	228	0.471

Our first piece of advice is to inspect as much of the engine as possible BEFORE you pull it from the yard. At the very least, yank the valve covers. There was a lot of sludge buildup in our little 302, which was a good indicator of bad parts lurking inside. The previous owner never changed the oil.
Our first piece of advice is to inspect as much of the engine as possible BEFORE you pull
We checked with JMS' cylinder-head guru Pete Hillemeyer, who said the valves should look like they are sitting ON their seats rather than being flush with the combustion chamber as seen here on our Ford heads. That meant our seats were worn out and would need to be reground. Also, Hillemeyer showed us how to check the condition of the valve guides by wiggling the valve: The valve should slide in and out easily but not wobble back and forth during its travel. Our engine had previously undergone a cheapo rebuild that resulted in a few mismatched exhaust valves and bronze guides, which Hillemeyer doesn't like very much. He drilled out the bronze liners and replaced them with cast-iron ones.
We checked with JMS' cylinder-head guru Pete Hillemeyer, who said the valves should look l
It's a wise idea to establish a good relationship with a machine shop. That way you'll have access to experts for advice and guidance once you start tearing down the engine and inspecting the internals. JMS' Freddy Hernandez showed us a cool tip: Check the height of the valve stems with a straight edge. "The valves should all be at the same height. You can tell if the valves and seats are hammered if any are sticking up higher than the others."
It's a wise idea to establish a good relationship with a machine shop. That way you'll hav

Another quick check is to inspect the spark plugs, which in this case didn't look that bad. Severely oil-fouled plugs indicate bad rings or valve seals and guides, while water on the plugs warns of head gasket problems. Beware of warped cylinder heads and cooling system problems in that situation.

Another quick check is to inspect the spark plugs, which in this case didn't look that bad

THE DAMAGE: PARTS LIST
Description	PN	SOURCE	Price
Crusty 302		JMS Racing Engines	$120.00
0.040 ring kit	1740058	JMS Racing Engines	43.25
Cam bearings	F18	JMS Racing Engines	21.28
Cam and lifters	K3601	Summit Racing	79.95
Oil pump	EF968	JMS Racing Engines	21.44
Oil-pump shaft	IS68	JMS Racing Engines	5.76
Oil-pump screen	68S	JMS Racing Engines	10.67
Gasket set	F302	JMS Racing Engines	32.80
Rear main seal	17050	JMS Racing Engines	11.48
Timing set	73014	JMS Racing Engines	26.62
Valve guides (16)	140-9106	JMS Racing Engines	20.00
Valvesprings, intake (8)	RV994	JMS Racing Engines	16.00
Valvesprings, exhaust (8)	RV1167	JMS Racing Engines	18.00
Valve seals (16)	VS108V	JMS Racing Engines	20.00
Freeze plugs (4)	PLC30B	JMS Racing Engines	4.48
Balancer	DA3022	JMS Racing Engines	95.74
0.010/0.010 302 crank kit			150.00
Water pump	WP458	JMS Racing Engines	49.99
Fuel pump	6588	JMS Racing Engines	27.49
Pro Comp distributor	PC8022	JMS Racing Engines	1 50.00
Intake manifold	54026	JMS Racing Engines	82.57
Oil filter	LF115	JMS Racing Engines	4.90
5 qts. 20W-50 oil		JMS Racing Engines	17.50
Spark plugs (8)	R5673-8	JMS Racing Engines	20.00
Parts total:			$1,149.92

Here's what a junk crankshaft looks like. Lack of regular oil changes will leave your moving parts looking like this. Our crank was too far gone to machine, so we replaced it with a different one.
Here's what a junk crankshaft looks like. Lack of regular oil changes will leave your movi
Here's where a good relationship with a machine shop works to your advantage. You can take parts to them for cleaning, refinishing, and advice. Hernandez hot-tanked our block and cylinder heads, and glass-beaded and put a fresh 45-degree cut on our valves. He also inspected our cylinders for scratches and discoloration. Since everything looked good, we just needed to hone the cylinders rather than bore them out. Hernandez also Magnafluxed the block and heads for us.
Here's where a good relationship with a machine shop works to your advantage. You can take
As the teardown progressed, we examined the condition of the pistons and connecting rods. We thought the bearings looked terrible, but the JMS guys said this is normal wear, and not that bad considering the utter lack of regular maintenance this engine suffered. Hillemeyer told us to look for discoloration (indicative of overheating due to lack of lubrication) or deep scratches on the pistons, especially around the skirts and ring lands. Our pistons were in good shape, so we were able to reuse them and the connecting rods.
As the teardown progressed, we examined the condition of the pistons and connecting rods.

With any rebuild, expect to replace the bearings. We also replaced the cam, cam bearings, and lifters-a given when rebuilding an engine. We used a basic budget cam from Summit.
With any rebuild, expect to replace the bearings. We also replaced the cam, cam bearings,

Engine Rebuild Reused Pushrods Rocker Arms

We also reused the pushrods and rocker arms. Check the pushrods for straightness by rolling them along a flat surface. If any of them wobble, replace them. Johnson recommends using Rev-Lube by Isky instead of assembly lube on these parts.

We also reused the pushrods and rocker arms. Check the pushrods for straightness by rollin

LABOR
Work performed	Cost
Clean and mag block	$75.00
Power-hone cylinders	90.00
Align-hone mains	1 50.00
Clean deck surface	20.00
Check rod bearing journals	60.00
Rebuild heads (replace valve guides and seals, grind valvesand seats, replace springs)	460.00
Labor total:	$855.00
Total cost:	$2,004.92

What We LearnedWas that the cheapest rebuild ever? Our junkyard engine turned out to need quite a bit of work to recondition that is reflected in the bill. But we included all the parts and labor to show exactly what is involved in a total engine rebuild. This way you can pick and choose where you want to spend your money. Plus, if you do your initial shopping wisely and get a block in better shape than ours, you'll be able to reuse a lot more parts. We had another strike against us in that we didn't have any early 302 parts lying around, so we had to pony up for new accessories and ignition-parts that you'll likely have ready to go.

It's also important to weigh total cost over time. Yes, you can hose off a $150 junkyard engine and drop it in your car, but how long do you want it to last? And how valuable is your time if you have to repair or replace it in a few months (or weeks)? It may ultimately be less expensive over time to pay more up front for some machining and new parts and know that you'll be able to drive the car reliably for years to come.

'Can you dead-lift an engine? I can. I also killed a grizzly bear with my bare hands.
Our balancer turned out to be crap, too. Johnson's keen eyes spotted that the rubber ring between the inner and outer steel rings was coming apart. His dad, Mike, owner of JMS, corroborated the terminal diagnosis.
Our balancer turned out to be crap, too. Johnson's keen eyes spotted that the rubber ring
Though we were reusing the pistons, Jeff Johnson at JMS told us to always replace the rings, no matter what. Here, Johnson is cleaning carbon buildup out of the ring lands with one of the old rings. New rings in place, he prepares to reinstall the pistons. We know you've heard it a million times before, but be sure to use plenty of assembly lube and protect the crankshaft journals by putting sleeves or vacuum hose over the rod bolts.
Though we were reusing the pistons, Jeff Johnson at JMS told us to always replace the ring

The rest of the build was straightforward-new seals, gaskets, and freeze plugs. We did decide to replace the oil and fuel pumps with new ones. They're not that expensive, and it's good peace of mind. Johnson gave our newly completed long-block a fresh coat of Ford Blue.
The rest of the build was straightforward-new seals, gaskets, and freeze plugs. We did dec
You didn't think we wouldn't dyno this engine, did you? With a Professional Products dual-plane intake manifold and a Holley 750 double-pumper, our little Ford made 279 hp at 4,800 rpm and 341 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. That's pretty respectable considering this engine's smog-era cylinder heads. Mike Johnson was surprised at how much torque it made. "That was almost too easy," he said.
You didn't think we wouldn't dyno this engine, did you? With a Professional Products dual-