Got off the Phone with Machine Shop about Rebuild...How does this sound?

JT87NA

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Mar 30, 2005
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Well I cracked a piston through the ringlands on my 1/2 Na-T so at first I was just going to hone the cylinders and deck the block/head for a thicker MHG. Install a one new piston and the 5 old pistons with new rings. BTW this was a rebuild from atk with 15 to 20k on it. After talking to the machinist about mass produced engines I would not recommend people buying longblocks from ATK, Jasper, or the like.

Now that I have the engine all torn down I have decided to build it up right...My machinist measured the cylinder bores and they were all tapered 2 thousandths at the bottom which he said was strange because usually it is the opposite because of wear from the pistons at the top of the cylinder. So right now I think I am having him rebore to .040 and going with .040 over JE's with stock rods. The rods are out of spec also but he says he can get them back into spec for me. He will also be micropolishing the crank and I will be going with new Clevite 77 main/rod bearings, and new thrust washers. I was also talking to him about blueprinting/balancing the engine but not sure on this yet, I have to see what the funds look like after I finish having the essentials done for the rebuild. I forgot to ask how much it will be to have the rods put back to spec. Overall in the end he said it would be around 1200.00 in Machine Work with balancing. BTW how much should balancing the full rotating assembly be?

He quoted me a price of around $800.00 for the following.

Deck Head/Block 140.00
Rebore and Hone 190.00
Resize Rod Ends 120.00
Magnaflux Crank and Rods 200.00
Hot Tank Engine Assembly: 100.00
Micropolish Crank: 45.00
---------------------------------
800.00 so far 1200.00 most likely w/ balancing

He also said there is no way to machine my front engine cover while it is on the block, He said he won't have to take off enough material to matter. Not sure about this...

Prices for Parts:
JE .040 Pistons rings: 630.00
Clevite Main Bearings: 115.00
Clevite Rod Bearings: 76.00
Thrust Washers: 10.00
Arp Rod Bolts: 45.00
MHG: 150.00
Full Ebay Gasket Set: 106.00
--------------------------------
440.00

Total
-------------------------------
~2330.00
 
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crf_rider

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Apr 23, 2005
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If they do a good job balancing then definatley have them do it.

You will need to machine the front cover. Thats just asking for a warped head or a BHG on #1. All they should have to do is bolt it on.
 

Supra Blues

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Mar 30, 2005
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Actually it sounds comparable to what I paid for my machine work.

Def get the thing balanced. And make sure the deck the block with the front cover ON so it is level with the top of the block.

If you don't, you'll be sorry, you'll all be very very sorry.
 

Idealsupra

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Mar 31, 2005
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if you are using stock pistons etc there is no need for balancing...

if yo are using aftermarket/oversized stuff then yeah get it balanced....

the bill seems OK...its not cheap but its not too expensive... and yes you need the front part cut down with the block or you WILL have problems...
 

GrimJack

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You're going with ARP rod bolts but no ARP head bolts?

I'd skip the ebay gasket kit. Buy the intake and exhaust gaskets from Toyota, then use liquid gasket maker for the rest - it'll seal up better than the stock paper gaskets, and it's cheaper.

I'd also suggest only boring .020 over, then you have some safety margin in case you blow it up and have to bore it out again.

Lastly, get the machine shop to test your head for hardness, many of these have softened on the exhaust side to the point that they are unuseable.
 

JT87NA

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Mar 30, 2005
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GrimJack said:
You're going with ARP rod bolts but no ARP head bolts?

I'd also suggest only boring .020 over, then you have some safety margin in case you blow it up and have to bore it out again.

Sorry, already have ARP headbolts and a used HKS 1.2mm MHG, but will go with a new MHG just for insurance.

This engine was rebuilt 15k miles ago and they already bored it to .020 over, the cylinder walls look good but are tapered at the bottom so the machinist said I should go to .040 to true it up.
 

JT87NA

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Mar 30, 2005
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Thanks for all the replies guys...for some reason my machinist says it won't work in the machine he uses to shave the block with the front cover on, I will talk to him tomorrow about it and bring in the tsrm :). Thanks, later.
 

Supra Blues

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Mar 30, 2005
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JT87NA said:
Thanks for all the replies guys...for some reason my machinist says it won't work in the machine he uses to shave the block with the front cover on, I will talk to him tomorrow about it and bring in the tsrm :). Thanks, later.

Make him do it with the front cover on. The front of the head sits on it and if it is not flush with the deck, the head will not seal correctly and you will be pulling the head back off in about 500 miles.
 

j_magers

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Aug 26, 2005
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OK, so Iam about to take some stuff to the machine shop also heres what Iam thinking about getting done:

I have the fol waiting to be put on:
JE Pistons 20 over w/rings
Eagle rods
2.0 mm MHG


Iam thinking about resurface the head and block and balance the bottom end.

The question I have is how much of the engine needs to be torn apart ie oil plugs etc.. and what parts need to stay on.

Jay