pinto engine question

well, i pulled my motor out, and apart

the piston to bore clearance looks OK, but this is just from an eye perspective, and i am not a pro lol.

but yeah just wondering how thorough i should be in this "freshen-up"

i was hoping to find everything OK, and just throw some new rings in,

but theres some flakes in the sump, all the big end bearings have minor scores/scratches, and the piston rings fell into a million peices when removed from bores.

one of the pistons has got some scoring on one part goign down the side.., yet all the bores look ok... so yeah not sure what happened there.

just wondering how i should go about this?

new rings and forget about it?

new rings new bearings new pistons? with appropriate machine work?

send the block away and let the pros handle it??

im just looking for value for money here really.

because idealy i just want to get the block done, bolt it back together and go back to driving it with the exhaust/pcv smoke free...

thanks!

quote:

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Originally posted by eScoRt20

dude, uve tried to do engine work yourself many times, and its still not right. you obviously dont have someone there who can supervise you while you build the engine, i say send it off to get built. nothing fancy, maybe slightly exxy pistons, and arp bolts, maybe those cheap ebay rods even, and get them to build and assemble, and even run in iff possible. then you just bolt it in and drive it.

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yeah thats what im leaning towards,

but with new rods and pistons it would have to get re balanced yeah?

A wise man once said ... If you take the time that it takes it will take less time.

This applies here. If you take short cuts and do a half arsed job thats exactll what you will get. If the pistons have scores and the rings were broken there is a better than even money chance it needs reboring.

If there are flakes in the sump and scores on the bearings then machining is needed.

Just take the damn thing to an engine reconditioner!

yep, decisions been made, got a qoute to day for labour work from a local engine shop,

they qouted $600-$900

which is in my price range, or will be in a few weeks atleast,

just gotta send it in to them, let THEM tell me what actually has to be replaced (likely pistons at least) then buy!

im still going to assemble the engine myself,

ill let them fit the pistons and what not, but ill still put the head together, put all the gaskets in, and run it in myself.

quote:

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Originally posted by Bloodyeck

Sterling, please don't take this the wrong way. You are young and determined to learn but on reading your many posts over the time you've been on this forum it seems that your aptitude for working on cars does not include engine building. You've asked for help in this post. People have gone out of their way to assist you. At least listen to what they say. If you get an engine builder to do the job properly you will at least have a warranty to fall back on if something goes wrong (assuming you don't do anything stupid). You will also save those trying to offer you good advice from having to do it over again.

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yeah, i understand your point. its not so much how angry ill be if something breaks in the future, or wears rapidly etc,

i just find serious fun in working on my escort, if i was rich and just paying other people to do everything to the car, then i highly doubt i would even still have it.

definately right though, how while backyard mechanics may be able to pull an engine, replace a diff, or change brakes, engine building itself is alot more complex, so the final desicion whether to go with what i wrote in my previous post, or whether to put the whole engine in one big container (currently in a million parts) and send off and just wait till its fully assembled, all comes down to one thing, MONEY sure, i could save $3000 - $5000 to get it all done properly top to bottom, but what's the point? ill have to wait atleast 4-5 months to gather that kind of money, and what will i do in the meantime? when im not seeing the missus, hanging with the boys, or working, the Escorts my only real pastime.

and if sh!t breaks i really couldnt care less, rebuild or replace, learn from mistake, and move on.

for example, i currently have 2 spare cylinder heads, when i got my "good" head back ready for the new gasket, i noticed a 5/6mm hairline crack from one of the coolant jackets, wasn't touching the combustion chamber, and i stil put the head on, if it grows and cracks through the combustion chamber, ill take the head off again swap the cam and valve gear over, and move on. although in the midst of this engine build i may go with one of the spare heads..

sorry for the rant! no sarcasm or rudeness intended

some people just forget what its like to be young and keen and a little bit stubborn keep going mate youll get there!!! and learn alot on the way, more than if you payed someone else to do it

quote:

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Originally posted by joeyjonsey

some people just forget what its like to be young and keen and a little bit stubborn keep going mate youll get there!!! and learn alot on the way, more than if you payed someone else to do it

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YES! thats it! ive always wanted to, and still do want to get my hands dirty in as many aspects of the automotive world as possible!

but still, whether the engine gets done professionally comes down to money still, haven't really made my mind up, well see what comes first! impatience or money!

Just be sure when you take the motor in to a reconditioner, that they are honest and have a good reputation. If they're bent, you may aswell write them a blank cheque.