engine and drivetrain buying a rebuilt engine

[js2kpdx]

There seem to be many businesses offering rebuilt engines for the 02. Does anyone have any strong recommendations/advice for going about this? I am interested in a performance street engine that is strong and well-built rather than fancy and loaded with things that are liable to fail.

Also, is shipping an engine a major chore/financial stress? Thanks- Jon

[TobyB]

the $3.5k price tag a few years ago seemed like a deal after we rebuilt one with local machining... and the tii compression ratio is a nice place to start if you want it to be zippier later on.

I would tend to shy away from 3rd party 'remanufacturers'- the parts are expensive enough that there's real incentive to cut corners, e.g. reuse old parts.

my '02

t

[johnhup]

I too recently went through this same process and decided to go with rebuilding my motor for a number of reasons, the two most important being price, and the fact that I like reusing things.

So I pulled out my Livermore and brought it a great machinist out here in California and here,s what I got for 3200.

labor (breakdown and assembling)

decked, overbored slightly, and planed

tii pistsons

reground cam

sach's sport clutch and TO bearing

balanced the final rotating assembly with clutch

In my opinion, its a no brainer. Now to find a good machinist . Good luck. See my blog for more details, the name of my machinist and photos.

[Guest Anonymous]

well my opinion is based on my mustang that just got a rebuilt. The craze is to get a 'crate' engine, which is really nothing more than a factory built spec engine... you buy what they got.

1) warranty was a big issue with me, 2) the particular crate engine that fit my needs had more of a cam than i wanted, 3) i like to support local businesses. So i talked to the local hotrodders and rally racers and got a name... talked to one guy, saw their work and really felt comfortable with them. I got exactly what I wanted with their help and professional suggestions... ran it on the dyno for me and gave a much better warranty... what if you run into a problem with a crate engine? got to pull it and send it back! a pain! and it cost no more than a crate engine. I've been very pleased, and i feel that i can call them anytime with a question.

So... i think, IF you can find a well recommeded local builder... go with them.