I've only rebuilt one engine (Austin-Healey 3000), but I had good advice and
help from my father, who is an expert mechanic. The engine now has 70K+ miles.
Here's what I can recommend:
1) get a good shop manual
2) study it exhaustively
3) work in a clean, organized shop or garage
4) acquire any special tools you'll have to have prior to starting (esp. torque
wrenches)
5) buy, rent or borrow an engine stand
6) understand how everything works and what it's there for (see #1 and #2)
7) be patient
8) cover the crank journals and/or the conrod studs when you insert the pistons
9) make sure the rings are right-side-up
10) follow the torque specs
11) keep everything clean--no crud in engine
12) get block hot-tanked and thoroughly clean all passages afterward
13) make notes, take pictures when you disassemble the engine
14) make triple-sure all oil holes line up with the appropriate channel or
passage (crank, cam, rocker arm)
15) keep track of which piston, lifter and pushrod goes to each cyl, you might
be able to re-use plus you want to know which one might have had a problem
16) make sure the front crank seal--if it's the newer rubber type--is centered
on the crank before you tighten the timing cover
17) if your timing gears don't have marks you'll have to use a dial indicator
and degree wheel (make sure you measure at the specified lift)
18) use a light coat of Permatex "Aviation Form-A-Gasket" on paper gaskets
19) prelube pistons with engine oil and all other moving surfaces with assembly
lube
20) if you use new/reground cam or lifters run at higher speed (~2,000RPM) for
first 15-20 minutes on initial startup
21) have fun!
bs
--
***************************************************************
Bob Spidell San Jose, CA bspidell@comcast.net
'67 Austin-Healey 3000 '56 Austin-Healey 100M
***************************************************************
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "Karl Vacek" <kvacek@ameritech.net>
> To add to what Eric said, get a friend who's done an engine or two (or
> twenty) to give you some moral support. Someone to stop by and look and
> give you the confidence that all is going well, that it's supposed to look
> like that, this is how you do that, etc.
>
> And it it's an XPAG engine (T-series MG) don't be surprised that the pistons
> come out the bottom, not the top !!
>
> Karl
>
>
> > On Tue, Aug 05, 2008 at 06:38:06PM -0400, Dan and Jenny Fest (Coles
> > Nurseries Inc) wrote:
> >> I am thinking of attempting my first engine rebuild. Although I've never
> >> rebuilt an engine , I am fairly mechanical. Can anyone describe the
> >> steps I
> >> need to follow.
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