> I want this to be a 2-3 day a week commute to work car. The
> question is, do
> I overhaul the existing engine, or do I change out to a non-British late
> model Nissan or Toyota?
Absolutely, rebuild the stock engine, IMO. We don't call 'em TRactor motors
for nothing ... they'll run forever with proper maintenance and parts are
far cheaper than for any late model foreign car.
> A. Looking at doing a complete overhaul myself
No problem. There are just a few gotchas, so ask the list often, but the
procedure in the book works well and doesn't require much in the way of
special tools or talents. Get the head & crank magnafluxed before doing
anything else, as even on a tight budget this is cheap insurance.
> B. Trying to get by with a cylinder hone and new rings and
> bearing and a head job
Might be reasonable, depending on just why your motor is smoking badly. My
experience is that bad rings don't smoke all that bad on a TR, so my guess
would be that your valve guides are shot.
BTW you can do all this will the engine still in the car. Probably not as
big a deal on a TR4, but pulling the engine is a major PITA on a TR3.
> C. Buying a TRF. rebuilt engine.
They seemed a bit dear to me ...
> I estimate the cost of the overhaul to be $2500 + in parts and a
Liner set $900 (includes rings, cylinders, pistons, pins)
main bearings $70
rod bearings $45
valve guides $20
gasket set $100
...
I think your parts estimate is on the high side unless you start replacing
things that don't really need it. If you're really going to drop $2500 on
parts, you might consider enrolling in TRF's "Customer Investment Program".
Make Charles a $5k personal loan and get 30% off on parts plus a nice
interest rate on your loan. Unsecured of course, but no worse than playing
the stock market, IMO.
> Comments? Arguments? What would you do?
I spent a lot of years keeping my TR3A on the road on a shoestring budget.
It's amazing what these motors will do, if you're willing to tolerate a few
leaks and quirks, and install used engine parts. The engine in the one that
got wrecked is probably on it's second 100,000 miles and the crank has still
never been turned. Yeah, it's pretty loose and makes some noise ... but it
still got me to work every day for many years. Only once did the engine let
me down ... because I tried to reuse the rod bolt lock tabs one too many
times. (I use Loctite now.) Even then, I just replaced the pump
driveshaft, stuck in new rod & main bearings, fixed the hole in the pump
screen, and drove it to work the next day.
Randall
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