Build your own engines, or have them built?

Do you build your own engines?

  • All including machine work

    Votes: 3 3.3%

  • Assembly and head work

    Votes: 29 32.2%

  • Assembly

    Votes: 51 56.7%

  • Add ons only

    Votes: 11 12.2%
  • Total voters
    90
  • Poll closed .
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dodgetkboy78

dodgetkboy78

EDELBROCK HEADS SUCK!
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Alright, I am curious how many of you do their own engines, and how many farm them out. I seem to see a lot of second guessing of members engine builders here. I, for one, do everything myself, but boring, honing, balancing, etc. Even my own valve jobs.......


Curiosity killed the cat........ (Some of you wish, HAHAHAHAHA)
 
Since I dont own a machine shop...I assemble my own...
 
dodgetkboy78 said:
Alright, I am curious how many of you do their own engines, and how many farm them out. I seem to see a lot of second guessing of members engine builders here. I, for one, do everything myself, but boring, honing, balancing, etc. Even my own valve jobs.......


Curiosity killed the cat........ (Some of you wish, HAHAHAHAHA)
Click to expand...


After reading your numberous post especially that hypereutic pistons blow up......I would not go within 100 miles of your machine shop...LOL

sorry misread your post...it is a good thing you dont own a machine shop...LOL
 
I have a friend blueprint and build my engines for me. He's way better at it than I am.
I don't have a personal need to build a motor all that often. It's his specialty. It doesn't mean I don't know what goes into my motor, or what those parts are doing.
He, on the other hand, has me do his electrical and fuel system plumbing. Because that is my specialty.
 
I do all the cylinder head work I can. I assemble all my own motors. always have.
 
I do everything myself.....except boring and balancing and so on since I do not own a machine shop.

I am a "jack of all trades" I guess....I do all my own interior,metal fab,body work,paint,engine building.....all of it.

only paid to have work done on one vehicle and that was only because we had a house fire a few years back and the vehicle I was driving popped a break line and I had no way to do it myself.....and I had a muffler put on once because I just plain didnt feel like doing the work that time HAHA

there is a link to my duster restoration thread in my signature below if you all want to see what I have done on my mopar so far.

heres a couple pics of my engine I built.
 

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I had mine done by Brad Wedan, owner of Wedan's Street & Performance
here in Columbus, Indiana

They did the assem. of the engine and tranny and did the install.

I wanted this car done right. I was afraid I would not make that happen.

http://www.wedanperformance.com/


DSCF2329_Medium_.jpg
 
i build them my self, minus boring and balancing... i assemble, port, polish, set up, etc been doing them since i have been 15.. 22 now Engines were/still are my thing. Actually i do engines, paint, body work... everything
 
70aarcuda said:
After reading your numberous post especially that hypereutic pistons blow up......I would not go within 100 miles of your machine shop...LOL
Click to expand...

Did this thread ask you to come be an ***?
You didn't even pay enough attention to realize I don't have a machine shop.... ANd FYI, I have never had any fail that didn't have high miles on them.... Whats that tell ya?
 
DusterDude72 said:
I do everything myself.....except boring and balancing and so on since I do not own a machine shop.

I am a "jack of all trades" I guess....I do all my own interior,metal fab,body work,paint,engine building.....all of it.

.
Click to expand...


X2

That way, if it blows up I know who to blame!!!
 
dodgetkboy78 said:
Did this thread ask you to come be an ***?
You didn't even pay enough attention to realize I don't have a machine shop.... ANd FYI, I have never had any fail that didn't have high miles on them.... Whats that tell ya?
Click to expand...

I made a suggestion to guy to look at the KB243 pistons...

You called them hyperblowmeup pistons...Your jackass comment are not helping the guy out...so if you have hypereutic pistons blowing up...you dont know what you are doing...as usual.
 
i have hyper pistons in a built sbc.... 2.02 bowtie heads, h beams, eagle crank..... for years and i spray 150 shot and spin it close to 7000 in a vega with no problems
 
I assemble everything I can. Some jobs always go to the pros, like most machine work and balancing etc. I'm still trying to figure out why many folks are scared of old fashion ring and bearing jobs on used motors. If the cylinders and pistons meet the spec, then they meet the spec. Factory pistons are usually very good quality. One of the best engines I've ever had was a used 318 out of a 84' four door something. That motor got a basic refresh, a cam lifter spring set, a valve job, and some milling. Found a cheap used performer, some 340 manifolds and after a few carbs, (all used) I finally settled on a 9379 Holley. Pulled high 13's in a 66 Barracuda with 3.23's and went to work everyday for years on 225/70/14's.
 
I partially assembled my 318, but I had a shop do the pushrod length and set the roller rockers up.....But when it comes to more serious stuff, like my stroker motor, I had hughes engines build the short block, and port the heads, and had a local machine shop finish the roller rockers and and get proper pushrod length, and valve tip to roller rocker geometry...I don't have the patients to put an engine together, and take all those damn technical measurements...
 
sr71mopar said:
I assemble everything I can. Some jobs always go to the pros, like most machine work and balancing etc. I'm still trying to figure out why many folks are scared of old fashion ring and bearing jobs on used motors. If the cylinders and pistons meet the spec, then they meet the spec. Factory pistons are usually very good quality. One of the best engines I've ever had was a used 318 out of a 84' four door something. That motor got a basic refresh, a cam lifter spring set, a valve job, and some milling. Found a cheap used performer, some 340 manifolds and after a few carbs, (all used) I finally settled on a 9379 Holley. Pulled high 13's in a 66 Barracuda with 3.23's and went to work everyday for years on 225/70/14's.
Click to expand...

I like the way you think sir! That's what I did with my 318...Polished the crank with emery cloth, ball honed the cylinders, put new main, rod and cam bearings, cleaned up the stock cast pistons, installed new rings, put an edelbrock rpm cam and lifters in it, bolted on some RHS heads, hughes roller rockers, and an RPM manifold...Should be a nice lil runner!
 
70aarcuda said:
I made a suggestion to guy to look at the KB243 pistons...

You called them hyperblowmeup pistons...Your jackass comment are not helping the guy out...so if you have hypereutic pistons blowing up...you dont know what you are doing...as usual.
Click to expand...

Noooooo, when the bore wears, they break........... Simple, if you don't wear the bore, they are fine, but not forged, by any means.....

Agree?

Not forged!

I built a 400 4bbl Ford when I was 17, when they were really hyped up, I read in magazines how special they were, nice engine, went like 120K in a one ton dually, KB's, never had an issue, then lost a piston. Nothing to do with the ring land, or the top pulling off, the skirt broke. Considering it went 120K, I don't think it was MY fault........ the bore wore.
Not the only one that I have seen go from mileage.
I have a set of 3.94 4" hypers here, minus one, and my motor now has a sleeve........ seems one piston was cast with a big air pocket around the pin, the pin hole split, the pin came out, and did a wonderful job carving its name in my block.... The rings were perfect....... I followed the instructions.....
Numerous pics here of screwed up KB pistons, releifs wrong, one piston smaller than the other 7, but not enough to be a smaller bore size.......

All the quality forged pistons around, and I never see or hear of anything like that.. I may skimp and run an iron manifold, or use my heads instead of a new set of trick ones, or use steel rockers instead of adjustable ones, but the pistons, I just cant skimp on......

But thats me, and I EXPECT my motors to last 150K+ of heavy abuse. And they do........ :toothy10:

But then again, I'm not sure this thread was about insulting, pistons, smart *** comments, it was a poll and commentary about who does what, and instead of picking apart the usernames to carry on a grudge, or to see who I have an issue with, I am reading them all, because I am genuinely intersted in what people have to say.......

Not sure I expect you to understand that.
 
sr71mopar said:
I assemble everything I can. Some jobs always go to the pros, like most machine work and balancing etc. I'm still trying to figure out why many folks are scared of old fashion ring and bearing jobs on used motors. If the cylinders and pistons meet the spec, then they meet the spec. Factory pistons are usually very good quality. One of the best engines I've ever had was a used 318 out of a 84' four door something. That motor got a basic refresh, a cam lifter spring set, a valve job, and some milling. Found a cheap used performer, some 340 manifolds and after a few carbs, (all used) I finally settled on a 9379 Holley. Pulled high 13's in a 66 Barracuda with 3.23's and went to work everyday for years on 225/70/14's.
Click to expand...


The factory pistons in Mopars are very stout, better than a lot of aftermarket cast pistons, IMO. Re-ring and vlave jobs are cheap, and usually last just as long as a complete rebuild, with new cheaper parts, IMO.
Hell, the motor in my boat is a 318, with the best parts from 3 motors, LOL. Runs perfect, and will for years.
 
I'll port a head on occasion.

I have Brian at IMM do all the machine work and usually I do assembly.

Sometimes I'll buy a shortblock already together, but, even those are usually pulled done to some point and double checked.
 
I am an electrician by trade and am good at what I do. I can make more money by going to work and paying a friend who is a professional wrench to put it together than I can by skipping work and doing it myself. Simple economics to me.
 
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