First time to the Engine Shop

[test1328]

Thanks, guys. Yes, I'm in the Denver area, Broomfield, to be specific, so the north part of the Denver metro area. But I don't mind traveling a bit for the right shop and CO Springs isn't that far, really. I'll check both shops out and see how much it will cost.

As I said, I'm not much of an engine guy, so can you tell me what exactly I should be asking these shops to do for me? Once I get the engine out of the vehicle, all the add-on parts like the generator, radiator, carb, etc. will come come off or already be off prior to pulling the engine. Then, how much further should I be taking the engine down and which parts should I be transporting to the shop? Thanks for the help and guidance.

And, yes, I do intend to take lots of pictures and will share them with you once I get going.

[bmorgil]

The shop will be able to tell you a lot. Once you tear it down completely, everything apart down to the lifters and the valve spring keepers in your hand. Put all the parts in HD baggies and mark the spots they came from with a card in the baggie (this will save you money). The shop will need to clean it and measure everything to see what it actually needs. I would expect:

A) Removal of the cam bearing and all plugs and a thorough hot tank cleaning of everything

1) The Crankshaft needs to be ground on the mains and the rods
2) The rods should be re-sized and all new bots and nuts installed
3) The block will need to be bored and finish honed
4) The deck should be surfaced to flat and the head should be surfaced to flat
5) The valve seats need to be reconditioned and if not hardened, install hardened exhaust seats
6) The valves need to be checked for wear and reconditioned or replaced
7) The valve guides need to be checked for wear and reconditioned or replaced
8) The main bearing cap alignment and size needs to be checked and honed if needed
9) The camshaft bearing needs to be installed
10) The camshaft needs to be checked for wear (some shops cant do this)
11) The lifter bottoms need to be checked for wear
12) Install new soft plugs ( I prefer brass)

A lot depends on what they find.

There are a few more things of course, and I am sure I forgot something, but these are the things you will pay for. The rest depends on who will assemble it. Clean the big hunks off of it to be nice to the shop guy. You are going to bring him a disassembled cylinder head with the parts in baggies. A torn down block with the pistons and rod assemblies out with the main and rod caps back on in their original locations and snugged. The crankshaft, and the camshaft and lifters. Do not mix up the lifters. Make sure you know which lifter came from which camshaft lobe. If you bring the oil pan and valve cover ask him if he will hot tank them also.

If you have the money, have them balance the rotating assembly. The little motor has a long stroke. A good balance will smooth it out when your running 50.