rebuilding an engine
85crxzc
04-10-2006, 08:31 PM
ok so i know a little about engine rebuilding but i mean what are the steps for the process?? my guess is do the head or the block first.. but where does some1 go from there the pistons? the cylinders? how do i know the right size bearing? do i gota get it miced to get the right size bearings? i mean crap for a rebuild kit and prices on machine work its rediculous lol am i just being a cheap skate or am i just taking the wrong aproach to stuff like this:banghead:..im the kinda person that likes to do everything myself but i mean there are things that should be left to a profesional at the machine shop.. i have gone as far as replacing cracked valves and relapping the seats. just thought maybe i could try to get a little clearer pic on the whole thing..
lxndr
04-11-2006, 02:18 AM
If you want to rebuild your motor right don't buy any old rebuild kit, instead find a competent machine shop in your area and have them inspect your complete assembled short block first.
The machinist will take some measurements of your deck height and bore, etc, this will tell them how much material they will need to take off in order to flatten the deck, and it will tell them if the crank bore is straight. It will also tell them/you what size overbore of pistons you will need to pick up. Chances are your cylinders are oval, egg or barrel shaped so they will need to bore and hone the cylinders in order to make them round again.
Form here you can take the block home, take it apart and wait for the parts you ordered to arrive. Once you have all the parts take everything back to the machine shop so they can start the machine work. They will bore the cylinders, deck the block and line bore the crankshaft caps. A competent machinist will only polish a Honda crankshaft because 1) that's all they need to do since the journals are hardened, and 2) they won't want to cut into a hardened journal because it will compromise the hardened surface. When they bore and hone the block they will check the piston to cylinder wall clearance and ring gap, this is why they need your new pistons and rings before they start the machine work.
The next step is to resize the connecting rods. This means that you will probably need stock standard sized bearings because they will make the rod ends match the bearings and the crank. This is done so that there is proper clearance on all rod ends/bearings. With this method there will be no need for plastigauge and color coded bearings, upon assembly just pop the bearings in and torque the rod and crank caps down since they have already machined these parts to match the bearings you're using.
Then it's on to the cylinder head. This is where you should spend most of your time (and money) since this is where you will gain HP/torque. If I only had two choices, I'd rather run a junk yard block with a ported and polished head than a rebuilt block with a stock head. Although if you plan to do some work to the head but you've run out of cash, you can always bolt on a stock head just to get the car running while you're building another head. The head can be swapped relatively easily but the block can't, this is why I'd start with the block first, so you have a good foundation that you can build on.
Hope this helps.
The machinist will take some measurements of your deck height and bore, etc, this will tell them how much material they will need to take off in order to flatten the deck, and it will tell them if the crank bore is straight. It will also tell them/you what size overbore of pistons you will need to pick up. Chances are your cylinders are oval, egg or barrel shaped so they will need to bore and hone the cylinders in order to make them round again.
Form here you can take the block home, take it apart and wait for the parts you ordered to arrive. Once you have all the parts take everything back to the machine shop so they can start the machine work. They will bore the cylinders, deck the block and line bore the crankshaft caps. A competent machinist will only polish a Honda crankshaft because 1) that's all they need to do since the journals are hardened, and 2) they won't want to cut into a hardened journal because it will compromise the hardened surface. When they bore and hone the block they will check the piston to cylinder wall clearance and ring gap, this is why they need your new pistons and rings before they start the machine work.
The next step is to resize the connecting rods. This means that you will probably need stock standard sized bearings because they will make the rod ends match the bearings and the crank. This is done so that there is proper clearance on all rod ends/bearings. With this method there will be no need for plastigauge and color coded bearings, upon assembly just pop the bearings in and torque the rod and crank caps down since they have already machined these parts to match the bearings you're using.
Then it's on to the cylinder head. This is where you should spend most of your time (and money) since this is where you will gain HP/torque. If I only had two choices, I'd rather run a junk yard block with a ported and polished head than a rebuilt block with a stock head. Although if you plan to do some work to the head but you've run out of cash, you can always bolt on a stock head just to get the car running while you're building another head. The head can be swapped relatively easily but the block can't, this is why I'd start with the block first, so you have a good foundation that you can build on.
Hope this helps.
85crxzc
04-11-2006, 05:44 PM
cool thanks that clears up alot of confusion i had about the whole process... i just dont wanna take my block to a machinest and think the cost of repairs is gonna b cheap and it ends up bein a much different price.. but with this info i kinda have an idea now of the rpairs that gonna need b done.. what about main bearings? my guess is standerd size since u mentioned that the journals are hardened..
i apreciate ur info thanks Cody
i apreciate ur info thanks Cody
lxndr
04-12-2006, 02:37 AM
Yep, standard crank and rod bearings will do, but only if they resize the rods and line bore the block. Ask your machine shop before you buy anything!
I forgot to add that by resizing the rod ends they can compansate for the material they take off when they deck the block. Meaning if they take .005 off the top of the block, they will move the hole in the rod end up .005 so your compression height does not change.
I forgot to add that by resizing the rod ends they can compansate for the material they take off when they deck the block. Meaning if they take .005 off the top of the block, they will move the hole in the rod end up .005 so your compression height does not change.
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