rebuilding engine

M

man-of-war

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Apr 23, 2004
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175
hi all, had the boat on the niagera river this weekend doing 4500 rpm when the engine came to an abrupt stop sounded like a conecting rod came lose. the water level came up and in to the new 1410 carb.its going in to the shop in the morning to pull the engine .would it be cheaper to buy a rebuilt engine? OR should i have this engine rebuilt.what web sites could i use to view marine engines ''rebuilt'' :( thanks
 
R

rbezdon

Senior Chief Petty Officer
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Jun 20, 2004
Messages
689
Re: rebuilding engine

I think it will be cheaper to buy a rebuilt long block and transfer everything else. The places that do it do a lot of them and get a better deal on the parts than you can 1 by one. You can spec what you want, roller cam, 4 bolt mains etc. I got mine here. <br /><br /> http://www.tbolt.net/marineengines.htm <br /><br />Make sure you really clean out that carb.
 
Don S

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
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62,321
Re: rebuilding engine

There is a lot of difference between rebuilding an engine and putting new parts in one.<br />Anyone with wrenches can put new parts in one, but it takes experience, knowledge in what to look for and do, and attention to detail to have a rebuild.<br />I see people on this forum all the time rebuilding (Their word) an engine and they don't even have a manual with dimensions on engine parts and many other details. All they want is head torque specs. So, would you want to go out with one of those engines in your boat? I wouldn't.
 
M

man-of-war

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Apr 23, 2004
Messages
175
Re: rebuilding engine

the michanic opened the engine this after noon. #3 piston was missing,the onlt thing that was conected to the badly bent conecting rod was the piston pin. there's a hole in the block,the michanic said that he can use a sleve in that silender.is it ok to change the hydrolic lifters that are in the engine right now, to solid lifters?the michanic said i dont need the hydrolic lifters because my engine does not go above 5000rpm. all this work to clear up a tapping on #8 rocker . the #3 valves were busted as well,pieces of piston were up in the intake manifold.what could cause a piston to defragment like that?
 
J

jmccall001

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Feb 23, 2005
Messages
103
Re: rebuilding engine

Get a rebuilt block - you are only postp[oning more problems if you sleeve a cylinder without using new heads, crank, and bearings.
 
L

Laddies

Banned
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Sep 10, 2004
Messages
12,218
Re: rebuilding engine

From the lifter advice, you need to find a differant mechanic--Bob
 
R

rbezdon

Senior Chief Petty Officer
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Jun 20, 2004
Messages
689
Re: rebuilding engine

get a new engine. You are going to spend the same money putting bancaids on the blown block anyway!! There are lots of places to get e reasonable long block.
 
M

man-of-war

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Messages
175
Re: rebuilding engine

I am calling around looking for a bb chevy 7.4L block. No luck today, I may have to call GM. Is it BS the mechanic telling me about the lifters?
 
M

man-of-war

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Apr 23, 2004
Messages
175
Re: rebuilding engine

Well I looked everywhere for a block for this engine with no luck. GM wants to sell me an Aluminum Head Engine for $9,000.00 or $8,000.00 for an Iron Head Engine. Apparently they don't sell just a bare block. The lower portion of an engine excluding the head will cost me $6,000.00. I called alot of scrap yards with no luck. There are just complete engines for $1,500.00-$2,500.00. I'm just going to let the mechanic do the sleeve thing. I have a meeting with the mechanic tomorrow and I would like to have some knowledge on certain things for example, Which way to go - hydrolic or solid lifters? He wants to port the head - Yes or No? I mentioned a couple of months ago about oil pressure being low and he said he's going to put in a stiffer spring - Or should he replace the oil pump?<br />Thanks for all your help.
 
V

vicsponjr

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 21, 2004
Messages
174
Re: rebuilding engine

I work at a engine reman shop. I can get you a block, or a reman engine. Personally, I would save myself the headache and get an engine. Sounds like it blew up pretty good. You can sleeve the cylinder, but the thrown rod may have cracked the block down below the cylinder. Your gonna need to replace the rod, piston, head, did the cam get hit?, a gasket kit, HYDRAULIC lifters, rod bearing, main bearings, etc. Plus the labor. And what caused it to blow up? Is it going to fail again? Is the mechanic giving you a warranty? A stiffer spring?? If the engine blew up you have metal fragments all thru the oiling system, including the pump. Low oil pressure is either caused by worn bearings or a bad pump. Why is he going to port the heads? What year is the engine?
 
B

bfd72

Cadet
Joined
Jul 31, 2005
Messages
9
Re: rebuilding engine

sounds like the old block & heads took a pretty serious beating i think i would look for some new iron or have a thorough magna flux job done on the old block and get a solid written guarantee with the rebuild parts & labor if you stay with the old block i really dont understand the advice on solid lifters they are way more maintence than a decent hydraulic or hyd. roller .go to Ebay and check out the motors for sale there i have seen many reputable builders there where you should be able to find a real sweet and solid motor thru one of the many machine shops who sell motors there regularly for lots less than what it sounds like you,ve been quoted elsewhere , good luck and let us know how it goes BFD..........
 
M

man-of-war

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Apr 23, 2004
Messages
175
Re: rebuilding engine

I'm not quite sure what year this engine is, I had a friend do a print out from AERA using the casting # and it says the year is a 1975 454 bb 7.4L. However, when looking for parts using that year, there's no listing for that year. Yes the bent rod is being changed and 1 new piston as well as the rings are being changed also. I think the head was fine, just the valves were toast. The cam is being changed. I had a new comp cam installed last month when the bearings were changed. I'm going back to the Maleary 3/4 race cam for a bit more performance. I saw the mechanic put the engine and its contents in a big steamer and power wash and forced air to clear the oil passages. I have no idea why he wants to port the heads, I just take his word for it - Maybe the engine would run better?
 
W

whywhyzed

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Feb 1, 2005
Messages
1,871
Re: rebuilding engine

There was a guy selling a pair of 454 Mercruisers in Scarborough on eBay (takeouts- diesel repower). He wanted $3000 for the pair with the transmissions IIRC- there were zero bids. You could search the completed auctions...
 
D

deputydawg

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Aug 29, 2004
Messages
1,607
Re: rebuilding engine

I have run sleeved cylinders in my race car on occasion when I have had problems like you have. But the only time I have done this was in a pinch after blosing bigtime. It will work, and will run good, BUT there is no guarantee how long it will run. If the rod knocked a hole in it I really don't think you will want to sleeve it. If it just scarred it you could get by. The only races I ran like this was to keep points. <br />I would definately suggest a different block here.<br />Isn't the block the same from automotive to marine applications? If so you should be able to find a shortblocked GM engine pretty easy. <br />Good luck on your search.
 
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