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STILL looking for an engine block (dear god someone help me!)
Well gentleman I'm zero for 5 now, my buddy generously offered me a spare engine block out of an 86 951 for me to rebuild for my own 951. Upon inspection, the bores were significantly more scored than we had both initially thought (especially on #4. The motor had a badly blown headgasket and seemed to have suffered from detonation for a prolonged period) so the block I thought was a sure bet is now out of the running as well. Does anyone anywhere in Central texas or really anywhere in maybe a 5-6 hour radius of south Austin have a decent 85.5+ engine block with clean cylinder walls? I've been trying to source a block for literally over a year now and have struck out 5 times so far. I'd also be interested in a lower mileage 951 short block if the cylinder walls were decent and the price was right. I see them for sale on ebay from time to time at reasonable prices (short blocks for 400-600 and bare blocks for 250-300) so I know they exist, but the nice ones are inevitably always on the other side of the country and local pickup only.
I would say you've already got several good blocks to choose from. Just save your pennies and do new pistons and a sleeved or plated block. There won't be any doubts about what you're starting with at that point.
I am in the process of converting an auto trans to a manual(long story). I will pull the auto car drive train in Sept. The car had 186k on it and I bought it sight unseen for the chassis. Never tried to turn it over and I have No idea what the block looks like but you are welcome to it. I'm in SE Houston.
I'd have run out of patience and had one of the blocks overbored for Wossners about 9 months ago, at that rate.
I bought a low miles 951 short block for $500 from OH and had it shipped cross country for about $160 maybe 6 months ago.
The deals are out there...is it really worth the hassle to try and rebuild one? Why not just get a lower miles runner?
I broke down Spencer. I just did exactly this. Purchased a complete motor minus the head with 50k on the clock from Josh B for a great price. (call it a medium block, inbetween a long and short block)
with shipping included, it came out to about half the cost of overboring + new wossners. Is it as good of a platform to build a motor on as a brand new freshly machined block? Of course not. The pistons and ring are not new either. I think it will be fine though, and I'll take the risk to save 500-600 dollars and more importantly my time and frustration. Current plan when it arrives is just a "quick and dirty refresh"; all new seals and gaskets + change rod bearings + new water pump + new belts and rollers + slap a rebuilt head on it and drop it in.
For all the time involved in working on these cars+the not just desire, but NEED to build something with as close to new-car reliability as possible, going with as much new or 100% reconditioned is absolutely necessary. Of course, this attitude has a downside. After high school while everyone else went to collage or joined the military, I worked at an auto parts store, spending every dime I got for five years swapping a big block, four speed, and 12-bolt rear end into a ratty '70 Chevelle. But boy, when I finally got it going it was one fantastic driving car, with no problems what so ever.
For all the time involved in working on these cars+the not just desire, but NEED to build something with as close to new-car reliability as possible, going with as much new or 100% reconditioned is absolutely necessary.
I disagree. I have seen a large number of torn down motors that came from running cars, but if one didn't know that you'd look at the blocks and say they were unfit for rebuild or wouldn't run correctly at all. Case in point, the pictures of the above heavily scored block came from a well running daily driver that was taken off the road because of an engine fire, not because it wasnt running correctly or had performance issues. I believe the empirical evidence suggests these motors will run just fine in a significantly wider margin of tolerance than Porsche or conventional wisdom suggests. It would have cost me an additional 30% or more to rebore one of my blocks and fit new pistons. I am a broke engineering student and my car has been down for almost 2 years. I want it running again, plain and simple. I own two other cars and don't depend on my 951 for anything other than plastering a grin on my face. I think the risk of a proper refresh on a low mileage, clean short block vs a complete rebuild is minor and I'll take the savings and use it to put 4 new tires on the car and then take my girlfriend and myself out for a nice date. In the end, the only difference between the two paths is "old" pistons rings (which are already bedded in and sealed) running in a used bore, vs brand new pistons and rings running in a brand new bore; which may not be substantially better than the old bore and runs the risk of not sealing correctly or any number of other issues that can arise from improper machine work/bore finishing. Don't forget my money and time savings too. The more I think about it, the more I think I made the smart choice today, and believe me I've had 18 months to think about this.
I never wanted perfection. That day will come when/if I decide to revisit a stroker build. For now, I just wanted "good"; a running engine that I can expect to last 5+ years without issue. I think a refreshed 50k mile long block has strong potential to provide that.
That block above is the one in my '86 951... PO swore up and down it was a great running daily before it lit up during errands.
We always hear about motors being ruined by spun bearings or snapped belts. Scored bores aren't ideal but just out of curiosity, how often do people decommission motors because of them?
despite the scratches seen above which are usually caused by something going wrong, the alusil bores and the appropriate rings are very long lived and durable.
the block i bought has 64k miles - bores are perfect, i am not going to even bother pulling the pistons.
just rod bearings, seals, and install...
That block above is the one in my '86 951... PO swore up and down it was a great running daily before it lit up during errands.
We always hear about motors being ruined by spun bearings or snapped belts. Scored bores aren't ideal but just out of curiosity, how often do people decommission motors because of them?
I also think it bears mentioning that yes, while "scored bores are not ideal" I think its a much bigger issue with regards to reringing a scored block or swapping pistons and hoping that it doesn't A: fail to seal properly or B: break a ring land. Running motors that are being resealed/having bearings replaced but retaining the same pistons and rings I think are at a substantially lower risk of having problems as a direct result of any bore imperfections, as long as they arn't extreme.
Pics of my new short block. 3 and 4 look perfect. I see a small mark on #1 and #2, they are not in focus so its hard to see but they look minor and I trust Josh that it is good to go. Hoping 6th time is the charm?!
Looks good. Don't bother with the rings if it wasn't using oil. Just reseal it and put a head on it...
10-4. How did you manage to ship a 300 lb 48x40x36 pallet for 160 bucks Spencer? I need to arrange shipping from Josh, he has a forklift on his end and a "commercial address". Getting it delivered to another "commercial address without a lift gate or forklift", cheapest I am getting quoted is ~190 dollars; which I could swallow easy enough except I don't have a commercial address to ship it to. Shipping to my residential address is ~312. Josh gave me a great deal on the motor but I'm trying not to break the bank on shipping. This is going through uShip.com. freightquotes.com was even more expensive.
09-04-2016, 02:00 PM
STILL looking for an engine block (dear god someone help me!)
