My £400 Engine rebuild.
06 October 2011, 08:30 PM
#1
My £400 Engine rebuild.
So here we go a low cost rebuild that breaks all the rules. 
Having paid an arm and a leg to have my engine rebuilt by the "experts" i find my self with a big end failure, and a shrug of the shoulders from the people that built it 10,000 miles down the road.
So here i am in croatia with not many options, so i'm going to try and fix it as cheaply as possible to get it back up and running.
First job was to get the engine out of the car and asses the damage to discover what was required, so a quick call to my mate Ads at scooby clinic for a few hints and tips, which were greatfully recieved
After a small amount of swearing and a look on good old scoobynet engine was out in around 4/5 hours
i think it would only take half that now that i've done it as i took more off than was required.
Next day i set about driving it down the mountain to a mates garage to strip and split it as they have a renault truck dealership and gave me a spot and the use of some tools, large air tools are where it's at when it comes to stripping and splitting engines.
Couple of hours later all the parts are in boxes in the back of my van, and it was a welcome relief to see that it was only number 3 bearing knackered and the bores looking perfect with no damage
So the search began, and what a short search it was thanks to a member off here called SLAB who had the exact crank with rods pistons and bearings plus a brand new set of ACL bearings, so off i went to sunny doncaster to collect where i found a little aladins cave full of everything else i needed.
So i walked away with, modine, oil pump, water pump, crank,rods, pistons and two sets of bearings all for the princely sum of £220.00 and all off an ra that was in perfect working order but someone wanted the cdb
Yes i know your not supposed to use second hand parts but needs must and i don't have access to unlimited funds and plan to build another cdb engine at a later date so i'm using this one as practice for that
Next stop Scooby Clinic where THE GAFFER and Ads and the lads did me proud, not only did the supply me with a couple of filters spark plugs and a few other bits and bobs at the very very reasonable price of £110.00 BUT and you will notice it's a BIG BUT the boys in the engine building room were more than happy to give me all the inside information on how to go about the job of putting things back together.
.
Think i'll leave it at that for now as this is a big a$$ first post and i'm sure there will be lots more to come so stay tuned.
And again big thanks to Kev and the boys at Scooby Clinic for all the help and advice, just have to see how the putting it into practice goes
Having paid an arm and a leg to have my engine rebuilt by the "experts" i find my self with a big end failure, and a shrug of the shoulders from the people that built it 10,000 miles down the road.
So here i am in croatia with not many options, so i'm going to try and fix it as cheaply as possible to get it back up and running.
First job was to get the engine out of the car and asses the damage to discover what was required, so a quick call to my mate Ads at scooby clinic for a few hints and tips, which were greatfully recieved
After a small amount of swearing and a look on good old scoobynet engine was out in around 4/5 hours
i think it would only take half that now that i've done it as i took more off than was required.Next day i set about driving it down the mountain to a mates garage to strip and split it as they have a renault truck dealership and gave me a spot and the use of some tools, large air tools are where it's at when it comes to stripping and splitting engines.
Couple of hours later all the parts are in boxes in the back of my van, and it was a welcome relief to see that it was only number 3 bearing knackered and the bores looking perfect with no damage
So the search began, and what a short search it was thanks to a member off here called SLAB who had the exact crank with rods pistons and bearings plus a brand new set of ACL bearings, so off i went to sunny doncaster to collect where i found a little aladins cave full of everything else i needed.
So i walked away with, modine, oil pump, water pump, crank,rods, pistons and two sets of bearings all for the princely sum of £220.00 and all off an ra that was in perfect working order but someone wanted the cdb
Yes i know your not supposed to use second hand parts but needs must and i don't have access to unlimited funds and plan to build another cdb engine at a later date so i'm using this one as practice for that
Next stop Scooby Clinic where THE GAFFER and Ads and the lads did me proud, not only did the supply me with a couple of filters spark plugs and a few other bits and bobs at the very very reasonable price of £110.00 BUT and you will notice it's a BIG BUT the boys in the engine building room were more than happy to give me all the inside information on how to go about the job of putting things back together.
.Think i'll leave it at that for now as this is a big a$$ first post and i'm sure there will be lots more to come so stay tuned.
And again big thanks to Kev and the boys at Scooby Clinic for all the help and advice, just have to see how the putting it into practice goes
06 October 2011, 08:45 PM
#3
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My dad often comments when he needs stuff how tight I am, and uses the line "he's so tight he only breathes in" so this is why i love the sound of this thread
Good Luck!!
but......Croatia to Doncaster must have been in addition to the£400 no?
`
Good Luck!!but......Croatia to Doncaster must have been in addition to the£400 no?
`
06 October 2011, 08:59 PM
#5
Sneaking 20kg on to a ryan air flight as hand luggage did save me a few quid as well
airport security were a bit supprised to see all the parts an had a good look at everything but i got it through in the end with a lot of charm and some quick thinking 
08 October 2011, 12:31 AM
#7
Well for the last few days i've been busy cleaning and painting, degreasing and removing old sealer.
Now at this point i feel the need to tell you what my original spec was so that you get some idea of where i'm headed.
All the usual stuff really, wiseco pistons, eagle rods,arp 11mm head bolts, acl race bearings, exedy lightened ballanced flywheel, and ap racing organic clutch with a vf34 and simtec ecu.
Future proofed for over 400bhp so i thought at the time of shelling out, how little did i know
So as to avoid the need for mapping i decided to keep everything as near as possible to my original spec, hence looking for second hand parts off a similar car, mines a v3 sti type r for the record, so the ra bottom end was perfect.
I won't be re-useing my rods as there is the possibility that there may be a small amount of play in the number 3 rod that had the knackered bearing and as i'm trying to keep everything to a bare minimum i shall be using the rods that came with the crank, which are forged and should be ok at my current power level which is a tad over 300bhp, boost turned down for safety lol.
Now all i really want from this engine is that it gets me and my dogs back to england which is 1200 miles away, after which i shall build an all singing and dancing 2.1 cdb as all i really need to do this is a £1400 stroker kit and the cdb of course, i sense another thread in my not too distant future
Now i could just call the european cover people that i have but wheres the fun in that and my dogs puppies are the source of the funds for the 2.1 build so i kind of need them in england to get their full value and cdb's are like hens teeth here, never mind the 44% import tax on everything european
So after trying to source a set of plasti gauges here to check the all important bearing tollerances i ended up giving Ads a call at scooby clinic and they should be winging their way to me next week, as i would like to put the set of new bearings that i bought on the crank if they are within tollerence, if not then i will commit the sin of re-using the ones that came with the crank.
Tomorrow i'm off to my mates garage to give everything it's final clean in his parts washer prior to commencing the task of trying to remember where where everything goes.
I would like to add that this approach that i am taking is not one i would recommend to someone in the uk but fingers crossed it will get me home, then i will have the joy of trying to destroy the engine at donnington when i get back
Oh and the total cost so far is £370 after buying sealer, assembly lube and locktight and 5 litres of mineral oil which i shall only be using for the first 100 miles then it's drop the oil and replace with some good stuff as the pistons have already been in for 10,000 miles and wont need bedding in fingers crossed, i really am taking the pee
Now at this point i feel the need to tell you what my original spec was so that you get some idea of where i'm headed.
All the usual stuff really, wiseco pistons, eagle rods,arp 11mm head bolts, acl race bearings, exedy lightened ballanced flywheel, and ap racing organic clutch with a vf34 and simtec ecu.
Future proofed for over 400bhp so i thought at the time of shelling out, how little did i know
So as to avoid the need for mapping i decided to keep everything as near as possible to my original spec, hence looking for second hand parts off a similar car, mines a v3 sti type r for the record, so the ra bottom end was perfect.
I won't be re-useing my rods as there is the possibility that there may be a small amount of play in the number 3 rod that had the knackered bearing and as i'm trying to keep everything to a bare minimum i shall be using the rods that came with the crank, which are forged and should be ok at my current power level which is a tad over 300bhp, boost turned down for safety lol.
Now all i really want from this engine is that it gets me and my dogs back to england which is 1200 miles away, after which i shall build an all singing and dancing 2.1 cdb as all i really need to do this is a £1400 stroker kit and the cdb of course, i sense another thread in my not too distant future
Now i could just call the european cover people that i have but wheres the fun in that and my dogs puppies are the source of the funds for the 2.1 build so i kind of need them in england to get their full value and cdb's are like hens teeth here, never mind the 44% import tax on everything european
So after trying to source a set of plasti gauges here to check the all important bearing tollerances i ended up giving Ads a call at scooby clinic and they should be winging their way to me next week, as i would like to put the set of new bearings that i bought on the crank if they are within tollerence, if not then i will commit the sin of re-using the ones that came with the crank.
Tomorrow i'm off to my mates garage to give everything it's final clean in his parts washer prior to commencing the task of trying to remember where where everything goes.
I would like to add that this approach that i am taking is not one i would recommend to someone in the uk but fingers crossed it will get me home, then i will have the joy of trying to destroy the engine at donnington when i get back
Oh and the total cost so far is £370 after buying sealer, assembly lube and locktight and 5 litres of mineral oil which i shall only be using for the first 100 miles then it's drop the oil and replace with some good stuff as the pistons have already been in for 10,000 miles and wont need bedding in fingers crossed, i really am taking the pee
Last edited by ditchmyster; 08 October 2011 at 12:36 AM.
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08 October 2011, 06:59 PM
#8
Ok guys, the crank i bought could do with a pollish as it has some small bearing deposits on it, which i'm not overly concerned about as i knew it would be a possibility but had to get it as my old one had already been refaced once and i can have this done by a mate of a mate for free
Question i have is, the new bearings i have are ACL standard 7362m should i be having the crank machined down slightly for these and if so by how much, or will they go straight on, i prefer to put the new ones on so may as well with my being able to have the work done for nowt
Question i have is, the new bearings i have are ACL standard 7362m should i be having the crank machined down slightly for these and if so by how much, or will they go straight on, i prefer to put the new ones on so may as well with my being able to have the work done for nowt
09 October 2011, 05:36 PM
#9
im no expert but rumour on here is that re grinding a scooby crank is a no no. all the experts will say this. this is because it is very difficult to clean it all out afterwards unless you have the right kit. it requires a special process apparantly.
09 October 2011, 08:23 PM
#10
Yeh i know its not a popular route, but needs must on this job i'm afraid, and don't think i will be regrinding just a light polish to remove the smallest amount of baring residue, as after doing some more reading it would seem these bearings should be ok but i will be checking tomorrow,might even break the budget and have the head skimmed and fit new head gaskets, then i'll have to change the thread title to my £550 engine rebuild 
11 October 2011, 07:13 PM
#11
Good news, had the crank polished and checked today, and its well within tolerance, and engineer said he barely touched it, he also checked the heads and they are flat so no need for skimming either, cost of the build has gone up slightly though as i gave him £15 for a drink, and i'm a happy chappy, just waiting for the plasti gauges to turn up and away we go.
11 October 2011, 10:19 PM
#13
Funny you should say that as i sent a text to ads yesterday asking the price hence the comment about upping the budget, i was thinking inlet,exhaust, turbo and oil gallery o rings, now i am trying to do this on a very tight budget, but i would be gratefull for any suggestions you might have given your experience.
12 October 2011, 05:25 PM
#14
I was thinking more on the lines of crucial gaskets like, the block half o-rings, camshaft seals, head gaskets, inlet manifold gaskets.
Exhaust/turbo gaskets you could possibly reuse if they are in good nick but only as I know this is just a short term get you back to Blighty build.
When you do your stroker dont cut any corners and just buy the lot new!!
Exhaust/turbo gaskets you could possibly reuse if they are in good nick but only as I know this is just a short term get you back to Blighty build.
When you do your stroker dont cut any corners and just buy the lot new!!
13 October 2011, 11:46 PM
#22
Ah temptation is seducing me, or is it common sense
Well it seems i have all the seals required at a very good price via my new best friend SLAB
So i'd have to be rather silly not to put it back together properly, so it would seem i as well as just about everyone that builds their own engine will be going over my original budget to the tune of about £250, as i shall be fitting all new gaskets as well, may as well give my engine the best possible chance of survival, and who knows it may save me the cost of a 2.1 build,as my ultimate goal power wise is around around 400bhp so as not to have to change the thing i like most about the car which is the gearbox.
So i'm now playing the waiting game until my parts arrive its more parts cleaning and painting, i shall be giving the engine bay a good clean tomorrow while its empty might as well get it spotless
Well it seems i have all the seals required at a very good price via my new best friend SLAB
So i'd have to be rather silly not to put it back together properly, so it would seem i as well as just about everyone that builds their own engine will be going over my original budget to the tune of about £250, as i shall be fitting all new gaskets as well, may as well give my engine the best possible chance of survival, and who knows it may save me the cost of a 2.1 build,as my ultimate goal power wise is around around 400bhp so as not to have to change the thing i like most about the car which is the gearbox.
So i'm now playing the waiting game until my parts arrive its more parts cleaning and painting, i shall be giving the engine bay a good clean tomorrow while its empty might as well get it spotless
15 October 2011, 06:30 PM
#23
Just spent most of the day giving the heads a bloody good clean and strip down and what a task that is, i made a bit of a boo boo in that i had painted them with some chrome paint, and it ran when i used a bit of petrol to clean the gasket faces and i was also not sure if it would stand the heat so i went and got some high temp paint and set about getting the old stuff off, what fun that was.
So now i have white and silver high temp paint and i'm not sure which one to paint where, i'm thinking block white and heads silver, what do you guys think
On a side note, as i was doing it i thought would it make a difference if the cams were the wrong way round as in exhaust where the inlet is and vice versa, obviously they are marked but it just made me think what would happen as to the naked eye they seem the same ish
So now i have white and silver high temp paint and i'm not sure which one to paint where, i'm thinking block white and heads silver, what do you guys think
On a side note, as i was doing it i thought would it make a difference if the cams were the wrong way round as in exhaust where the inlet is and vice versa, obviously they are marked but it just made me think what would happen as to the naked eye they seem the same ish
18 October 2011, 10:22 PM
#24
Well today i did the block halves, decided i needed to do those as well, and opted for the silver on both in conventional style i think i might use the white in a few other places but a bit undecided as yet.
On a plus note got all new gaskets, inlet manifold,exhaust,head and downpipe as well as the cam cover bolt seals, should all be with me by friday along with all the engine seals, burst the budget but i think it's the best thing to do, as if it turns out to be ok then i will be able to sell it on knowing that it's not a duffer, so as to part fund my 2.1 which i have aquired a version 8 block to be the doner from my old 04 wrx, thanks to my new partner in crime bonus being that it will not require machining for the nitride crank, ok it's not a closed deck but is more than capable of running 500bhp which is much further than i intend to go so no worries there 
So the grand total is now £675 which i think is not too bad if it holds together.
My mission statement has changed somewhat but i do believe it's for the better and ultimately i think with selling a few parts i will be able to end up with a very cheap 2.1 and prove that these engines can be built on a very tight budget with the help of the community
On a plus note got all new gaskets, inlet manifold,exhaust,head and downpipe as well as the cam cover bolt seals, should all be with me by friday along with all the engine seals, burst the budget but i think it's the best thing to do, as if it turns out to be ok then i will be able to sell it on knowing that it's not a duffer, so as to part fund my 2.1 which i have aquired a version 8 block to be the doner from my old 04 wrx, thanks to my new partner in crime
bonus being that it will not require machining for the nitride crank, ok it's not a closed deck but is more than capable of running 500bhp which is much further than i intend to go so no worries there So the grand total is now £675 which i think is not too bad if it holds together.
My mission statement has changed somewhat but i do believe it's for the better and ultimately i think with selling a few parts i will be able to end up with a very cheap 2.1 and prove that these engines can be built on a very tight budget with the help of the community
20 October 2011, 10:26 PM
#25
Not such a busy day today, but very time consuming, spent around 4 hours cleaning nuts and bolts,and thats just the first time around as i shall be doing it again just to make sure they are spotless.
For anyone considering doing a DIY build one thing i will say is that there are many hours of sitting around scrubbing stuff, especially on a 14year old car, and if you are anything like me (a touch of OCD) and decide to paint stuff as well like all the brackets, engine, pipes ect,lots of sanding for paint prep, i must have spent a weeks worth of labour on this alone.
So make sure you have the time because this is not a quick job if you plan on doing it anything like properly.
For anyone considering doing a DIY build one thing i will say is that there are many hours of sitting around scrubbing stuff, especially on a 14year old car, and if you are anything like me (a touch of OCD) and decide to paint stuff as well like all the brackets, engine, pipes ect,lots of sanding for paint prep, i must have spent a weeks worth of labour on this alone.
So make sure you have the time because this is not a quick job if you plan on doing it anything like properly.
23 October 2011, 11:25 PM
#26
Cleaned all the bolts again just to make sure, off to the post office in the morning in the hope that there will be a couple of parcels for me, weather or not they arrive i shall be doing my first dummy build, which is just to familiarise myself with where and how everything goes and if the parcels turn up i'll be checking my clearances
I'm probably going to do this three or four times before i stick any sealant and lube in though, just to be sure everything is as it should be.
I'm probably going to do this three or four times before i stick any sealant and lube in though, just to be sure everything is as it should be.
24 October 2011, 09:23 AM
#27
Do you have a workshop manual?
I could send you the full one as the copy I have has been an absolute godsend.
If you need it send me PM me. It'll be a zipped file about 300mb but its very very good.
Basically I'll send you the link to download it from my webserver.
I could send you the full one as the copy I have has been an absolute godsend.
If you need it send me PM me. It'll be a zipped file about 300mb but its very very good.
Basically I'll send you the link to download it from my webserver.
27 October 2011, 11:22 PM
#28
Unfortunatly i still don't have any parcels, and the young lady in the post office informs me that it could be as many as 15 days, you would think i was in outer mongolia and they were travelling via yak, and we think the postal service in the uk is bad, here in croatia they bring a whole new meaning to the word sloth
On a plus side i put the inlet manifold back together, which involved a small amount of head scratching, i think it's right looks lush in gold chrome, which really does look as though it's gold plated, can't wait to see it on the car, shame i don't have the lead to be able to load the pics
Also did a bit of a dummy block build by way of familarising my self with the where and how everything goes, and making sure all threaded holes are free and clear, it's amazing how things start to slot into place in the mind once you start putting everything together
Im really starting to understand my engine so much more, or at least i think i do
On a plus side i put the inlet manifold back together, which involved a small amount of head scratching, i think it's right
looks lush in gold chrome, which really does look as though it's gold plated, can't wait to see it on the car, shame i don't have the lead to be able to load the picsAlso did a bit of a dummy block build by way of familarising my self with the where and how everything goes, and making sure all threaded holes are free and clear, it's amazing how things start to slot into place in the mind once you start putting everything together
Im really starting to understand my engine so much more, or at least i think i do
12 November 2011, 11:55 PM
#29
Finally started doing something with regards getting the engine built today, bolted the bottom end together and checked the clearances on the crank bearings, which to much joy and happiness were all nicely within tollerance and very even,which i think is more down to using the rods that came with the crank as opposed to any skill on my part, should in theory make for a nice smooth running engine fingers,toes and eye's crossed.
Going to start building it up proper tomorrow and see how far i get
Also had a slight change of plan regarding the future of this car, think i will be breaking it as i have bought myself a blob wrx waggon ppp and i shall be modding that in the summer so the type r, love it as i do but just can't live with the total lack of any practicality and don't see the point in throwing more money at a car i have hardly driven in 5 yrs will have to go, after i have taken some of the parts off for my self, so anyone fancy a blue type r shell...
Going to start building it up proper tomorrow and see how far i get
Also had a slight change of plan regarding the future of this car, think i will be breaking it as i have bought myself a blob wrx waggon ppp and i shall be modding that in the summer so the type r, love it as i do but just can't live with the total lack of any practicality and don't see the point in throwing more money at a car i have hardly driven in 5 yrs will have to go, after i have taken some of the parts off for my self, so anyone fancy a blue type r shell...
Last edited by ditchmyster; 13 November 2011 at 12:02 AM.
30 November 2011, 09:13 PM
#30
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Wow! Great post! I'm new to this scooby scene and have purchased a Type RA import. It had a few problem like oil leak and wasn't boosting properly. I tried to sort the leak, but failed and ended up messing up my bearings. Just before that happened I managed to sort out a few of the other problems and got the car boosting nicely. I was blown away by the power of this machine and instantly fell in love. So I have now decided to strip the block down and rebuild from scratch. I also gave her a new lovely coat of candy paint as she was looking very shabby after previously being a show car, or so the last owner stated. I'll be opening a thread soon with more details and pic and would appreciate some advice as it's the first scooby I've ever had or dealt with. I'll keep following with great interest. Thanks