so i went to the shop the other day and asked about them doing a piston and rod job on my 94' del sol with a b16a2 swap, he said that the job would be $1950 (je pistons & Eagle rods) does this sound like a rip or is it really that expensive?

 

holy alot of money...do it yourself.

edit: heres a question...are you droppin off the entire car and makin them do all the bullshit, or are you just dropping off the shortblock?

 

Does that include the parts? If so, that is about right.

The price for that makes me want to just pick up a Helms manual and do it myself.

 

the problem is i'm in the army and i just don't have the time to do it myself (work to damn much).how long does a job like this take normally and how difficult is it.

 

Price isn't bad if you are dropping the entire car off and getting it back ready to run. Locally I see them done for 1500 bucks but it all depends on location.

 

i would love to do this myself if i can find the time. but i'm not very experianced in this type of work. will i need any special tools to get it done, and how long would it normally take?

 

It will require a bit of knowledge just for bearing clearances and valve adjustments and the like. You would be better off finding someone who knows how and will build it for a fee and let you watch and learn at the same time. You could always do it yourself with a manual but at the same time, if you clearances aren't right, the motor could be short lived and that would be a more expensive lesson than just paying someone to do it and teach you at the same time.

 

who valve adjustments...I wasnt aware the valves needed to be adjusted during a rod and piston swap/install.....

it would take some time if you did it right, special tools would include trq wrench..some plastigauges..helms manual...piston ring compressor and a peice of wood like a hammer handle. I mean if you have the money and not the time than it isnt a horrible price.

 

do i need to pull the engine in order to pull the rods out?

 

nope