What exactly is rebuilding an engine?
What are the benifits?
What kind of tools do you need for it?
What kind of knowledge do you need for it (can someone who doesn't know much about cars but would really like to learn do it without ****ing things up if they were very careful and took their time)?

 

Rebuilding an engine is pretty much what it sounds, you are reworking it to pretty much be in factory new condition. Honing, maybe overboring and honing, the cylinders, replacing the piston rings, replacing the bearings, possibly machining parts back to spec, rebalancing parts, replacing seals, lots of fun stuff.

The benefit of the mess is that in the end you basically have a brand new engine.

Lots of special tools are needed. Calipers, feeler gauges, all basic hand tools, piston ring grove cleaners, a ring compressor, a balancing machine, etc.

No, an average person can't do it. I know guys who have been in to restoring and reworking cars for years who still leave a lot of the rebuilding procedure to professionals. Some operations require some serious machinery. An average Joe can do a lot of the stuff, though.

 

average joe can replace parts but real machining is left to those who are certified.

getting an engine bored,sleeved,honed is a very precise art. you have to carefully measure how much is being taken off per cylinder. and measure out the diffrences in pistons. nothing is perfect. so you have to accomodate that the best you can when rebuilding an engine. making sure you keep pistons designated to the correct cylinder etc.

overall if you rebuild an engine you gain the satisfaction that your brand old engine has another 1xx,xxx miles to go. but while you are at it, why not upgrade the internals a bit.


OT: KAI, where in va are you?

 

In Richmond now, occasionally in Stafford or Woodbridge.