Who wants an engine built??

[Flannelman]

Ive always wanted to do this.

My parents havent been helpful in this area by coming up with ways to put up walls. Like saying I should become a qualified mechanic. I dont want it as a job, just a hobby. So I can diagnose problems and fix them, I just havent got the piece of paper.

Okay, so what?
Ive built two engines from scratch an numerous others have had tuning/head modification.

First engine I built was for my Falcon in 2005. Removal, teardown and rebuild changing from a 302 to 351. The crank oil holes were radiused and the journals were polished, the recipicating mass was balanced and was assembled using ARP bolts. The heads were portmatched to the manifold.
Topped with a 600cfm Holley carb it turned out 172kW@4900 at the back wheels. This engine (driver induced mind you) broke 3 diffs in 8 months, and then proceded to destroy the C4 auto when a proper V8 diff was found and installed.

The second engine had more work done with the heads which improved flow from 172cfm to 210cfm (thats about 360hp to 430+hp). All the same was applied to this engine altho its the smaller 302. This engine hasent been dynoed but it has no trouble exceeding 6000.

Ive also helped with an assembly of a f10a suzuki engine about 2 months ago.

Well, thats all Ive done. I would like to do more, so Im here asking.
Who would want me to build an engine for them?

[fuel]

Question is, where are you doing all your machine work? Like boring/honing bores, line boring main bearing journals, machining and polishing cranks etc. Do you have a workshop at your disposal or are you simply getting these jobs done by the local engine shop?

[pc]

As I don't have any machinery (or any skills to use them) I get those that do to do the machining... like decking heads, blocks etc.
I've always found the assembly to be easy, deciding what to do to get a good result for the money is the interesting part.

[Flannelman]

What I can do
Anything with a die grinder - head/manifold porting, crank oil hole champher, journal polish, a honing tool (stone) and have a person for welding customised steel sumps.
I also have assembly knowledge which helps alot.
Sorry, I havent got a workshop full of machining tools, thats what the machine shop is for.

[fuel]

polishing journals with a die grinder? honing bores at exactly the right degrees with a stone honing tool? assembly knowledge from assembling a yank V8 and a little 1L Suzuki engine??

Sorry to be skeptical mate but I feel it takes years of practice to get it right. I've built up perhaps half a dozen engines now (some quite complex) and even then I don't feel I would be up to a level I could charge for etc

[fangsport]

Sorry to be skeptical mate but I feel it takes years of practice to get it right. I've built up perhaps half a dozen engines now (some quite complex) and even then I don't feel I would be up to a level I could charge for etc

ditto. i have no issues building my own competition engines, but if they were going in someone elses car, it would be a 'sponsorship' type deal, and i wouldn't supply to goons off the street as they are capable of proving there is no such thing as a bullet proof engine!!

[CAMB01]

Ive had 5 years experience of machining and building engines, motor machinist by trade.
I can tell you now, there a lot of skill and experience involved to build good quality reliable engines.
I'm not putting you down or anything affroman but if you think your good enough to do that, you have to stand behind your work and be ready to back up any mistakes.

[Flannelman]

Thanks for the input

By way of looking at it, im not a trusted engine builder so it would be a gamble getting me to build it for anyone. I shall stick to building my own and those who ask.

The other thing experince says is when an engine lets go, it can be seen as was it neglect on engine builders part or abuse of user.

Engine building takes experince, but I need to build engines to get the experince. Circle of life...

[Dell'Orto]

The other thing experince says is when an engine lets go, it can be seen as was it neglect on engine builders part or abuse of user.

Engine failure can be pretty well pinpointed by an engine builder, there are always signs.

[Malcolm]

Engine building takes experince, but I need to build engines to get the experince. Circle of life...

The idea is usually to get experience under the supervision of someone who knows what they're doing, but failing that building your own is good too, but there will be so many rules of thumb, tricks of the trade, and general pieces of common knowledge that you'd miss out on by going it alone. Talking to builders and using the internets is a good way to learn a lot of these, but it would take you a very long time before it would be wise to do it commercially