Rebuild kit?

[SGKent]

There is not a "kit" that I am aware of for a type 4 2.0 motor that really meets ones needs. With 30 to 40 years on most of these engines they are no longer "standard" engines. Several of us here can put together kits for you based on what you have however even with no profit or fee in it for us you will still be into it $4000 minimum to do it right. It can be done less costly but it all depends on what you want to accomplish and how long you want your engine to run like a new engine. This discussion occurs once a week around here and there are lots of threads on it. If you want it to run like a new engine you will need new cylinders and pistons, a new cam and lifters, all new bearings, and new heads. The heads will be close to $2000 for the pair.
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"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it." - George Carlin

[cabinfourus]

This is a very old thread, but I wanted to add some information I have that may help someone in the future.

Many people who overhaul engines have an idea of what they are going for. The HP, torque, and look of an engine determines the amount of money you are going to spend. If you plan to race your rebuild, it would be smart to find a good machine shop who is willing to work with you and pay close attention to the details of your work. Make sure you can trust the machine shop! Some shops I have dealt with, machined crankshafts that didn't need it. Others have machined crankshafts way too much. I don't like to go past .010 on mains. Just my preference, nothing wrong if you disagree.

Some people are just looking to overhaul their engine to a stock setup, which doesn't always cost a ton of money. If your heads, crankshaft, and camshaft are in good shape, you will save a lot of money. Most crankshafts can be polished and will work fine in a stock engine. The line bore of the case is important, but if you are reusing the old crankshaft, you should be okay. Either way, make sure to check it and that it is within specs.

As far as the specs are concerned, you would be surprised to know that many factory engines are not within the specs they recommend. While working as a line technician in Dodge dealerships, I found many crankshafts that had more clearance than the book called for. If you are looking to get 100k out of your engine's rebuild, make sure to take your time and check everything.

In my years of building engines, I have had some that lasted years and others that failed with less than 10k. The low mileage failures were usually part failures or machine shop mistakes, but I cannot blame a failure on anyone but myself, when I assemble them. You should be checking your specs as you go and will find the mistakes before you fire it up.

I read someone say these engines cost 2000 - 5000 dollars to rebuild, but this is not the normal overhaul. If you use good parts and machine work, you will pay between 1000 - 1500 for a stock rebuild you do yourself. The cost goes up as you add performance parts.

[TrollFromDownBelow]

EDIT: Did not realize how old this thread was. But think the info below is still relevant.

Yes, you can do it yourself, but based on your posts suspect you don't have a lot of mechanical experience. An alternative is to do all but the assembly.

Below is what I did, and is a cost effective way of getting it done right.

- buy the Wilson book, read it multiple times, high-light the good stuff.
- buy the HIGHEST quality parts you can find. There's some excellent suggestions in this string. Weakest link are the heads. Get Len Hoffman heads if you can afford it. I was lucky, and was able to get his 'blue print specials' but as I understand these are no longer available. Next choice would be Adrian, last would be a new set of heads. There practically no rebuildable cores...you might get lucky, but probably best to start with new.
- pull the engine out of the bus.
- I dismantled mine, and bagged and tagged everything, and cleaned upmost of the major gunk. Check with your rebuilder first if they would prefer to do disassembly.
- I took my engine Richard Sedoris located in Youngstown OH. He assembled my long block for what I thought was a very reasonable price. If your in S. IL, this could be a nice little road trip. BTW - he is pretty busy. But definitely worth the wait. If there is machining that needs to be done, he can do some, and will outsource to reputable local shops what he isn't capable of.
- Clean and paint all of your engine tins, and the engine bay while waiting for the engine.
- Re-read Wilson, and install the motor.

I just checked, and it was almost 5 years ago that I bought the parts....IIRC it was about $3500 for the parts (heads were half of that cost) plus what I paid Rich to assemble/build the long block.

Hope this helps.
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1976 Westy (aka Tripod)
2.0 liter FI solid lifters
212k miles