Advice for a beginner

[PommyDave]

Pictures would be good.



Rust and bores are a funny thing. A lite surface coating of rust can be cleaned off with a hone If the rust has pitted the bore than normally you'd bore the block to clean up the damage and fit a new piston but generally you'd do the whole block and not just a single bore. However, depending on where in the bore the pitting/damage is sometimes you can ignore it.



Rust in the guts is normal if it was run with only water for extended periods of time.

Hopefully these photos load OK...

 

[07GTS]

if any of that rust has pitting on the bore or head surface it will have to be machined flat and bored to next size, then u have to get pistons and check alot more stuff, prob skim the head surface just to know its square with the block, it can snowball easily depending on the condition of the engine

 

[VS 5.0]

Grab a cheap V8

Good luck with that.

 

[Immortality]

That rust is probably in the worst spot (where the top ring on the piston sits during the compression/combustion process).

Use some wd40 and a scouring pad from the kitchen to try and clean it up. You really don't want to use any abrasive products on the bore if you can avoid it before checking for damage and deciding on the next step. Those bores look glazed so would need a light hone regardless but ideally you'd need to measure the bores to see how much wear and tear it has.

So when rebuilding a engine you would need to do the following (when doing a thorough job)

Wash block/ clean oil galleries
Crack test all critical components
Measure the bores, bore the block
Hone to final size to suit new pistons.
New welsh plugs
Fit new pistons on old rods (press fit machine shop job)
Check the rods, big ends for size/round etc
Measure crank journals - linish or re-grind depending on wear and tear/size
Check the mains for size/round
(if you want to be real detail orientated align hone the mains)
Deck block
Deck the head.
Clean head, check valve seats/valves/valve guides. - grind valves/seats and possibly fit new guides.
Check/replace cam bearings
Chase all the threads in the block
Fit new cam

Then you start measuring and fitting bearings to check for clearances
Check the piston rings for proper end gap before fitting on pistons
Clean everything again before starting final engine assembly.


It's a time consuming process that requires specialist tools and training.



The other option is the back yard re-build.

Clean up the rust as best you can, run a hone through the bores and fit new rings. clean up all the parts, check the bearings on the mains/big ends and probably fit some new ones and measure with some plasti-gauge. Clean and strip the head, hand lap the valve and see if they come up alright. Clean everything and re-assemble with new gaskets. Paint it and drop it in the car.

Looking at the block deck though that will most likely need to be decked.

edit: oops, forgot balancing of the rotating assembly. Possibly not required if the new pistons are very close in weight to the stock pistons.

 

[vc commodore]

Think more about what sort of car you want. Reconditioning an engine can be costly and is not as popular as it used to be. Your money might get better value in going with a runner. The red 202 regardless of condition should allow you to set timing adjust carb etc... modern engines use all sorts of trickery but can be found in very good condition for a fraction of rebuild price. Its a throw away game with many modern engines....tuning is via tablets or laptops these days so learning those skills will carry you far.... you need deep pockets if you want to enhance engines and I think its a trap many fall into .... nice to have 1000hp but with 100kmh speed limits its all a bit pointless.... theres a whole industry built around the need 4 speed but if its your daily driver its greed denying reality...Grab a cheap V8 while you can and be satisfied with what you have...because if your not satisfied with it chances are you will never be satisfied....and that will end up costing you a small fortune....my 10 cents...lol

Cheaper to rebuild a red/blue that a modern 6 banger.....

Me, it set me back $1,200 for a blue......The majority was for the head and pushrods.....$800 in total, with yella terra rollers, harden pushrods and pushrod guides....

The motor didn't need that, as the standard head not long had a $500 professional rebuild done on it....Reckon a late model 6 banger heads could be done for that price?

 

[vc commodore]

Here's some prices for blue motor pistons.....

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/401833252413

Bearings from memory, 2 years ago was round the $150 mark...That was for mains and cons.....Make sure you get the correct mains for the block as red to blue/black are different

Cam....Set me back around the $250 ish for a brand new crow....It was a 35665....Timing gear, I already had an alloy one, so didn't price it

There's a start

Ecotec pistons

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/401723254009?hash=item5d889264f9:g:nSUAAOSwypZb1-Lo&amdata=enc:AQAHAAAAoPyTscO6kYp4HvwRDJRGqutu/J6qj2r2BQJ3g148BHAwZKeIgcEyVsFemtfLIUylVs5Lc/Wq/ICaCtduhzXaJ2tna9Vwbj4UeNfqIPaGo42o9cUAKqe6g1h4eilUGgB7Bn55kkCZKPfR9gdQTg/Xjopy04+vz58vWm5OL07GvmIIKGuE5YY2KoBAB2tncVgTuMSh2HUpnfF1ADBu5JU7hGQ=|tkp:Bk9SR9rgl4iwYQ

$40 extra for starters to begin with on a modern V6 build just for pistons...

 

[bluehighway]

Good luck with that.

BOOM.... Wonder how much recoing that 202 will cost ? 157k's on the Ls1 is not too bad... Offer up a 4k cash wad...and drive off into the sunset with a whole car not just an engine....oops thats right they aint making them anymore...lol
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/camden/cars-vans-utes/2000-ls1-wh-statesman/1306332395

 

[vc commodore]

If the cylinders need boring out (and so new pistons would be required), do any other components need to be changed/ upgraded? Or can everything else remain standard?

The bore up the top doesn't look very nice....I'd hesistate to say it will need boring.


As for the bottom end...ie crank, you need to remove the conrod and mains caps and see if their is any scoring in any of the journals to know whether the crank needs grinding....Either way, you'll still need conrod and main bearings.....It's a case of what size you'll need.

 

[losh1971]

Try Merv Gray Launceston for bearings, last sets of bearings I bought were about $50-$60 a set. We have the ACL factory up the road in Rocher and Merv Gray buy straight from the factory.

 

[Immortality]

If you want to learn about engines, how to pull em apart and all things associated with that then this is a great youtube channel to watch.

It so happens he's doing work on an XJ Jeep which as a very old school style inline 6 cylinder motor which will have some similarities to the old 202/3.3 motors you have. He also shows how things are done "back yard" style and how to do the best job possible with the least money spent etc