I know some of you must have carried out, or attempted, a full engine rebuild. Could you share your experiences in terms of how difficult it was, how many hours it took, etc? Did anyone farm out their rebuild to a professional engine builder?
I would guesstimate 20 odd hours for a professional to do this. I just read a lot and dived in. Its really not that hard and the satisfaction of doing it yourself is huge. I can now say I know my SS pretty darn well. I will definately do it again. It took me roughly 3 months at the start of this year, considering I have a young family and could only sneak away now and again in the evenings I am happy with the time it took. If you decide to do it yourself, I can help with what I have learned. To give you an idea I basically used a haynes, workshop manual and forums/Google to find out everything I needed. Its all out there and they are not complicated engines. Oh, and its back on the road so I must have done something right!
i farmed mine out to ducatijohn in leeds. we did not do the bottom end as it was thought ok. cost £35 an hour plus all the consumables (which mount up). i guess it was between 1-2000.
I have completely stripped and rebuilt my 996 engine. My response to the op's question would be to what extent you intend to rebuild the motor and why? Is the engine working, blown, old, cosmetically damaged? Much of the time and or expense can be variable depending on condition and known issues, sourcing parts can take time also. Special tools need to be made or obtained for full strip.
I recall many years ago talking to one of the techs at JHP about engine repairs, he told me they allowed around 16 hours for a full rebuild on a 916, presumably an SS would take less as the valve setup is simpler. I rebuilt my M900 but didn't keep a log of how long it took plus, I farmed out the crankshaft/gearbox shimming to Nelly at Cornerspeed as I wanted to be sure it was done right.
I did my own shimming, its not that hard at the end of the day. The extra tools needed certainly does add a bit more on, however you can make you own as I did for some of them. As regards the cost of bearings etc for the SS engine it was about £500 approx. High comp pistons and replated nikasil cylinders another 550! I didn't farm anything out which I could do myself so saved a bundle on labour which I then spent on tasty upgrades
I wish I was as skilled, experienced and knowledgeable as everyone else on this forum. I'm probably staring down the barrel of £1k for a professional rebuild, inc gaskets but not including bearings belts or anything else I would imagine.
At least 1K. I learnt as I went, not overly skilled or knowledgable. Picked most of it up as I went. Just very keen and not afraid to take the plunge as it is quite daunting at the start doing it yourself. Ian
There's the first time for everyone. It helps to have seen someone tackling one - preferably the same, and a little chat. Someone living close by. Gives you confidence. Also helps to have done a little dismantling, like wheel bearings, swinging arm or steering bearings. Gives you a feel for it, and raises confidence. Perhaps you've seen someone lift off a head and fit Pistons? Hang around someone's workshop and watch, help clean bits, make tea. I'll tell you it's not horrible like stripping paint off a gable end. It's quite lovely. Sent from a mobile transmitter.
