Bought a CA. Now need to build up and want advice.

[dekansnowman]

Ok, so me and a couple friend of mine drove up to Dallas to pick up a motor. We were told it was in great running shape but found out later that the rod bearings are spun and among other things, we just need to replace all the main moving parts of the block and buy some other parts that weren't included. So, if I could get your help on this we would greatly appreciate it. My friend doesn't have an account so I'm just gonna get all this info for him.

1. Pistons- looking for the best solution for forged pistons we can find that will fit and a very very slight bore, or honing.2. Piston rings- again, the same thing here, will be going for bigger power down the road so want to be sure these will be fine3.Rod Main Bearings- Yea so these need to be replaced. But is the motor ok? Have we got a paperweight because of this?4. Will be looking into honing, if not a slight bore just to have smooth cylinder walls. Basically need block reconditioning to bring it back to as new as possible.

Those are the main important questions we have now and I'm sure we will find more. This is just what we know now and need to start somewhere. The engine is on a stand so its not going anywhere soon. We want to build this thing up for reliability, power, and kicking of SR ***-ness

[davidricardo86]

Ok, so me and a couple friend of mine drove up to Dallas to pick up a motor. We were told it was in great running shape but found out later that the rod bearings are spun and among other things, we just need to replace all the main moving parts of the block and buy some other parts that weren't included. So, if I could get your help on this we would greatly appreciate it. My friend doesn't have an account so I'm just gonna get all this info for him.

1. Pistons- looking for the best solution for forged pistons we can find that will fit and a very very slight bore, or honing.2. Piston rings- again, the same thing here, will be going for bigger power down the road so want to be sure these will be fine3.Rod Main Bearings- Yea so these need to be replaced. But is the motor ok? Have we got a paperweight because of this?4. Will be looking into honing, if not a slight bore just to have smooth cylinder walls. Basically need block reconditioning to bring it back to as new as possible.

Those are the main important questions we have now and I'm sure we will find more. This is just what we know now and need to start somewhere. The engine is on a stand so its not going anywhere soon. We want to build this thing up for reliability, power, and kicking of SR ***-ness

1. New forged pistons can be had from Arias, CP pistons, Wiseco, Jun, and Tomei just to name a few. Technically any piston company can make you any custom piston in just about any spec you want as long as you've got the money to pay for it. I went with CPs because of the good that i hear from people on this and other forums. Not to mention that raceeng.com carrys them in stock bore/stock compression, also slight over bore if needed. My machinist was also impressed that i spent the money on CPs becasue he knows they are really good and really expensive! Its my first time build and i cant really give much other info yet.

2. Usually if you get a piston set from a manufacturer, id say get the rings from them too. This was how i did mine and it save time and any other headaches. Im sure there are other options and combinations but others will have to chime in on that one. Another option is to go with OEM rings, im sure they'll perform great too.

3. As for the bearings go, id check them for excessive scoring, pitting, or obvious signs of damage. If the damage was bad enough, you're most than likely going to have to have it line bored and fitted with new over/undersize bearings. For bearings i went with Clevites on the mains, and Federal Mugols on the rods. My machinist did all the measuring and sourced the correct ones out for me. Im sure new OEM units will work without any problems aswell.

4. Depending on the condition of the cylinder walls, you might only have to have them honed just to give the rings a fresh clean surface to ride on. The worst thing, depending on how you look at it, you'll have to bore it slightly to have a clean fresh wall.

How does the cylinder ridge at the top of the cylinder feel? How do the walls look? Is anything important like the rods, crank, etc. cracked, bent, or broken? Did any valves hit pistons? Did the oil pump fail on the last owner? Did the engine ever overheat? Pictures of your motor will make things a little easier to diagnose.

[dekansnowman]

Thanks for the info so far buddy. As soon as we get this motor back to his appt. we can start taking pics for everyone to see so we can get as many opinions as possible. He had a friend that works with building up motors check it out but me personally, I like someone who already has worked on a motor like it before they touch mine. But thats just my personal preference.

[vipi0]

federal mogul and clevite part numbers ? i called clevite and got this part number ms2073p25mm but this number is for a passenger car bearing not a performance bearing. i am probably going to go with je forged pistons. i also need new belts & gaskets for the whole motor any infor with part numbers would be helpful

[oversteer180]

Hey Im the guy that sold ben the motor.

That doesnt make any sense to me, as it didnt make any knocking noises, overheating, or smoking when I had it. It also had really good compression, as you both saw.

I always thought that if you had a spun bearing you would either hear it, have a loss in oil pressure , have overheating, or not be able to turn the crank.

Ive never pulled the oil pan to check, but I was never inclined to as it ran fine.

[vipi0]

just thought i would let yall know how much of a stand up guy this seller is

the world needs more people like him kudos to you sir

trackrules69 . wrote on 3/20/2007, 12:25 AM:

> Ok well i feel %$$%^ about not knowing of those things. I dont know when I will have money, but for compensation, and if you are interested I will ship out that SPEC Stage 3 clutch I have to you for free. Its all I can really do, but if you want it, its yours. Let me know, and again my apologies.>> Austin