Getting the Ka re built...maybe

[Fergus]

A few weeks ago I buy a '95 ka24de. The owner was a customer at the same shop the guy I bought my '90 shell from goes to. They seem like they know what they are doing by the cars I have seen at the shop. That's not the problem though. The engine has 160k+ miles on it. It was taken out of the '95 240 right after the guy bought it because he is turning it into a show car w/ sr20. It had good leak down and compression #'s before it was taken out. I figure I can put the engine in myself with minimal problems and a bit of help, but I have plans to go Ka-T not to far down the road. 3-6 months max. So I figure why not get the engine rebuilt while its still out of the car. I talk it over with one of the owners/mechanics at the shop and they go through a list fo things that would be good to get done. File fit the piston rings, hone the cylinders, all new seals and gaskets, thicker head gasket, new head studs, and re-grease everything that would need to be. He told me that would come to a total of about $1200. Now I don't remember all the time lines each thing would take, but I have a round about idea that he said it was some where around 8 hours of work. So I got the money together and decide to drop him an e-mail to make sure on the cost. He now says it will take 15 hours for the gasket set, additional 6 hours for the piston rings and bearings. This all at $78.50 an hour. That's about $1650 just for labor not counting the $350 for the gasket set parts, $200 for the piston rings/bearings cost and another $200 for the head studs and thick gasket on top of it. I don't understand how the cost can jump over a grand. Was he just way off on the original quote? Is 21 hours typical for this kinda job? I can almost buy a re-man'd motor set for that much. Hell, my turbo kit might not even cost that much. Just need some advice as to what I should do in the meantime while I wait for a reply from him. Guessing the price isn't gonna drop though...

[95nismo240]

well i got a rebuilt long block for around $2000. thats including parts, labor and tax. they took out my engine rebuilt it and put it back in.

[Fergus]

kk, thanks. The shop would bill out for 10 hours for install as well, bringing the total over 3k. I think might start looking somewhere besides a performance shop.
Modified by Fergus at 8:53 PM 4/26/2005

[Florida240sx]

you can get boost designs engine for 2k but then you got to get it to ya....Wanting to know if we could do a group buy.Or at least if we buy engine with turbo kit get free shipping.

[Fergus]

Yeah thats another option. I think I might just skip the rebuld, and put it in. Save the money for later when I do internals, or get a BD block. Would just have to baby it until then.