About $500 to turn crack, clean block, install freeze plugs and cam bearings but yes still expensive....

I could get 'a' spec pistons if I did the liners, but I don't think I can without. My engine has B pistons as from the factory the block already had bores to big for A specs. But even with liners, I would probably keep the stock pistons as I can hone the new sleeves to fit the pistons anyway.

 

For $500 I had the block and heads cleaned, inspected, measured, decked, and all new parts installed and assembled with paint.

 

I ended up finding a shop out of town that has done a liner install a number of times and offered to do the liner install, turn the crank and install the freeze plugs and cam bearings for $1400 which I think makes sense to me, given the time involved in the liner work. I think I will go this way as I like the idea of having the rebuilt engine being more "strong" from day 1 and also having the piston/cylinder clearances not be sloppy from day 1.

One thing on an unrelated note: in terms of engine break-in I am getting somewhat conflicting advise but my main question is-- will the piston rings properly seat if the engine is not run under load? I've read that to properly break-in the new cam I should be running for the first 20 mins at 2000-2500 rpm which makes sense to me. Then I would want to have someone monitoring things in the engine compartment (coolant level as it burps, etc)....

But I have read that the piston rings might not seat properly if the engine is not run under load and that if you don't seat them right away they may never seat....

The only way I could see to accomplish both of these is to break-in the engine, in gear on a dyno but I can't see that this is necessary....

Thoughts?

 

Got my bottom end back from a shop in Seattle that had done the liner job many times before and you could tell. Looks great with new liners, decked block and everything cleaned up. Also got crank machined 0.010 over just to be safe. Happy with results.


Now my issue upon looking at at my heads with my micrometer is they were rebuild a few years ago by a shop locally and I am worried they decked them too much. I am getting readings that they are 0.008" smaller than new per the factory manual. The factory manual says 0.002" resurface limit ....


Should I scrap these and get a shop that has done this on a LR V8 before to do this properly or can I make them work? A shame to scrap heads that have been rebuild but maybe they had been machined a number of times in their life by different people ....