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Re: rebuilt engines???

To: <mgs@Autox.Team.Net>
Subject: Re: rebuilt engines???
From: robert weeks <robert@woozy.com>
Date: Sun, 22 Feb 1998 15:48:25 -0400
well this came back twice, let's try again........

At 10:03 AM -0500 2/21/98, Art Pfenninger wrote:
>Don't forget to add you need to add truck shipping charges to the figures
>that have. Since this will be in two directions (the core needs to be snt
>back) this could add a few humdred dollars to the cost.

Hi Art,

Thanks for the email.

Both Motorhead and Mini Mania have no core charge, British Forum does
have a core charge, but it is less than the shipping, so they recommended
I just keep the core. The shipping from these places runs about $160.00


>consider taking the engine apart and let a machine shop do the evaluation
>for you. You will at least need new bearings and gaskets. You probably
>need rings but after that what you'll find in the small print of the
>companies that rebuild engines is "closely inspected parts" what that
>means is they look at the part and reuse it if it is up to specs.


The specs actually specify what parts are new, or reused and machined.
For another $145.00 I can get a competition cam and high compression
pistons from British Forum, they will build to suit, where MiniMania
has a standard rebuilt engine. Motorhead will build to suit also, but
they are much more expensive. My local LBC mechanic gave me a rough
estimate of $4000 to rebuild this engine, which by the way has a five
month old head on it. For that kind of $$$$ I could pick up a Swiftune
Road Rocket. How many machine shops have actually even seen a 1275 cc
Series A engine? And what kind of service are they going to give me,
Joe Schmoe who walked in off of the street? What guarantee do I have
that their work is up to spec?

I am looking into having someone locally who has done rebuilds for my
MG club, do this engine, but another problem is time. Machine shops make
you wait until they can squeeze these small jobs in, sometimes this can
go on for quite a while. With a rebuilt engine the worst case scenario is
that the car is out of commission for a weekend. With a machine shop
who knows how long it could be down for. This is my only car, I work at
home so I don't need it to commute, but I do use it pretty much daily,
this is no "Sunday Driver" I can manage a week or so without it running,
any more than that doesn't really work for me.

I've heard from a number of people who recommend the rebuild it yourself
method of dealing with this and I do appreciate it, but I would *really*
like to hear from someone who has bought a remanufactured engine, especially
if someone has bought an engine from MiniMania or British Forum. I know they
have been selling them for quite a while, so someone out there must have one.

Thanks,

Robert Weeks
Durham NC
1969 Midget
http://www.woozy.com/midget/



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