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  •  » So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

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    7/05/2019 3:17 PM  #1

    RV6
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    From: Pine Junction, CO
    Registered: 3/01/2016
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    So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    So here I am thinking about another engine build. How many have I built/overhauled through the years? How many have you built/overhauled through the years? This includes lawn mowers, motorcycles, boats, etc. I guess we won't include model airplane engines. My list is short. If you did this for a living it does not count.

    I've done 19. No order to the list. 
    5 Corvair flat sixes.
    1 326 Pontiac
    1 Pontiac 455 HO
    1 429 Ford
    1 4 Cyl Honda
    1 Ford 360
    1 Ford 390
    1 Ford 289
    1 2 Cyl Chrysler Outboard 
    2 Single Cyl Lawn Mowers
    1 4 Cyl Ford 9N
    1 Lycoming O-360-A1A
    1 283 Chebby
    1 Isuzu 4ZE1

    I helped assemble lot more, but they don't count. The only failure I had was the 283 SBC as it spun rod bearings at 30,000 miles. It was also one of my early builds in my teens. 
     

    Last edited by RV6 (7/05/2019 3:19 PM)

    Gary Zilik - Pine Junction, Colorado - 67 Coupe, 289-4V, T5
     

    7/05/2019 3:42 PM  #2

    TKOPerformance
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    From: Newark, DE
    Registered: 12/15/2014
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    I don't know if I really want to think about that, especially if we're covering all types of engines...

    Here's the highlights of what I can remember:

    A pair of LS6 454s before I could drive (pushed a 29' Scarab to 85MPH)
    5  - SBFs
    6 - SBCs
    1 - 6.2 Detroit/GM Diesel (what a toilet)
    1 - 6.0 Powerstroke Diesel (top end only)
    1 - 4 cylinder John Deere Diesel in a backhoe
    1 - EJ20 Subaru (top end only)
    at least a dozen small engines (chainsaws, lawnmowers, dirt bikes, etc.)
    worked on a Pratt & Whitney R-1340 9 cylinder radial engine in an AT-6 Texan (fitting ancillary stuff mostly)
    worked on an Allison V11710 V-12 engine being fitted for use in a speed boat
    worked on a pair of Mann 1,100HP Diesels in a sport fishing boat

    Now I feel old, but am also sure I had lots of fun

     

     

    7/05/2019 6:44 PM  #3

    Bullet Bob
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    From: Montrose, Colorado
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    1-Clinton 1 1/2 HP lawn mower engine
    1-1951 Ford Flathead Six
    2-BMC 1100 cc AH Sprite
    1-Ford Model A (stock)
    2-Ford Model B (Seriously modified)
    1-Techumseh from an Ariens rototiller
    2-VW 1600 Flat Four (Stock)
    1-VW 1600 Flat Four (Warmed up) 
    1-Porsche 1500
    4-SBC
    1-Ford FE 390
    1-Mazda 12A Rotary
    1-SBF

    BB

     

    "you get what you pay for, good work isn't cheap, and there are NO free lunches...PERIOD!"
     

    7/05/2019 7:01 PM  #4

    Ron68
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    From: Mukilteo, Washington
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    Well, the list is rather varied -
    1 -  59 Hillman Minx 1.5L
    1 -  57 Ford Fairlane 272
    2 - 67 Ford 289
    1 - 69 Opel GT 1.9L
    1 - 79 Ford 250
    1 - 76 Ford 351W
    2 - 79 Chev 305
    1 - 57 Chev 283
    1 - 04 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7L HO
    1 - 53 Johnson 10 hp outboard
    1 - Continental A-65
    1 - Continental O-200
    1 - Continental O-300
    2 - Lycoming HIO-360-C1A
    1 - Lycoming O-320
    1 - Lycoming TIO-540
    1 - Lycoming LTIO-540
    1 - Allison 250-C20 Turbine section removal, accessory gearbox split open and torque shaft seal replaced, re-assembled gearbox and re-installed turbine section - all done on my knees on an old mattress out in the middle of the desert on the Colville Indian reservation in Eastern Washington. This was on a 1976 Hughes 500C helicopter. Not quite a rebuild, but not exactly a tune up either....
    Plus 35 years of maintenance on Pratt & Whitney JT-8D series and General Electric CFM-56 series engines. What a ride it's been, and it ain't quite over yet.
     

    68 coupe - 351W, 4R70W, 9" 3.25 -- 65 convertible - 289 4v, C4, 8" 3.00
     

    7/05/2019 7:13 PM  #5

    flamingpony
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    From: El Dorado AR.
    Registered: 6/21/2013
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    Don't know if I can remember all that I've built /overhauled but here are a few that I can think of off the top of my head                                                                                                                                                                  1- 283 chevy                                                                                                                                                          1-289 K code                                                                                                                                                1-289                                                                                                                                                                2- 300 ford f-100                                                                                                                                               3-3.8L ford mustangs                                                                                                                                        1-1958 25hp Mer.Thunder Bolt outboard                                                                                                          1-85 Kawasaka three wheeler                                                                                                                    Than is not all of the list but all that I can think of at the moment                                                                                                                                                  

    A bad day working on your mustang beats a good day at work anytime
     

    7/05/2019 8:01 PM  #6

    50vert
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    Ron68, a 59 Hillman Minx musta been a rare car in the States.
    My younger years were spent playing with English cars.

    "Those telephone poles were like a picket fence"
     

    7/06/2019 1:58 AM  #7

    TKOPerformance
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    From: Newark, DE
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    Ron68 wrote:

    Well, the list is rather varied -
    1 -  59 Hillman Minx 1.5L
    1 -  57 Ford Fairlane 272
    2 - 67 Ford 289
    1 - 69 Opel GT 1.9L
    1 - 79 Ford 250
    1 - 76 Ford 351W
    2 - 79 Chev 305
    1 - 57 Chev 283
    1 - 04 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7L HO
    1 - 53 Johnson 10 hp outboard
    1 - Continental A-65
    1 - Continental O-200
    1 - Continental O-300
    2 - Lycoming HIO-360-C1A
    1 - Lycoming O-320
    1 - Lycoming TIO-540
    1 - Lycoming LTIO-540
    1 - Allison 250-C20 Turbine section removal, accessory gearbox split open and torque shaft seal replaced, re-assembled gearbox and re-installed turbine section - all done on my knees on an old mattress out in the middle of the desert on the Colville Indian reservation in Eastern Washington. This was on a 1976 Hughes 500C helicopter. Not quite a rebuild, but not exactly a tune up either....
    Plus 35 years of maintenance on Pratt & Whitney JT-8D series and General Electric CFM-56 series engines. What a ride it's been, and it ain't quite over yet.
     

    My Dad had a Hughes 500 for a while.  A really cool chopper, great power to weight ratio.
     

     

    7/06/2019 9:19 AM  #8

    MS
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    From: Canyon Lake, Texas
    Registered: 1/24/2013
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    I bought a 59 Hillman for $10.00 when I was in high school. Turned out it had more water than oil in the crankcase. Had no idea what to do to fix it, so I gave it away.

    Actually a real success story.  That is the least money I ever lost on a car flip!

    Money you enjoy wasting is NOT wasted money... unless your wife finds out.
     

    7/06/2019 9:40 AM  #9

    DC
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    From: Marshall, MI
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    Well, my first was a Reo Lawn mower my dad put on my first go-kart. Then many many go-kart engines from Power Product to McCulloch and West Bend probably way more than a hundred. First car motor was a V8 from a 55 Oldsmobile that I put in a 50 Plymouth.  The most fun ones were a few Buick 401's I messed with in high school. Monster torque, couldn't find a tranny to hold up (on my budget). Since then I have lost count, everything from daily use 4 bangers to flat out race stuff that got rebuild every weekend. Running Nitro does that. Got one on the engine stand now, so I'll put the number at more than 100 less than 500 somewhere. I have done 6 race motors for my Mustang.

     

    7/06/2019 10:59 AM  #10

    Tubo
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    1-1959 Renault Dauphine 1000cc I-4
    Multiple J57-P10’s
    3-289/302 Ford V8’s flat tappet
    2-306/308 Ford V8’s roller lifter
    1- 331 stroker Ford V8 roller
     
    Tubo

    If it ain't broke, I haven't modified it Yet
     

    7/06/2019 11:38 AM  #11

    zakdaddy99
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    From: Olathe, KS
    Registered: 4/01/2013
    Posts: 150

    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    The 302 in my 66 Mustang, twice. Long story...

    Good, fast or cheap. Pick any two...
     

    7/06/2019 11:56 AM  #12

    Ron68
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    From: Mukilteo, Washington
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    50vert wrote:

    Ron68, a 59 Hillman Minx musta been a rare car in the States.
    My younger years were spent playing with English cars.

    Actually, we had several over the years.  My dad had a 59 convertible, my sister also had a 59 convertible, my twin brother and I had a 59 sedan and a 60 sedan, and my older brother had a 53 sedan that he could start with a crank. We went through them all.... I also had a friend who had a Hillman Husky that swapped out the transmission on.

    68 coupe - 351W, 4R70W, 9" 3.25 -- 65 convertible - 289 4v, C4, 8" 3.00
     

    7/06/2019 11:59 AM  #13

    Ron68
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    From: Mukilteo, Washington
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    DC wrote:

    Well, my first was a Reo Lawn mower my dad put on my first go-kart. Then many many go-kart engines from Power Product to McCulloch and West Bend probably way more than a hundred. First car motor was a V8 from a 55 Oldsmobile that I put in a 50 Plymouth.  The most fun ones were a few Buick 401's I messed with in high school. Monster torque, couldn't find a tranny to hold up (on my budget). Since then I have lost count, everything from daily use 4 bangers to flat out race stuff that got rebuild every weekend. Running Nitro does that. Got one on the engine stand now, so I'll put the number at more than 100 less than 500 somewhere. I have done 6 race motors for my Mustang.

    We had a 65 Buick Wildcat convertible that had a 401 in it. The speedometer had a little arm on it that you could set the max speed and a buzzer would go off. My dad used to get mad at us kids because we would bring the car back and forget to reset the alarm. We'd just crank it up past 100.
     

    68 coupe - 351W, 4R70W, 9" 3.25 -- 65 convertible - 289 4v, C4, 8" 3.00
     

    7/06/2019 12:02 PM  #14

    Ron68
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    From: Mukilteo, Washington
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    Tubo wrote:

    1-1959 Renault Dauphine 1000cc I-4
    Multiple J57-P10’s
    3-289/302 Ford V8’s flat tappet
    2-306/308 Ford V8’s roller lifter
    1- 331 stroker Ford V8 roller
     
    Tubo

    And we do so love those old J57-P10's, don't we Corky? They had a sound like no other. You could always tell when an A3 Skywarrior was on approach.
     

    68 coupe - 351W, 4R70W, 9" 3.25 -- 65 convertible - 289 4v, C4, 8" 3.00
     

    7/06/2019 12:05 PM  #15

    Ron68
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    TKOPerformance wrote:

    Ron68 wrote:

    Well, the list is rather varied -
    1 -  59 Hillman Minx 1.5L
    1 -  57 Ford Fairlane 272
    2 - 67 Ford 289
    1 - 69 Opel GT 1.9L
    1 - 79 Ford 250
    1 - 76 Ford 351W
    2 - 79 Chev 305
    1 - 57 Chev 283
    1 - 04 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7L HO
    1 - 53 Johnson 10 hp outboard
    1 - Continental A-65
    1 - Continental O-200
    1 - Continental O-300
    2 - Lycoming HIO-360-C1A
    1 - Lycoming O-320
    1 - Lycoming TIO-540
    1 - Lycoming LTIO-540
    1 - Allison 250-C20 Turbine section removal, accessory gearbox split open and torque shaft seal replaced, re-assembled gearbox and re-installed turbine section - all done on my knees on an old mattress out in the middle of the desert on the Colville Indian reservation in Eastern Washington. This was on a 1976 Hughes 500C helicopter. Not quite a rebuild, but not exactly a tune up either....
    Plus 35 years of maintenance on Pratt & Whitney JT-8D series and General Electric CFM-56 series engines. What a ride it's been, and it ain't quite over yet.
     

    My Dad had a Hughes 500 for a while.  A really cool chopper, great power to weight ratio.
     

    I really loved that 500. Built like a tank, but so fast and maneuverable. It could fly rings around the Bell Jet Ranger. 
     

    68 coupe - 351W, 4R70W, 9" 3.25 -- 65 convertible - 289 4v, C4, 8" 3.00
     

    7/06/2019 5:40 PM  #16

    Bolted to Floor
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    That’s a short list for me for complete engines.
    A SB Chevy
    A 250 6 banger Chevy
    The 360 FE from Pops old truck
    And the 410 with a broke crank in my Mustang that will be pulled again in the next few months.

    Had a 351 Cleveland in a 73 Mustang and the 5.0 in my 85 GT that got pulled apart far enough for a valve job.
    Never really had a reason to go farther on any of the other cars I’ve owned.

    John  -- 67 Mustang Coupe 390 5 speed
     

    7/06/2019 7:08 PM  #17

    6sally6
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    zakdaddy99 wrote:

    The 302 in my 66 Mustang, twice. Long story...

     

    I like it!
    6sal6

    Get busy Liv'in or get busy Die'n....Host of the 2020 Bash at the Beach/The only Bash that got cancelled  )8
     

    7/06/2019 7:15 PM  #18

    6sally6
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    From: Surfside Beach,SC
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    (1)260 SBF
    (2)5.0 SBF
    (2)350 Chevy
    Briggs (10/12 hp) riding mower
    About a dozen (50,000hp give or take) Nuclear reactors Butt not by my self!! (Does that count?! )
    Assisted on a couple more(butt they don't count)
    6sal6

    Get busy Liv'in or get busy Die'n....Host of the 2020 Bash at the Beach/The only Bash that got cancelled  )8
     

    7/08/2019 4:18 PM  #19

    MS
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    From: Canyon Lake, Texas
    Registered: 1/24/2013
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    Lost count a long time ago, all SBF except a couple of Bowties thrown in for laughs.  I do remember that I did 13 SBF rebuilds and installed all 13 during the 1996-1998 two year period.  Plus a bunch more after that.
    Anyways... you said it doesn't count if you did it for a living.  I think most of them were at least non-profits.  Does that count?  Seems like I decided to stop installing engines in about...oh...1998.  But still love to build them.
    John Warley, are we still speaking now that yours is broken in on the bash trip?

    Money you enjoy wasting is NOT wasted money... unless your wife finds out.
     

    7/08/2019 5:25 PM  #20

    HudginJ3
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    I don't know the definition of "for a living". I didn't work for an engine shop but most of the engines I did were at work where I removed them, tore them down, sent them to the machine shop and re assembled them including grinding the valves and seats. Mostly Lycoming 320's, 360's and 540 series. A few Continental A65's, C85, TSIO-360's, and 470 series. Reinstalled them, then flew the aircraft to break them in. Never had any mechanical incidents except for a near miss but that's a different story. I'm fixen to overhaul a Turbo Twin Comanche soon but might send them due to timing. I'v done several cars too, the very first was a 53 Chevy 6 cylinder in High School. The second was a 1936 Terraplane. Then two 55 T-Birds, a 55 Dodge 279 and a few Ford trucks at a paving company. A couple of Chevy 350's, a few MOWOG engines and a bunch of different inboard boat motors and a few Evanrudes. Never did any hot rod stuff or souping up of anything except for the 351W that is in my current Mustang. That has been a real learning experience.

    70, ragtop 351W/416 stroker Edel Performer heads w pro flow 4, Comp roller 35-421-8. T5
     

    7/09/2019 8:19 AM  #21

    DC
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    All of mine have been for me or helping/doing for friends. Only ones I ever got money for were put in cars that I then sold to support my habit!

     

    7/09/2019 8:50 AM  #22

    Steve69
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    I rebuilt my Dads 3.5 Briggs push mower back in shop class in 1980.  It never ran right again...LOL

    After that I never did a full rebuild.  Only upper engine like heads and intake manifolds.

     

    7/09/2019 9:38 AM  #23

    Gaba
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    20 0.90ci 2 stroke nitro engines and counting
    1   0.40ci 4 stroke nitro engine
    5  0.55ci 2 stroke nitro engines
    10  30cc gas engines 2 stroke
    2    Briggs and Stratton gas engines 4 stroke
    hoping to build a 5.0L soon :D

     

    Last edited by Gaba (7/09/2019 2:55 PM)

    If it aint broke, I have'nt tried to "Fix" it yet!
     

    7/09/2019 10:26 AM  #24

    Rudi
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    I put a new piston in an .049  model engine once . . . . does that count?

    Good work ain't cheap, Cheap work ain't good!   Simple Man
     

    7/09/2019 2:55 PM  #25

    Gaba
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    Re: So, How many engines have you built/overhauled?

    according to my list Rudi .. YES lol

    Last edited by Gaba (7/09/2019 2:55 PM)

    If it aint broke, I have'nt tried to "Fix" it yet!
     

     

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