newbie engine rebuild

[PapaSmurf]

k guys I have a 1978 280z and I'm burning oil. I'm buying rings and a headset and I'm gonna be changing those out but I need to know if theres anything else I should do while I"ve got everything apart. I've been told the valve seals and the crank bearings and rod bearings should be replaced by a friend but ... I dont know anything about that I"m not a mechanic my grandpa is and I'm trying to learn as I go here so what I need is a list of things I should replace while shes apart and things I should do. I'm on a very limited budget so no I'm not taking it to a machine shop to be ported balanced or anything.

[akeizm]

I just completed my 1st engine rebuild and I must say, buy the rings and other things like bearings after you have measured up the cylinders etc. I bought stock parts for my engine, put it back together too find I was burning oil and also had low oil pressure (undersized rings and bearings).

 

This part is just food for thought: Bearings are cheap (I dont knwo the prices over in the US but they were about $120AU for a set of rod and crank bearings), and because you will be pulling the pistons/rods out why not replace the bearings while your at it. If you decide to replace the crank bearings you will need to make sure your rear seal is put back together properly so it wont leak. But replacing the bearings means you will have to mic up the crank and do a plasti gauge test aswell to make sure you dont need oversized bearings.

 

You will need to hone the cylinders (makes a crossed pattern on them) for the new rings. But apart from gaskets (head gasket mainly) you can just replace the rings, hone the cylinders and put her back together.

 

Hope some of my ramblings has helped (even if its only a little bit).

[PapaSmurf]

what do you mean by hone the cylinders is this something I can do my self or will I need to take it to a shop (which is something I'd very much like to avoid) thanks I think I'll leave the bearings alone as I'm going to be rebuilding the whole thing this next year, I'll turn her into a stroker I just gotta have this thing drivable so I can take her down to cali this summer to visit a friend oil burning doesnt make for good gas mileage

[ZONKER]

If you are thinking stroker you better have DEEP POCKETS . The cylinders can be done with the engine in place. NOT recommended . How bad is the oil use ? With out honeing the cylinders , what about taper and any ridge from the old rings ? I don't think you will find the repair to be satisfactory at best. The rings depend on the hone marks to help them seat to the cylinder walls . Honeing the engine in place ,you will have grinder dust and some metal dust in the engine . If you are planning on a major rebuild next year , why don't you wait untill then and do it right ? .

[AK-Z]

Well what they mean by honing, is roughing up th ecylindar walls. If your grandpa has tools to do a engine rebuild from a previous rebuild, I'm sure he has it, you can just ask him. What it looks like is a huge wierd looking pipecone on a metal rod. What you do is atach it to a drill and shov it into the the cylindar and turn on the drill and move it up and down in the cylindar to have a even roughness inside the cylindar. You don't have to go to crazy with it just enought to rough it up little. This is done to let the the rings and wall wear together and is partically what is need to be "broken in" after a engine rebuild.

 

BTW I would get/use some assembly lude also. After you are done with the rebuild, use 30 weight oil for the first 1k miles then switch to 5w30 oil. I think your grandpa knows most if not all that I mentioned.