Engine rebuild

[RichardS]

Hi Guys

Long time since I posted here (well, nearly 2 years)!

In that time I have moved house and now have a garage (albeit a single one that the wife is convinced is for her exclusive use ). Unfortunately, as a result, I also have a significantly bigger mortgage and thus less disposable income than before

Previously, I had envisaged building a Cobra and had what I thought was a reasonable build budget for whatever kit took my fancy. At least for the time being this is no longer the case and my horizons need to be constrained somewhat.

Hence, I would like to undertake an engine rebuild instead with the potential eventual aim of installing said engine in my Cobra when time & money allow. I see this as suiting me well as I won't need the entire garage for just the engine, and can thus work on persuading the wife to part with 'her' garage.

Consequently I am looking at sourcing a Yank V8 (definitely, definitely a Yank V8 - Rover V8, good though it undoubtedly is, doesn't cut the mustard for me).

Being totally new to this I have no idea at all where to get such a beast. I like the thought of a big block Ford but wouldn't have a clue where to go to get one?! Is eBay a possibility? It eBay advisable?

I have looked at a few US options where a long block FE 390 can be picked up for c.US$2k but would then have shipping, VAT and import duty on top (and God knows how much that would all come to).

Can you guys assist? Point me in the right direction and what to look out for.

As always, any and all replies gratefully received.

A 'Hello' goes out to KevinW as he first let me sit in his Crendon a while back

[kdavies3]

If you want to do a full upgrade / rebuild on an FE expect 5K plus.
I have a pair polished and ported iron 390 heads if you're interested?
Aaron may have one to sell he has a few FEs.

[KevinW]

if you want to import stuff from the US, I used these guys

Rochard Shipping - Freight forwarders, Sea/Land/Air Packers

excellent service and price.

But before you go any further, talk to Aaron and Mike Huddart if FE is the bag you are into.
You can save a fair bit of pain if Mike does your machining for you. He is also an Accel dealer, so has keen prices on that stuff.

alternatively, you might consider getting an age-related long block, reconned from Real Steel - take a look in the catalogue.

Just a thought though - see my previous post on ym engine decision saga - I decided i would save very little doing a rebuild myself when exchange rates were slightly poorer than now.
But others have come on here and decided they need the full engine re-grind experience! Get a few books first at least and make friends with some guys with engine tools.

and btw - welcome back- I remember!!! - the engine is now in, and hoping to start her up before sept.

[Lloyd Barnes]

As Kev says, depends if you want to build the motor yourself. There's likely to be little cost saving although I understand the desire to DIY the engine build. FE's are a bit more involved in certain areas than the common small blocks. Some alignment issues at the top end and as they stopped being made in the mid 70's they are clearly old blocks now so you need to find a good un!

If you are comparatively new to rebuilding engines then a long block could be a nice intro, with all the hard work done. I'd be very surprised if $2k got you more than a freshened up standard motor though, which might not be what you are looking for? A more realistic budget building it yourself or buying for a 400hp FE is £4-6k depending on spec.

BTW, you can buy FE's in the UK. Aaron has two, a 428 and a 390 and I have one I bought here as well. Perhaps Aaron could be persuaded to part with his 390? There was also a thread on a £2k 428 motor a couple of days ago... did sound a bit too good to be true mind.

As ever when rebuilding the FE the best book I've come across is this one.....

HOW TO BUILD MAX-PERFORMANCE FORD FE ENGINES BY Rabotnick, Barry Author Paperback Jun-2010: Amazon.co.uk: Barry Rabotnick: Books

Well worth getting your hands on prior to spending money on metal.

[RichardS]

Thanks Guys

£5 - 6k doesn't overly concern me and I do think I would rather do the rebuild myself as this will be my project for the next couple of years. Happy to get outside help for any critical and difficult bits though

Kevin, would you mind pointing me in the direction of the thread you mentioned dealing with your choice of engine? Good news about getting close to firing her up! Have you sorted out the ear protectors for the neighbours yet?

Lloyd - I've recently acquired that book and I am slowly reading through it. I'm not sure I am totally decided on a big block though - ultimately I would like to incorporate the engine in a Cobra build, but from what I can see it seems that to maintain a reasonable array of potential kits, a small block might be more suitable? I don't particularly need to consider this from a cost reduction view point (no idea if the small blocks would really end up costing substantially less).

Given that space is still at a slight premium (and wife usually has a hard rolling pin to hand) I am also not 100% certain I will eventually use said engine in my own car - so a few years down the line I may actually have to sell whatever engine I get, so I need to consider the resaleability of the engine. I wouldn't expect to make all the money back, but I also wouldn't want to take a 50% hit.

Sounds to me like Aaron is just plain greedy if he has two!!!

[KevinW]

Richard - HTH

Engine advise

[RichardS]

Good story Kevin! I guess I could do with talking to Mike Huddart. I'm not averse to the importation route (I have time on my hands after all). I'm not looking to save £xxx - I just want to be sure I get a very good example of whatever block I decide on. Quality is important.