anyone did an engine rebuild in the springs? or knows some1 (to buy, maintenance)

[willc86]

Hey guys - I am looking for a 3rd vehicle, which will be a truck to get dirty and do some trails. I realllly love how the dakotas look and they have a pretty good priced lift kits available here in colorado.

I found a few dakotas (2nd gens) that I really like (color and trim) but they have high mileage, but very good price!! they range 170,000 - 200,000 miles.

id figure I can just hire a good shop to do an engine rebuild and transmission rebuild when the time is needed. these cars are actually priced 5,000 - 7,000 below the value of what a 90,000 mile vehicle would be, saving money on the long run. I know a few of my friends did rebuilds (in other states) and they were telling me they are pretty much brand new after the rebuilds - currently having 400k miles to 500k miles in one of their jeeps and another old f150

i heard rebuild run anywhere between 1,000 - 2,000 in colorado springs for v6 v8 engine and same as a transmission. any ideas?

and please stay on topic, i do not want a new truck...this is going to be a beater/trail rider. and i like the models as well.

[TCHP]

If they have decent and consistent cylinder pressure in all cylinders, you may not need to even worry about a rebuild. Obviously, how they were maintained prior to your acquisition will be a big factor in this, but I'd check that before just jumping into a rebuild.

Yes, rebuilds can make components as good as new. Sometimes better than new because you can build them to be more specific to application and altitude. However, rebuilds may not necessarily last any longer then the originals as that is , as said above, contingent upon maintenance.

$1000-2000 is a very low figure in a refurb and not necessarily a complete rebuild and may be the price of replacing a severely used engine with another lesser used engine with you providing all the labor. A refurb would be tearing the engine down and reusing all parts that are still within a maximum acceptable range and only replacing a few pieces. A rebuild would be replacing a large number of parts and re-machining everything to be within factory specification. To drop off the vehicle and have a shop actually perform all the engine rebuild work and then you pick it up and drive away is going to run closer to $4000-5000 for an engine and $2000-3000 for a transmission.

So, IMO, No, you can't get a decent rebuilt engine, of any size, built and installed for $1000. Simple economics prevent it. Any decent shop is going to charge $70-90 an hour, and take a weeks worth of work to perform the rebuild which will put you at $2800 on low end for labor without including the required replacement parts.

[willc86]

Originally Posted by TCHP

If they have decent and consistent cylinder pressure in all cylinders, you may not need to even worry about a rebuild. Obviously, how they were maintained prior to your acquisition will be a big factor in this, but I'd check that before just jumping into a rebuild.

Yes, rebuilds can make components as good as new. Sometimes better than new because you can build them to be more specific to application and altitude. However, rebuilds may not necessarily last any longer then the originals as that is , as said above, contingent upon maintenance.

$1000-2000 is a very low figure in a refurb and not necessarily a complete rebuild and may be the price of replacing a severely used engine with another lesser used engine with you providing all the labor. A refurb would be tearing the engine down and reusing all parts that are still within a maximum acceptable range and only replacing a few pieces. A rebuild would be replacing a large number of parts and re-machining everything to be within factory specification. To drop off the vehicle and have a shop actually perform all the engine rebuild work and then you pick it up and drive away is going to run closer to $4000-5000 for an engine and $2000-3000 for a transmission.

So, IMO, No, you can't get a decent rebuilt engine, of any size, built and installed for $1000. Simple economics prevent it. Any decent shop is going to charge $70-90 an hour, and take a weeks worth of work to perform the rebuild which will put you at $2800 on low end for labor without including the required replacement parts.

wow really? 5,000 for an engine rebuild? ive done some researching for my model and people been saying its costing 2,000 - 3,000 but not sure where is that in the states. I had a friend do an engine rebuild on a jeep and ran him 1800 and running perfect till this day (but its a 1990 jeep)

anyone else ever did an engine rebuild? if so, what was the price? this is for a 05 lexus. life is still fine, but its high mileage so I want to start preparing for it

id figure its cheaper int he long run fixing up the car vs getting into another 15,000 - 25,000 car payment

[TCHP]

Yes, it is less expensive to replace an engine than to buy an entirely new car. For some of us that makes great sense, for others not so much. I'd also suggest you clarify those quotes as to whether they are just the engine or the engine installed. Yes, you can buy a rebuilt long block for $2000, but you then have to have it installed.

In Colorado, the odds are severely against getting such a deal on a rebuilt, mileage warrantied engine that is installed and will last any length of time. There certainly are ways around that, but like I said, If you want to drop the car off, get the engine rebuilt, then drive it away with an engine that has a warranty for any parts failure, you're looking at $5k. My company recently did this for one of our work trucks, which uses a Chevrolet 6.0 LS engine, one of the most popular and inexpensively rebuilt long blocks in the United States. It came in at just a hair over the $5k mark.

Labor rates for rebuilds vary greatly through out the states. Its entirely possible for someone to get a rebuild for $1800 in some other part of the country. It is also possible to do it for less money here. You could find a handyman on craigslist, buy a rehoned block from Ace Engine Supply, and have it all done in your driveway and maybe get in under the $2k mark. However, the overall quality of lesser cost "rebuilds" is always something you should be concerned about. As I mention in my earlier quote, there are places will call it a rebuild when all they did is tear it down, replace rings, bearings, and gaskets, hone the valve seats and install new seals, then repaint it and call it rebuilt. That is a simple refurb and yes, it will feel a bit more powerful, not burn oil, and looks and smell new. There are some rebuilds that are a bit more involved and thorough, like the crate engine programs from major rebuilder jobbers that sell through places like Autozone or O'Reilly's. A true rebuild will involved precision machining of every component inside the engine, verifying dimensions, tolerances, rates, and pressures, and then re-assembling everything within factory specs. This type of work takes time and time costs money.

[willc86]

Originally Posted by TCHP

Yes, it is less expensive to replace an engine than to buy an entirely new car. For some of us that makes great sense, for others not so much. I'd also suggest you clarify those quotes as to whether they are just the engine or the engine installed. Yes, you can buy a rebuilt long block for $2000, but you then have to have it installed.

In Colorado, the odds are severely against getting such a deal on a rebuilt, mileage warrantied engine that is installed and will last any length of time. There certainly are ways around that, but like I said, If you want to drop the car off, get the engine rebuilt, then drive it away with an engine that has a warranty for any parts failure, you're looking at $5k. My company recently did this for one of our work trucks, which uses a Chevrolet 6.0 LS engine, one of the most popular and inexpensively rebuilt long blocks in the United States. It came in at just a hair over the $5k mark.

Labor rates for rebuilds vary greatly through out the states. Its entirely possible for someone to get a rebuild for $1800 in some other part of the country. It is also possible to do it for less money here. You could find a handyman on craigslist, buy a rehoned block from Ace Engine Supply, and have it all done in your driveway and maybe get in under the $2k mark. However, the overall quality of lesser cost "rebuilds" is always something you should be concerned about. As I mention in my earlier quote, there are places will call it a rebuild when all they did is tear it down, replace rings, bearings, and gaskets, hone the valve seats and install new seals, then repaint it and call it rebuilt. That is a simple refurb and yes, it will feel a bit more powerful, not burn oil, and looks and smell new. There are some rebuilds that are a bit more involved and thorough, like the crate engine programs from major rebuilder jobbers that sell through places like Autozone or O'Reilly's. A true rebuild will involved precision machining of every component inside the engine, verifying dimensions, tolerances, rates, and pressures, and then re-assembling everything within factory specs. This type of work takes time and time costs money.

wow! well might be worth it in the long run to have it professionally done

what would your shop quote me for a rx330 lexus 2005 2WD to comepletely rebuild the engine to make it last? and what is your shop called?