Its irrelevant how much you paid for the car?? If its worth that much, that's what you pay???

A decent early classic is worth no more than £3,000.. If that's what you want, that's what you pay??

IMHO £2000 for a standard re-build is ludicrous! (assuming melted piston) (£1700 before vat) Say your looking at a generous £500 cost price for parts at the most (gaskets, pistons, con-rods, fluids etc.) Then you've got £1,200 for labour. £30/hour maybe? so that's approx 40 man hours (and lets say 3 hours for removal and installation).. Most garages will work 7 hours/day (not including lunch), so that's nearly 6 working days to rebuild an engine.. Hmmm...

I could remove, re-build and refit an EJ20 on a drive way (no lifts, air tools etc.) in much less time than that!

Or the inteligent thing to do would be to buy a running engine from a crashed car and fit that, then get shot of the car if your that worried.

 

Labour in and out £550.00 includes all oils and liquids and sundries.

New crank £325.00
Competition mains and big ends £200.00
4 weight balanced rods £160.00
Pistons oversize £200.00
Piston ring set £104.00
Gaskets and seals £180.00
Cam belt £ 66.00
Labour to build includes rebore and
strip, clean, reface and regrind
16 valves, rebuild oil pump £500.00

Mounts up doesn't it?.

David APi Engines / APi Impreza
www.apiengines.com

 

David's reputation speaks for itself, very honest chap who is always upfront and open about everything.
When you look through the board's archive, you will see highly respected tuners with BIG bhp cars recommending a trip to API for anything engine/transmission related.
I bought my uprated clutch from David 2 years ago now and its still running like new with 1.65bar td05/18g, Im still milking API for free information to this day and never once has he/they complained about it.

while there are other options, such as sourcing a second hand lump and dropping it in, you take a heck of a risk that the lump your fitting isnt about to **** itself in the not too distant.
rebuild and sorting the fault = peace of mind, and API are your boys

 

David I am not implying by anymeans that you do not know your stuff or your work isnt first class, but I am refering to a bog standard re-build, as in replacing the damaged parts, bearings, re-grinding the crank and re-honing the bores..

Not everyone wants to, nor can afford to have an engine re-built to competition standards.

If the person then goes out and drives the car like a **** once more and breaks it again woe be the fool them who thinks they can run a car on a budget and drive it like a racing car.

 

Which is why you purchase a lump from a crashed car, so I can see it running! And lets not forget life is all about risks

 

Hardly the same as a car engine is it???

And the boxer engine IS JUST a car engine .... no more complicated than a Nova Pushrod!!

I am an Engineer and can assure you that the engine does NOT have to be rebuilt to rally standards to run again!! Just fix the parts that are bust and re-assemble.

Pete

 

Hallelujah!!!

 

That ain't a competition build by any means, just a through workmanlike job, that'll not embarrass the owner nor API. Grinding cranks on an Impreza is an absolute no-no.

Good luck all David APi

 

Totally agree, if you want a cheap rebuild look to do it again! Best getting it rebuild to a standard where it's gonna work, my rebuild came in over 2k but the car was in a bad way, Davey's price is not bad at all for the work getting done.

 

Indeed, it's simplier, it's only concrete and steel, no moving parts! Anything can be reduced to a series of instructions that joe average could follow, does that mean they'd always be able to do it competently.....my guess is no. Would they be able to do it anything like as effeciently as the xperts, my guess is definately no!!

Pete, time is money, you're worth too much on SN to do the work yourself, let David take the strain and keep us amused.

Might I direct those of you who don't think its worth going to an reputable specialist to the most recent edition of Scoobymagazine and to the sad case of the chap with the classic STi who had it rebuilt by an "expert" at Greasy Bob's who kindly put legacy heads and cams on the car for him! Happy ending though- he ended up with an Sti 7 engine in there from real experts at SC.

I'm no expert, but its a point of comon sense that an engine rebuild will not be cheap.....not done properly anyway.

You couldn't get any more transparent than David's been. All in quote, itemised and labour costs up front. I wonder how many other places would lure you in with a cheap quote then say "blimey gov, I didn't know you needed x,yz, that means more labour....etc... and then kindly add it to your ever-increasing bill.

Ns04

 

Regrinding the what now?

Are you sure you want to do this on a Scooby?????

With all due respect to your skills, enthusiasm, and can-do attitude (I'm sure you'd make a damn better job of it than I) I think you've just illustrated why you should leave it to the experts.

Ns04

 

Not saying that the Impreza engine is the most complicated engine out there, but that's not a true statement now is it. Plus the Nova did not use a 'Pushrod' Engine - they were OHC.

 

Hang on David, you forgot to mention the free bacon sarney's !!

Rob
(A very satisfied API customer)

 

Lee

bet you wished you hadnt asked now with the direction of this thread

 

Theres nothing wrong with regrinding the crank?? If its not seriously scored or pitted..

Give me one reason why not?

 

an engine is an engine, maybe different layouts but they all basically work the same. Rebuilding it yourself is the cheapest way and like Davey says you get to learn about it at the same time. Even if your building a higher output version, again do it yourself, its only uprated components that fit the same as the originals (leave the mapping to the pro's though!!) So if your on a budget, do it yourself

 

Now, thats strange, I was working on a 1Litre 1986 Nova PUSHROD engine not much more than 2 years ago!!

A little tip to make yourself NOT look stupid ..... "Check your facts , then CHECK again!"

Pete

 

Tell you what ..... you come round my house, give me a wedge of notes amounting to over £2k and you can have my bacon butties .... hell, I'll even throw the wife in too!!!

By the way API have a very good record on ScoobyNet - I am NOT having a go at them - just the horrific costs of rebuilds!!

Pete

 

Right on both counts- one of the characteristics of the boxer engine is its relatively greater complexity and higher cost to make.

Ns04

PS the Nova runs on coal!!

 

I've got one outside at the mo....

993cc 8v Pushrod.. Solid rockers.. sounds tastey!

 

I, personally, cannot imagine anything better than spending a weekend rebuilding an Impreza engine.

I used to rebuild Ford Engines and Vauxhall Engines all the time through the 60's, 70's, 80's and early 90's ...... sadly it would be my body that was unable to do it now - my mind would be stripping it down all right though!!

The pleasure of knowing what you have done and hearing it running and driving it about is immense!!

The only thing lacking, maybe, is a manual ......

Pete

 

David will explain much more eloquently than I.

Ns04

 

Somebody has got a brown nose.

 

Yes, but palmo says that they don't exsist

You and I have been working on a freak car

Go out there and change the CamBelt this instant!!!

Aren't people who know NOTHING really funny????

Pete

 

OK, taken on the chin, I was wrong! - Forgot about the 1.0, was thinking of the 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 & 1.6 engines they used!

 

And, by the way, why not re-grind the crankshaft???

I am genuinely interested why not? We are only talking a few thou aren't we??

Yes, its easier and more profitable to fit new, the mark-up on the new part sounds nice

Pete

 

lol

I agree , cant beat hearing something you have done roar into life

 

Ok apology accepted

Pete

 

hmmmmm I had a pushrod 1.2 as well in my mk2 astra from 1985

 

You know what, thats what its here for, can't find the bloody thing though.. some idiot has fitted a chain instead, what a plum! And I bet they didnt prime the oil filter either .