length of time for first rebuild

[paook]

Our two Fiats would both benefit from engine and transmission rebuilds. I'm expecting we'll do this ourselves. Gotta obtain more tools, etc first, but:

How many hours (months, if you counted that way) did it take you to complete your FIRST engine rebuild?
How long did it take you to finish your FIRST transmission rebuild?

The wife and I haven't done anything this in-depth on a car yet, but we are very mechanically inclined and have a few books and this lovely forum. We just need to clean out the garage a bit from our recent move, and sneak away from our little boy an hour or two each night.

[Redline]

As a measure of perhaps the long end of things, I completely rebuilt a very "warm" Ford Kent motor 20 years ago in my parents' garage during the course of full-time engineering studies. I had never done any engine work before and learned everything I needed to know from a book. I had very little free time outside my studies and job, and sent the block out for a overbore and the head for some modest work that I could not do at home (but I lapped my own valves etc). I was in no hurry to chase after things and often waited quite a while for all my little goodies to arrive by post (pistons, cams etc.). I was doing rudimentary bodywork in parallel. It took me about 4 months, which was the limit of my parent's patience at the time. I could have gone faster, so it's easily a winter project.

[pope]

The transmission is not a big deal when you have all the parts available. No more than 2 weeks on you first try. Make sure that you buy the complete rebuild kit from classicricambi.com. It is around $350.. but contains all that is needed for a first rate rebuild and half of what it would cost to buy the parts separately.

Depending on what you want to do to the engine. Are you boring for new, larger pistons? of just new seals and gaskets.

[paook]

We're not shooting for performance gains, stock is just fine for us. This effort is to give the engines renewed life, as they haven't really been touched since they were new. Unkown miles on both because one odometer rolled over the 99K limit and the other odometer was replaced at some point.

I got an hourly quote from a shop that knows Fiats just a number of minutes ago, $80/hour. Told the wife, and she said "babysitters are far cheaper!"

[So Cal Mark]

just out of curiosity, would you hire the cheapest babysitter for your kids? or the best? or one in-between?

[paook]

I can't even imagine my wife actually hiring a babysitter for any reason. We would fly my mother in from out-of-state first.

[JDOliver]

Have you checked compression ? Low compression or other major issues is the only reason I can think to rebuild one to stock specs. Leaking everywhere would be one to. Thats the only reason I'll be rebuilding mine.

[kcjohnspider]

first time on site just bought 75 and in middle of rebuild, just pulled motor and now looking to replace pistons due to one was frozen after 25 years of sitting..where is best place to get pistons and what size should i be going up too..already found shop to do machine work so now looking for all the parts I need. any help is great and just a note, like this car has been fun working on it just alot of rust had some bad body work done many years ago and found alot in rear fenders. but I here that is very common on this car. thanks for any help