Need Engine Rebuilt

[NickSpider]

Anyone know of a good engine rebuild shop in Houston, TX or close by. Have a 75 Fiat 124 Spider 1800. Engine sat for way too long and I need to get a rebuild on it. What is a fair price for this as well. Thanks.

[Exit98]

Hi Nick,

I'm just a duffer, so don't go by me, but are you sure you need a rebuild?

They are pretty tough motors. Is it broken, is a rod sticking out of the block, can you start it?

I'm just sayin', don't just be jumping right into the deep end of the pool, less'en your sure.

[NickSpider]

Hi Nick,

I'm just a duffer, so don't go by me, but are you sure you need a rebuild?

They are pretty tough motors. Is it broken, is a rod sticking out of the block, can you start it?

I'm just sayin', don't just be jumping right into the deep end of the pool, less'en your sure.

I am sure, it sat in storage fro 20 years. Pretty sure the valves are stuck. I tried about a year ago to get it running and could not even turn the engine over with a breaker bar attached to the main pulley. It will not budge.

[minimike]

put kerosene and an oil mix into the spark plug holes and let it sit for 2 weeks. Top it up after a few days. That will loosen
the engine. Eventually you will be able to turn it, with plugs out. (no compression). Then you can decide if you want
to run it as is, or re ring it.

[wikkid]

Minimike, that's an interesting cocktail. Would you use marvel mystery oil type stuff, or just some good old sae30 weight motor oil? I'll bet it's worth a try. And if you put it in a high gear with plugs removed and push the car, the pistons will move less violently than if trying to start the car. I'd give this a try first, then try and get it running, and then give it a good compression testing to check the status of the pistons/rings/cylinders. If the compression is off between cylinders, there's also a trick with some oil in thru the plug holes after an initial compression test, to judge if the valves are causing a problem with compression.

[minimike]

Kerosene will break the rust and is thinner than the MM oil. MM oil is good after you get it running again to remove the carbon from the rings. This will let the rings expand and seal the cylinders better. Kind of thick to hope it passes the rings to help break free a stuck engine.

[pastaroni34]

I suppose you could try to save it.

I wouldn't though. You can have the whole thing stripped and resealed for less than $1000.. Exact price will vary depending on what you need done.. if the cylinders are pitted from rust then you'll need them to be bored, and get new pistons.. expect +$450. Valves and valve seats might need attention.. etc.. you never know until you open it up.

What are your goals for this engine? Just a straight rebuild?

[minimike]

when doing a compression test, after taking an initial reading, you can squirt some oil in each cylinder as you retest.
If the compression goes up, it's usually the rings.

[NickSpider]

Well the goals are to get the car running reliably. It doesn't need to be all sooped up or anything, just would like it to start up when I need it to. Would like to have a fun little car to drive around on days when the weather is nice.

I originally bought the car in late 2007 before my wife and I had a child. Now our child is 2 and have very little time to work on it. Too many projects always going on. It was going to be a weekend driver on nice days. Bought the car from the original owner who is the father of a woman that works for me. Car has around 35K original miles on it. It was his wifes toy car that got driven on nice days. She died about 5 years ago or so and the estate was finally settled and he was just looking to get the car out of the paid storage facility that it sat in for roughly 15 years due to a broken fuel pump. When I went to pickup the car, it still had the original set of tires on it. One was dry rotted with a big hole in it and luckily the other 3 still would hold air otherwise i would have never been able to get it on the trailer. Car is in great shape (needs a paint job, but very minimal rust on the body). So in 2008 or 09 i removed spark plugs and poured oil....and other things in it trying to get the engine to unlock to no luck. I will try the kerosene sometime this week if i get the chance. So basically the car has been in my garage for 2 years untouched. My wife and I are building a house so not quite sure how much $ I want to drop into the vehicle at this time. Last time I quoted getting a rebuild I think they told me $2500, thought that was pretty steep. So far I have replaced alternator (old one was shot), water pump, pretty much all the pulleys, the tensioner, bought I believe new rear calipers and pads, still need to get the fronts and new rotors all the way around. Had the radiator reworked, fuel tank removed and refinished with new lower portion welded in, replaced all the fuel lines (fuel/thinner had eaten pretty much the bottom of the tank and lines up. In 2008 picked up some alloy rims off of a member from California on here. Very reasonable and the rims are in great shape, plan on replacing the rusty steel ones that are on it currently once i get it running.

I suppose you could try to save it.

I wouldn't though. You can have the whole thing stripped and resealed for less than $1000.. Exact price will vary depending on what you need done.. if the cylinders are pitted from rust then you'll need them to be bored, and get new pistons.. expect +$450. Valves and valve seats might need attention.. etc.. you never know until you open it up.

What are your goals for this engine? Just a straight rebuild?

[pastaroni34]

$2500 is pretty steep, I agree. Was that just to rebuild or including pulling the engine etc.. ? For that price I'd sell you one of my own engines. A simple swap for a used one might be a good option for you also.

Do you know of the Fiat group in Houston? We meet every second Tuesday of the month. I'll see if the guys have anything available. I have a good motor myself but I'm not sure how motivated I am to sell it.

[NickSpider]

That was just for the engine rebuild. I would of had to remove it....ship it......and re install. Wasnt looking forward to that.

The only reason i was thinking about doing a rebuild was because of the known low miles on the engine. Does it matter if an older engine high mileage engine is rebuilt versus a lower mileage engine rebuild.

Where do you guys meet?

[pastaroni34]

We meet up at the Beck's Prime parking lot in Memorial Park, about 6:30. The group has grown to be pretty big, especially in the past couple of years. There's a website somewhere but I think it might be down right now. Our mailing list is: txflu@txflu.org

Milage on an engine doesn't mean much if it is allowed to languish away. Same goes for all the rubber parts on the car, bushings etc. Sitting is the worst thing for any car. If it isn't exercised there's no telling what condition it is really in.

[NickSpider]

Know of a decent shop in Houston that can work on the fiat?

[red107]

Know of a decent shop in Houston that can work on the fiat?

If your in Texas look up vicks. I know they do tranny's not sure about engines.I had my engine rebuilt about 8 years ago by Daytona spider in Florida. Then had the top end redone about 5 years ago by a fiat mechanic in gainsville Florida. The reason I'm telling you this is because you never know what your going to get. The top end rebuild is due to my own fault. I paid 2500 for my rebuild which included all new pistons, rings, bearings, seals, gaskets,springs,valves,and many other parts plus machine work. If it was me I would look into a good fiat mechanic. Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions. I would ask for referrals. Pulling it yourself is a great option if you have the time. If you go that route you can do many cosmetic to your car while the motor is out.

[minimike]

You're making a mistake to not first try to free up the engine. 2 years in a dry climate is not something that would bother an engine. I've bought dozens of cars that had not been running for years here in the northeast and with a little persuasion, had the motors freed up, and driving. a low miles car doesn't need a rebuild does it? $1,000 vs. 2 quarts of Kerosene?
Hmmmm. I think I'd do the no brainer move. Send me the difference or contribute it to this site for Mark.