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Old Mar 16, 2011 | 05:38 AM
  #7 (permalink)  
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Empire
buildin' it
 
Joined: Aug 2006
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If the oil pump took a shit, then you really just need to save yourself the headache and buy new parts.
courtesy nissan has all of the stuff you will need. Don't try and save those pistons. the pictures aren't the best quality, but they look pretty scared. I would bet the cylinder walls are pretty scared too. So over boring might be the better way to go, in which case, you'll want different pistons anyway.
Google around for some kits. Trying to remember the site... I don't know, its saved on my machine at home.
Do you already have a stack of parts? a good rebuild kit is really the way to go. Most of the decent sites out there have really complete kits. And I have found that it is cheaper in the long run to order one of those kits instead of nickle and dime-ing all of the parts you'll need.
sounds like you have the basic idea of what you're doing. I won't lie to ya, it is a hell of a learning curve from reading it on paper, to actually having it in your hands and doing it. Add to your tool's list an engine stand. One that you can spin the engine and lock it into place. You don't want to be balancing it on some blocks and it saves so much headache being able to just spin it over to double check where things are.
Since you spun that bearing, you'll want to be really really really careful with your crank, and rods and bearings. If that spin was bad, the crank and rod might be toast. Or, they might just need to be re finished. The machine shop you use will be able to help you figure that out. Have you started looking for one yet? My advice, find a shop that is willing to talk with you about it. If the guy seems like you are annoying him with questions or in his way or whatever, then I wouldn't work with him. Since you're looking to have basic work done, pretty much any machine shop will do. Don't need a nissan specific shop since they aren't assembling everything. In a perfect world, you should come armed with the knowledge and specs you want everything to be at, and then find out what they would charge to make it happen. See if they recommend anything. There is a difference between a recommendation and a sales pitch. Most of the time, you will go in, talk with the guy, get a feel for the place, if you like them, then talk about what you are looking to do, they'll give you some rough estimates on costs. Then bring in your parts and your spec sheets and talk to him some more, see what he has to say. It is their job to know if they can fix the part or not. He might tell you that the crank is shot. He might tell you that he can make it work. But understand that you might get bad news because of that spun bearing. An oil pump just doesn't die. It is a slow painful process. So it could have been several hundred, if not thousand miles of lower than optimum oil pressure, so things might be more worn out than they should be. They should work with you on figuring it out. You'll need to know what the FSM says the specs can be. These machine shop guys don't work with Nissan's all day, everyday, so they might not have the info handy. To me, that isn't really a deal breaker. I have no problem providing them what the FSM says the specs should be, and a sheet that says what I want them to be. My point is, don't just drop the parts off and go. Be involved in the process. Don't "tell" them how to do their job, just "ask" them if they can help you accomplish what you are trying to do. When you get to the point of having them do the work, they will probably want the pistons so they can match the cylinders to the pistons. This is a good idea. Especially if you are going to/needing to over bore. They ought to be able to test everything. they will tell you if you are needing new rods or not and all of that fun stuff. (random thought, Engine Labs seems to be a fantastic shop, some other people have used them. they seem to be really helpful and nice to work with I'd check them out)
Now, with all of that said, you can technically skip all of that. There have been plenty of people that have bought a "known to be good" engine. torn it down and slapped fresh parts in it and ran with it. Saves a lot of time, effort, work, and money. Some people have skipped even that part and gotten their hands on a running engine, stuck it in their car, powered its nose a little bit and boosted it and again, have gotten away with it.
So at this point, it really all depends on what your goals are and what you are looking to do.
Is the actually process of rebuilding the engine important to you? Or do you just want the final out come?
What are your power goals? Are you looking to build a bullet proof engine, or do you just want it to work?
Are you looking to get the best bang for your buck, or are you looking to get the best bang period?

maybe I should have started with those questions first as they are more important.
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