36 replies to this topic

[JDImini]

Hi Cooperman,<br /><br />Thank you, that is really useful, you've given me the startings of a great shopping list just need to save up some cash d;-)

[Stu1961]

Have you considered building it yourself and getting the machining done locally? It's a great learning experience and will save you lots of money

I can second that. Build it yourself one hell of a way to know your engine and learning how they work, never built an engine before but I have now and it won't be the last. Take your time, use some fore thought and you won't go far wrong. If I could pass on one bit of advice it would be take loads of pictures and clean everything thoroughly. Some of that build money you have put by could pay for some of the tools you will need.

 

Give it a go there is a great sense of achievement waiting to be had and you will be glad you did it yourself, because above all you know it will be right and yes you may make a few mistakes. I did but what the hell.          

[gazza82]

 

For example, it is not possible to build a top quality engine for £1000, despite what anyone will tell you.

 

Is that parts and labour or just parts? I've been pricing up my Midget engine as I go along, with the planned parts still to buy/fit and it's coming out in the region of £1300, and I'm doing the work. Few ancilliaries to add to that like exhaust manifold, clutch ...

[Cooperman]

You should be able to buy everything you need, including new cam, all bearings, gaskets, pistons, etc, for under £1000, unless you are building a race or rally engine, but the labour of, say, 30+ hours at whatever is being charged will always push the total price towards, or even over, £2000.

I'm sure there are builders who will 'throw together' an engine for less, but they won't set the deck height, renew the cam bearings, do proper 'trial-build(s), set the cam timing to +/- 1 degree, do all the compression ratio calculations and machine the head to suit, check each & every ring gap, check the bearing clearance with 'Plastigauge' if the crank is not to be re-ground. 

In life you do get what you pay for.

[gazza82]

I guess it depends very much on how standard the engine you build is ... even a lightened duplex setup adds £7 to the bill ... and those £7s add up ... Which pistons can make a big difference too.

 

Mine should be a fast road engine ... at the moment it is a pile of various shaped lumps of metal .. (Pile as in not put together and not in as "piled" up in a dusty corner)

[GreenMini17]

Have you tried KAD? I rang them a few months ago about rebuilding mine and they are very helpful. You are talking about £3,000 PLUS parts without sweating for a 'top' engine builder to build you one. In the end i decided to strip it apart myself (with the help of a guru). Its daunting at first but it is actually very simple. Just take LOADS of photos, write down anything and everything. Label things up as you remove them. You will save yourself thousands of pounds doing it yourself. If you have some money spare, get the tricker bits like the gearbox rebuilt by someone else. You will learn soooo much too. Hope this helps!

[Noris8322]

Sorry to drag up an old topic, but in the end I decided to build the engine my self. I've built a few mini engines before but never to the standard of this one. I've only just got it back on the road after around 18 months, but its been quite a transformation

 

Before

 

 

 

 

After

 

 

 

 

It turned into more than just an engine rebuild! lol

 

Oh yea, big thanks to Guessworks for building an excellent gearbox