Where can I buy a reliable remanufactured 318 for 1971 Duster?
- Thread starter Ken71Twister
- Start date
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You can AT LEAST triple that price here. You got a smoking deal. Just a balance job alone is over $600 lol
I've never had an engine balanced.
Either 2 or 3 years ago I had all the machining done on a /6. Bored 0.020. crank polished std.
also had pistons pressed onto rods.
Block shot peened and magged. 0.030 off the deck. That was $400. Then I had the head shaved 0.070, seats machined for oversized valves, valve guide seal lands cut down, had it machined for actual exhaust valve seats, and bought them from the machine shop, they put "my". oversized valves in that I supplied/ assembled that head, , finished my home porting job for me. That was another $400. I didn't think that was bad at all.
Then, same machine shop. a year ago, I took in a single cylinder cast iron 12hp Kohler for a 0.010" rebore, valve job, cut the rod journal 0.010 under, deck the block (I think that was 0.010" too) as I couldn't get the head gasket to seal, replaced it 2x and it still leaked at that seam around the exhaust valve)
and that machine shop bill was $300. For a single cylinder Kohler!
Probably a year before the /6 work detailed above, I had (again) same shop do up a set of '302 small block heads- crack checked, complete valve job, 16 new valves, new guide seals, light mill (like 0.007") for a fresh sealing surface. And that whole Job with parts was $340.
So in all that single cylinder Kohler overhaul seems like a ripoff. Especially considering the last engine just like it at the same place yet again, done in between the /6 job and the '302 heads was 2/3 the price for the same amount of work.
Either 2 or 3 years ago I had all the machining done on a /6. Bored 0.020. crank polished std.
also had pistons pressed onto rods.
Block shot peened and magged. 0.030 off the deck. That was $400. Then I had the head shaved 0.070, seats machined for oversized valves, valve guide seal lands cut down, had it machined for actual exhaust valve seats, and bought them from the machine shop, they put "my". oversized valves in that I supplied/ assembled that head, , finished my home porting job for me. That was another $400. I didn't think that was bad at all.
Then, same machine shop. a year ago, I took in a single cylinder cast iron 12hp Kohler for a 0.010" rebore, valve job, cut the rod journal 0.010 under, deck the block (I think that was 0.010" too) as I couldn't get the head gasket to seal, replaced it 2x and it still leaked at that seam around the exhaust valve)
and that machine shop bill was $300. For a single cylinder Kohler!
Probably a year before the /6 work detailed above, I had (again) same shop do up a set of '302 small block heads- crack checked, complete valve job, 16 new valves, new guide seals, light mill (like 0.007") for a fresh sealing surface. And that whole Job with parts was $340.
So in all that single cylinder Kohler overhaul seems like a ripoff. Especially considering the last engine just like it at the same place yet again, done in between the /6 job and the '302 heads was 2/3 the price for the same amount of work.
Dartfreak75
Restore it, Dont part it!
Dang! yea i didnt do a balance. I just had the basic of the basic done. I even refused the cam bearing install. LOL i should have let him do it as it cost me more to do it myself but hey i learned something and i now know how to do it. Basically the only thing the machine shop did was what i couldnt and that was cutting the metal straight and flat! Im sure if i had the whole 9 yards done it probably would have been 2 grand or more. i even removed the pistons from the rods and replaced them back! Thats one thing ill never do again. That was kinda the point of my original post. this stuff can be done on a budget you just have to be willing to learn and put in the hard work. I dont have a garage or a lift or even a concrete pad to pull and reinstall the engine but I did it and i made it work! It was shady as hell but i did. When i was a teenager i pulled the slant six out of my car with a chain come along and an oak tree.
junkyardhero
Well-Known Member
am i reading this correctly in that you replaced the pistons and didn't balance the rotating assembly?
Dartfreak75
Restore it, Dont part it!
Yep that is correct. I used a factory refurbished crank and weighed the original pistons and rod on the big and little ends and matched the new pistons as close as possible to those weights. They was off a couple grams. The 360 is external balanced the harmonic dampner and flex plate is where the balance is at. It was not rebalanced at a machine shop. It is a street car built for mild performance on the street it's not a race car turning 7 grand consistently. I feel like alot of people get stuff in there head that something will not work when it absolutely will. My engine has been running for 4 years now I haven't had any issue with the balance or vibration. And it turns 6 grand no problem. I would not pay to have a street engine balanced especially an external balanced engine. A internal balanced stroker maybe.
A good convenient guarantee that they are guaranteed to weasel out from under.
Michael Harrington
Well-Known Member
I think this is the most economical and safe option for now. I would perform a cyl leak down test and a cyl psi cranking test just to establish the health of the rings, cylinders and valve sealing. But I like the idea of re sealing with fresh gaskets- maybe even new valve seals. Clean and paint the engine while in the car- drive it and enjoy it while you continue to explore engine rebuild options that work for you.
Last one I did was in 2019 cost me $658.05
Block cleaned, mag, cam bearings installed.
Crank ground
Heads cleaned, mag, resurface and a 5 angle valve job.
Givens Machine in Charleston WV.
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