Well, I own a compression tester & leak-down tester and combined I don't think I spent $150 (ebay). Compression tester is a Mac and leakdown is from Aircraft Supply (who make an excellent part for something like $75. My A&P brother in law pointed me to them).
Also, you can remove the valve covers and look at 'em yourself. Varnish is easy to see. Frankly, removing the oil pan is easy, too. Fun, in fact. C -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Jeff Fischer Sent: Thursday, September 12, 2002 11:00 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Chevelle-List] Rebuild or not I have set this spring as the time I would have the 454 in my Chevelle (purchased 12/01) rebuilt. The car's odometer shows 88k. The car's lifters are noisy as hell and it just doesn't seem as strong as a 454 should be. In the meantime I had contact from the previous owners father and he seems to remember that the car was rebuilt within the last 10k but the car sat for a number of years after the rebuild. He was vague at best so I asked a local mechanic if he could ascertain if the rebuild was actually done and this is what he proposes to do to make that determination: 1. Compression Check - Find out what the factory spec is from compression. Run a compression check and your engine should not be more that about 5 percent from that spec. 2. Leak Down Test - This will help to determine wear in the valve train, ie., worn valve guides, valve stems, seats, etc. 3. Remove the Valve Covers - An engine that has been properly rebuilt with 10k miles on it should have almost no varnish on the heads, rockers, valves, and springs. 4. Check Main Bearings - Remove the oil pan and remove one or two the main caps and inspect the bearings. With 10k miles on the engine there should almost no noticeable wear other then some of the coating wearing off. If there is a lot of copper showing, deep grooves, or burn marks the engine is wearing. He then tells me that it is a two person job and they both get $50 per hour and it should take 6 hours. My questions are this: 1. Should all the tests/things the mechanics recommend be done? Are they all necessary? Is there a better way to determine? 2. Is 6 hours, two guys and $600 reasonable? Thanks for your help guys, -- Jeff Fischer Lake Elmo, MN '71 Chevelle SS, 454, 4 spd http://home.attbi.com/~addss/chevelle.html ----------------------------------------------------- To Unsubscribe please visit www.chevelles.net/list.html To start a new topic, send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----------------------------------------------------- To Unsubscribe please visit www.chevelles.net/list.html To start a new topic, send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
