Engine Rebuild

[Logan Robb]

To those that have rebuilt their engines:

To start, my 64 Fleetwood does not need an engine rebuild at this time. But eventually, it would certainly be nice. And I wonder, would it be more cost effective and efficient to have a complete secondary engine to rebuild in my free time and as funds allow? Then when ready, pull the old motor and put in the rebuilt one? 

To me, that sounds like a sure fire way to not rush things and make sure everything with the rebuilt motor is correct before dropping it into the car.

Just curious on everyone’s thoughts, thanks! 

Logan

[C. Van Tune]

If you don't care about having the original engine in your car, then it's an okay plan. Keeps the down-time to a minimum.  

But, then you'll have one needs-a-rebuild engine left over. Do you have the room to store it?  I sure don't. 

And why would you want to keep the old engine?  With the newly rebuilt engine in the car, unless you put a rod through the block it'll probably go 80,000+ miles without needing another rebuild.  

My first question is worth addressing: "Is having the original engine of value to you?"  Answering that will make the rest of the decisions easier. 

[Russ Austin]

Since it can take up to 4-5 months to get an engine rebuilt, it does seem like a good idea to have a spare engine. Just be sure that the engine can be run before being handed over to you. Not having the original engine really isn't a big deal. the VIN is stamped on the engine, so just keep the original engine or block.