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engine rebuild cost


nevada

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Hi all,

 

I have a 1971 521 pickup. its been modified with 4x4 running gear. i am getting ready to have to towed to the house so i cant start going through it. i wanted to get a ball park on what it would cost to rebuild a 1.6 engine? the motor has been basically taken apart although the block is still mounted in the vehicle. someone who saw some of the pictures i posted under the truck section thought that the tranny looked to be from a later model. so its possible the engine is a 2L. is there much difference in cost to rebuild a 1.6 vs a 2L? im sorry if my questions sound basic but i am trying to decide if i want to try a rebuild myself or not. this would be a first for me.

 

thanks!

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find a running L series and toss it in there. remember to use the oil pan/pickup tube and motor mounts off your current motor if you do!

 

 

Cost depends on your area, most times when people ask they can't afford it. Call your local shops and get a ballpark bro. Its not hard to rebuild these engines, you could get away with just getting a gasket kit, some new rod/crank bearings, honing the motor and being done... probably cost around 150-200.

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I think when I did my L16, the parts and machine work were between $750-$850. That included all the gaskets, boring, honing, hot tanking, new pistons, main+rod bearings, valve job, oil pump, water pump, chain set(chain, tensioner, guides, sprockets), clutch, flywheel surfacing, plugs, wires, cap+rotor, etc.. and other materials(coolant, oil, assembly grease, paint, and so on). A complete rebuild, in other words. I get a discount on parts, too, mind you. Estimate $1000 on parts and machine work; it's always good to estimate high. Building an L20b(2 liter) shouldn't make the price vary too much.

 

Keep in mind, this is assuming your labor cost is $0.

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wow! i am surprised so many people responded so fast lol. thanks! is there a complete rebuild kit you can buy that has everything you need or is this a parts hunt kind of thing?

 

thanks!

all kits on ebay are junk.... better off paying 4 or 5 times more somewhere else.. yes there are kits available

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I went and talked to my motor guy yesterday and he said complete rebuild kit and machine work and assembly for a L20 wwould be bout 850.

 

Quotes are based on the assumption that everything in the engine is somewhat copasetic.

And sometimes...to our chagrin.... .it is not.

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hi all,

 

thanks for the info. its clear i will need to get it here and take some pics so people can see what is there. from what i understand on my other post is that this model year never came as a 4x4. it appears to have international 4x4 running gear on it. so i am probably jumping the gun a bit on my questions but i am just trying to figure out what i should expect to spend in order to get it running.

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well the engine is pretty much torn apart right now. the head is off, etc. the only thing in there really is just the block itself. its possible its ok but i have no idea if it is. the truck has been sitting for over 14 years now so i figured since its pretty much apart already i might as well do the whole thing. from what i am told the head gasket blew on it. this is coming from a friend who got the truck in her divorce so she really does not know that much about it. i just need to get it towed over here so i can give it a look over and post more pics of it so people can see exactly what i got going on here. im not even sure the head is still there. engine parts for it are scattered in the garage in an old dresser, on shelves, and in the bed. the garage is packed with too much stuff so i could not dig around for the head itself.

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If you ever find out what engine is in the truck, a good check point is to go to JCWhitney and price their "Topline" brand rebuild kits. Use number QH15218G for the complete rebuild kit and number QH15217G for the rering kit. Pretty complete parts counts and this should give you a parts only number. If you do it yourself???

Good Luck on the rebuild

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lol, well as far as i know its been in a garage. the truck looks very clean for the age. i looked up the parts kit on JC but its telling me it does not work for the 1971 521. i was visiting a friend at his store (noon automotive) and he had a mechanic there who was doing some work on a a truck for him. anyways i talked to him about the datsun and he told me he could do it for around 1000 including labor. so i think i am going to go that route. i would like to source the parts myself if possible and see if i could a few $ on that as well.

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Find out what motor you have. L16 is a bit light for pulling a 4X4. Probably this is a 620 converted to 4X4 and a 521 body put on it but maybe not. An L20B would be a lot better motor to rebuild and the same cost.

 

If it has 4 spark plugs it is likely an L series. 8 plugs and it's a Z series.

 

If an L series look at the top edge of the block directly behind the dip stick. It's stamped into a flat raised boss, you may need a wire brush to clean it off.

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Hi all,

 

here is a link to my first post on the truck. it has some pictures as well. i apologize, i did not mean this post to overlap the other they just kind of went that way lol. i will be heading over sunday to dig around for the head if it is still there and i will check the the block for the numbers mentioned. its sounding like i can get one rebuilt for around 1000 here including parts. the guy quoted me 3 or 400 in labor unless something comes up. so i guess what i need to do is find out what is in it as far as engine size and go from there. if its 1.6 and the 2.0 would be better i will start to look around for one of those. its possible the transmission is from a later model as well. there was some discussion on the other post if this was a later model chassis with the 521 body on it but from what people could see in the pics it looked to be a 521 chassis and not a re-body. thanks for all the help! i will take more pics sunday.

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its sounding like i can get one rebuilt for around 1000 here including parts. the guy quoted me 3 or 400 in labor unless something comes up..

 

Id have some extra cash just incase....Something always comes up.

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