i have just obtained an 89 Formula 350 TPI for dirt cheap. it had been sitting for a while. body needs major work but the car drives and runs. motor has 156K miles on it and looks like everything is bone stock. already decided it'll be a parts car.

What i've done so far:

- changed plugs (old ones looked normal)

- filled radiator (was empty when i drove it home but didnt overheat)

- did compression test with good results (see other post)

- listened for any noises (no knocks, vibrations)

- changed oil with 10W-30 (with a qt of ATF)

_ oil pressure gauge reads about 15 @ idle, 30 @ 2000 RPM when warm.

- changed tranny mount (old one was broken in half)

_ drove it around. tranny shifts slow but am guessing this is normal for a stock tranny with this many miles on it. other than that, seems to work fine.

- checked for any leaks. 2 freeze plugs are leaking coolant. tranny pan is leaking. oil pan is dry but at the front and sides of the motor looks like some gaskets need replacement. but it's not pissing out or anything.

now i'd like some opinions on what to do. what i was thinking was, since the motor in my 91 Formula has a startup knock (see this thread) that probably has to do with the bottom end, i was thinking of removing the 89 motor, change all bearings and gaskets and putting it in my 91. that way i will still have a car to drive while checking to see what might be causing the knock in the 91 motor. the 89 is running strong and idles a lot smoother and has higher oil pressure (according to the dash gauge) than the 91. i could
also upgrade some stuff while the 89 is out. maybe a cam and some head work. also since the 89 is MAF, i could change the setup or stick with SD. so what would you guys recommend? i dunno how long i can keep driving my 91 with the knock.
also is it a good idea to replace pistons and rods or will i know for sure once the motor is disassembled? i have never had a motor out much less tried to rebuild one. i know some of you guys can do this kinda stuff with your eyes closed but im still a bit intimidated so any kind of info is greatly appreciated. goal right now is low 13s with the TPI setup.

TIA

 

take the engine apart, clean, measure, and inspect it and you'll know what you need. i'd leave the 91 SD untill after the engine swap was complete and there were no problems.

 

well that's the thing. i dont know what i'll need to measure, or look for once i take it part. keep in mind it'll be my first time taking out a motor. i went to barnes and noble today to try and read some of the stuff there they have on building SBC's. i left the store with even more questions. all i want to do is a stock rebuild. i could only find books on building a motor from scratch which requires special tools and knowledge of thousands of different engine parts (pistons, rods, etc.) i mean i already have a running motor. how hard will it be to refreshen it? im guessing if i can't reuse some of the factory parts, i can buy new factory parts and slap 'em right in?

also since i have no idea what i'll need to measure, i dont know what tools i'll be required to have. what is the typical price of rebuilding this type of motor with this kinda mileage for someone without engine building tools??? if parts and tools and books, etc will exceed a grand, i figure i can just buy a new shortblock and slap on the 083 heads i have in my 91 Formula, with the rest of the TPI setup. i was looking at the L98 shortblock on this page:

http://www.sdpc2000.com/cart.asp?act...tart&catid=514

since they're calling it L98, is this the exact same thing that came from the factory in the 350 TPIs?

once again keep in mind i have NO experience building or rebuilding any type of motor.

TIA

 

Grrr, I wish I had another F-body... I'd drive it instead of the GTA... I'd drive the '89 around and fix the '91, hey, maybe keep both running? One as the race-ready car and another as the mostly-stock work car? Who have one when you can have TWO?

 

Since you have no experience with eng rebuilding and probably don't have any of the metrology tools to measure critical dimensions with, it would be cheaper, quicker and safer to buy a shortblock.

If you are commited to re-buuilding it yourself, in addition to a complete set of common hand tools, you'll need at minimum:
A good 3/8" torque wrench.
A dial meter to check crank and cam end play.
A crankshaft rotating tool.
Ring compressor.
A 0-1" outside micrometer. (to measure bearing thickness)
A 2-3" outside micrometer. (to measure crank journal diameters)
A 2-3" inside micrometer or telescoping gauge. (to measure rod and main cap inside diameters)
A set of feeler gauges. (for ring gaps, rod side clearance, and a few other things)
A 4-5" inside micrometer (to measure the bore sizes)
A 4-5" outside micrometer (to measure the piston diameters)
The last two items you can do without if you really trust the machine shop that's boring/honing your cyls.

I'm probably leaving out a few other tools, but as you can see, the tooling gets expensive.

You will also need a really good shop manual, a lot of time and a clean work area.

If you do decide to take this on, you can post specific questions as you go along, but general questions will yield general answers if any answer at all.

 

2 running thirdgens would be great to have but i need money to fix my 91. believe me i will own another thirdgen one day.

 

good info. i have none of that stuff, no time or money do attempt it myself. i underestimated the amount of work involved for a beginner. so what about that L98 shortblock? anything else i could go with that's better and not so expensive?

if anyone else has opinions plz post. thanks.

 

For a plain-jane shortblock, that SDPC L98 seems a little pricey to me. Abt all the L98 designation will tell you is that with L98 heads, the compression should come out abt right.
If it's an 87-up, it will be set-up for a factory roller cam and have a 1-piece rear main seal.

I would check with the local machine shops in your area. Some of them probably have short blocks for sale cheaper and you will save on shipping. Plus they will be handy if there is a problem.

You can talk to the guys at your local parts houses and see who they recommend. If there's a drag strip near you, talk to some of the guys there. Machine shops live and die by word-of-mouth.

 

rebuild the 89 motor with what you want. put it in with the 91 intake setup. then you'll have a spare motor. sell the 89 intake stuff to fund the rebuild.