My 89 firebird has thrown a rod
its a 2.8 v6<i know weak>
anyways..how hard is it to replace the rod?
Or is my block done with
I guess to simplify it.should i keep it or junk it?
thanks

 

You're not going to know about the block till you break it down...

 

If that rod came loose then it prolly ripped the **** out of the cylendar wall. Not to mention all that fun metal debris the bearing deposited when it desintegrated. I say a rebuild is the only thing that will not leave you with more problems.

 

good time to go 350, trash that 6 and never look back

 

How big of a job would switching to an 8 from a 6 be?

 

Skip,

Huge PITA, not worth it IMHO. Better off buying a V8 car.

Motor mounts, motor, transmission, front springs, wheel + tires (195's on a 14 inch rim = spinning fun for a V8)...

 

Kinda thought so. I helped a friend with his 67 'stang and it was a huge pita.

 

Originally posted by LincolnHawk:

Depends on your accurate or inaccurate use of the terminology of "thrown a rod"

If you have really thrown a rod, meaning it broke and/or seperated from the crankshaft, then yes your block is likely trashed as well as the crank, oilpan and possibly the head on that side and you probably need a new engine.

If it is just knocking from excessive clearences from wear and/or a spun bearing then the block is probably not damaged the crank may just need turned and the engine should be rebuildable.

 

First tear down th e block and see if you have anything to work with. If the engine will need a lot of new stuff with a rebuild, then i would recommend getting a v8 car that is rusted to he11, but with a good drivetrain, and swap everything you need into your car. You can probably find something in a junkyard or you can get a wrecked (but not that bad) car for 500 or so. It will be much cheaper than buying all the parts individually. Even little things like new brackets for the small block will add up REALLY fast. just something to think about

 

ya it totally depends on what the rod did to the block, heads etc. personally if I were you I would go to a v8. I've never had a v6 car but I've drove them and almost all of my friends have them. if your going to rebuild an engine it might as well be a v8. also 350 parts are SUPER cheap. it actually might be cheaper to get all of the brackets and stuff to convert to a v8 than it will be to rebuild the v6. hope whatever you do works out for ya.

 

thanks for all the replies,Im gonna sell it as parts car
thanks again

 

After scaning, disassembly, balancing, boring, honing, rings, bearings, and even after that it will never be the same. Do to a GM zz3 with a 350 kit and a Q jet, with labour the prices would be similar, but you have a V8 infront of you!

 

if your 2.8 has thrown a rod, your better off just junking the engine. at the price of a v8 upgrade you could probably just by another f body with a v8 already in it. they are rather cheap on the market right now otherwise i'd just recomend putting in a 3.4 (from a newer f body) with a performance camshaft in it's place. it'd be considerably faster than your 2.8 and less work than a v8 install.