engine overhaul

Would an engine overhaul on a ford be very hrd for an ameuter mechanic whose never done any internal engine work I need to it 2 new rings in and thought should change all of them is there anything else I should change/do while it apart I want to keep this under 200 150 dollars any tips also? Thanks in advance

Probably best to ask this on the Ford site. It is a 9N, 2N or 8N, those are on a separate sight. The N's had what we called "Paper sleeves" that were made of steel. If it required a ring job, we just replaced the sleeves and pistons rather than do a ring job.

We had a special sleeve splitter that we drove down through the sleeve to get it out. When we put it back together, we took the pistons out of the sleeve, put the sleeved in the deep freeze for an hour and the sleeved dropped right into the block. When the sleeves warmed up, the only way to get them out was to cut them out again, so you had to do it right the first shot.

We used a ring compressor to get the pistons back into the sleeves, then put the rods back on. Doing the valves can be a tricky situation if the the engine does not have the adjustable lifters.

I would not start if wanting to keep costs under $200, head sets are around $100 now. I think your expectations are high.

You're way off track here, 200 bucks is a 1950's price.You don't say what Ford. Are you talking about a 120 cu in gas or a 401 diesel?

I'd say you'll never know how to do it until you do it.

I think every person should rebuild at least one engine in their lifetime.

Old tractor engines (assuming that's what you're referring to) are very forgiving and will allow you to make mistakes that might be catastrophic on a high performance v8. It's a great first project.

That said - I agree completely with others - don't attempt it if you really can't go over $200.

I mean it's possible, but in the real world, you'll have a broken stud here, a new seal needed there, suddenly you're in it for at least $500.

thanks everyone its a ford 8n. my grandpa restored it but never overhauled the engine all it really needs is a ring job I have the head off and have a new gasket for the head, manifold, valve view plates and one set im not sure what it goes to and one more gasket im not sure what goes to

You are never going to learn any younger so you might as well get started! Good luck! Armand

I am not trying to be a smart azz,but if you know nothing about engines, how can you say it only needs a ring job. Pistons, main and rod bearings and a lot of other parts wear out at about the same rate as rings.Do it right or leave it alone. Lessons learned the hard way are the ones you will never forget.

Check ebay for parts. Sometimes you can find a bargain. Ask a lot of questions during the process. Be sure you have a good manual. The first engine I did a ring job on was a 1934 chevy. Around 1958, I learned a lot doing that. Stan

Oh I understand it will be done right and I get what your saying I pulled the head and saw space between the piston and cylinder and assumed it was the rings. I know some about engines and I do do it there is plenty of people that could help me I just wanted some other options so if I do it I will have some ideas

Given that I work on equipment for a living, and have built many engines over the years, take everything said thus far to heart as the replies so far are right on.

That said I read your reply to one of the posts where you said you can see space between the piston and the cylinder wall "so you think the rings are bad". Now you will always see a little bit of space between the piston and the cylinder wall. If it is excessive, then rings will not do you any good as filling up that gap isn"t really their job. I say that because the gap is "filled" by having a correct sized piston in the bore. In other words if the bore is worn to the point that it"s .010, .020. etc oversized, then your going to have to have it bored correctly and install oversized pistons. With the correct sized pistons in a correct size bore, then a set of correctly oversized rings will then seal the remaining space between the piston and cylinder wall. Expecting a set of standard rings to seal in a bore that is oversized is doing nothing but asking for trouble.......Ask a customer of mine that demanded I rebuild his engine using standard pistons and rings, without having it bored oversized like it needed to be, against my recommendation. he can tell you for a fact that it costs more than twice as much to build one twice as it does to build one once, the right way.

Just remember, the same holds true for the main and rod bearings. If the crank is worn, it will have to be ground to a standard undersize, and then the proper oversized bearings used to get a correct fit. If you don"t do that while in there, anything else you do is just wasted time and money.

Beyond that, good luck, and if you run into anything you can always ask on here.....someone will know the answer to your question.

You need a helper that knows what he's doing. That engine may be worn enough that the engine block may need to bored oversize. That means the engine needs to be removed. The crankshaft may need machining. Hal

A very big factor here is that the likelihood that your N will ever do any real work is very low. While you have the pan off to remove the pistons you can check two things that will make the difference between 200 and 400. Those are sleeve taper and rod bearings. They can both be checked as part of ring replacement. First is rod bearing wear. after removal of one piston check for copper showing on the rod bearings. If copper shows, it is foolish to put them back in, but they don't cost that much anyway. Second is sleeve wear. You can eyeball this as you push the rod/piston assembly up from below, by watching the ring end gap as the piston slides up from bottom to top. You need to check your book for the spec, but this will give you a good idea of degree of taper of the sleeves. If the taper is too great compression will still not be good with new rings. These two checks can be performed without spending any more $ than you are already into it for.

Order a overhaul DVD from this site. It will tell you everything you need to know to overhaul the engine.
8N/9N Overhaul Video

There was a first time for every one of us. Get a book or a video and have at it. It never hurts to ask questions also. Remember a little skin and blood makes it all yours.

Thanks everyone