Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

well then it is over 100,000 miles. then it depends on if you want to keep the car for long time.
if yes ,then rebuild away my friend.
if no, then i'm sorry to see it go.
 what kind of shape is it in, good or  ok?
do the car have lot of little things wrong with it?
i'm asking because you could spend a couple of grand$$$$$ into rebuilding the 3.8 and have a car only worth $500bucks.

 if it something that you only plan to have for couple of years. then use the money to buy something else and sell cougar.

California + emissions ?

you could spend a couple of grand$$$$$ into rebuilding the 3.8
.

how many miles is on the engine now?
if more than 100,000 then rebuild it or less then 100,000 pull it and fix all the leaks.

Well gents, my Mom's 83 Cougar failed California emissions miserably.  To further this issue, a new rule implemented last year states that any vehicles posessing a leak of any sort that causes fumes or vapors will be subject to immediate failing.  With that said, my Mom's 3.8 has all kinds of leaks ranging from the rear main all the way to the timing chain.  What would you do?  Obviously fix the problem, but here's what I mean.  Since fixing a rear main, timing chain cover, intake, and valve cover gaskets would be labor intensive; should I just get a rebuild?

thats retarded,
why pull a motor and fix only leaks.

pass some of that around man!:D

what are you smoking?

because  it lot easier to fix leaking rear main and oil pan gaskit on a engine stand, than it is laying on your fat rear under the fox body car!

 i'm not smoking nothing! it a 1983 engine  and has more than 100,000 miles on it right?

most machine shop you will have  around $400$ or more for machine  on pair of heads. if have to replace all the valve/valve springs/ any valve seats that are out of spec. my last set to replace every thing was $589.00 for the heads
 then in the short block you can have $300+ or more . you  have to bore the cylinders/ install cam bearings/ turn the crank. recon the rods . you might need to deck the block surface or line bore the mains. my last short block was machine  work bill was $411.89
then how about the engine kit  can go for $300+ or more

 so jcassity are you keepng tabs so far? 400+300+300=$1000.00 if your lucky! and that just  to rebuild your long block!
what if you have to pay some one to assemble your long block? my shop charge is $150.00
what if you have to pay some one to pull  the old engine and install your new engine? my shop charges $300.00 for only that.
 so thats $1000+150+300=$1450.00

jcassity your not going to REUSE all your old belts/hoses/plugs/plugs wires/ oil/oil filter/air filter/ anitfreeze/water pump /starter/bad motor mounts. well that cost money too???????  so last one my shop  did ,total for  that was $640.00
so that $1450.00+640.00=$2090.00+
what about all the sensors and plastic hose to run to and from sensors  that could be bad? that cost money too don't they???

yes !you could spend a couple of grand$$$$$ into rebuilding the 3.8

which is precisely why I didn't bother with the 3.8 in my '88.  Been rebuilt once already, and another head  (gasket?) issue, and I don't think it's worth it.  At the very least a 5.0 will net you the same and would be better overall.

which is precisely why I didn't bother with the 3.8 in my '88.  Been rebuilt once already, and another head  (gasket?) issue, and I don't think it's worth it.  At the very least a 5.0 will net you the same and would be better overall.

Innes:

I just went through the a rebuild on my 1984 3.8.  If I know what I know now, I'd have got a new vehicle.

Problem with the 3.8L is it  is a flat tappet cam.  This requires ZDDP additive to the oil, which is going to be harder to get in the future.
Given this, and the fact you can pick up a car getting around the same gas mileage -- cheap -- I'd go new.

at 100,000 or close to it miles, you genrally do not need all that machine work unless there is a very serious problem.
  ok his is a  1983  3.8 right?
in my shop, i have seen  engines with  25,000 to 50,000 miles  come in for there first oil change.  there have been some engines that didn't make the 100,000 mark  because  back in the 70's and 80's  the factory made them that way like plastic timing gears/burning exhaust valves and seats/soft cams/ a little spring  to hold the cam from walking out and 1983 3.8 was one of them?.) , heck even during that time i remember doing valve cover gasket on engnie  that would be so much sludge in there you couldn't see the rocker arms or pull the intake and the sludge would be all the way up to the intake valley pan>.


At the time, the plasti gauge and mic's both said std mains would work, The only thng i would have done different back then was have the crank turned.  New std rings yielded about .020 end gap which i wanted less but they worked.

so a std ring/bearing/gasket kit ,,, plus the cost of paint and a little bit here and there brought me back up to speed. 

Like i said, the crank should have been turned and 10 over bearings.

 well what you did was not a rebuild .its called overhaul. he ask about rebuild didn't he?  overhauling  is a cheap short term way to get a engine back together and it not for long term. i have done those cheap OVERHAULS too  but no way would i do my or his mother car that way.




If you cant assemble motors, hone your own block, lap your own valves, belt sand the head lengh ways full surface area, or own tools to measure / do the job,
Basing your numbers around someone else doing all the work kind of defeats the purpose of this forum dont you think?

no, because there are alot of people that belong to these web sites  that have never had  ENGINE APART much less work on one,  any way ,they come to these sites and ask all those funny Questions not everybody has instance notion. well all started life a dum as box of rocks. some one had to teach us. that why these sites are so importand to some of us. even myself as questions on this and other sites, don't you?? !plus some one has to do the work. lot of people pay  some one else to have there long block rebuilt. most of them are called crate motor now days. some don't have the shop or tool to do the hole job or have the time to deal with a engine replacement.

there have been some engines that didn't make the 100,000 mark because back in the 70's and 80's the factory made them that way like plastic timing gears/burning exhaust valves and seats/soft cams/ a little spring to hold the cam from walking out and 1983 3.8 was one of them?.).

NO,, that is incorrect.

No 83-88 fox had a platic timing gear

theres a lot of misleading information you have presented but I wont argue with your thoughts, you seem like a nice enough person.

pull and abe lincoln and do a little reading.........http://www.babpen 15s.com/editorial/ar/ar90134.htm


Lots of goodies in there for someone 4.2 project.