The quest for a motor has begun. Any tips?

oneslo5.0

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While down in Mexico something broke and I brought a locomotive home. Long story short, I have a 2012 5.0, full bolt on pump gas car that gave up the ghost. I don't baby the car so I guess I can't be too mad. Anyway I did a compression test on the oil soaked 7th cylinder and it held strong at 52 so this is the point I pull the motor.

I am a broke new/young homeowner so I can't build a full blown race car like some but I am also going to try and improve what I have and came here for suggestions over my already decided game plan.

As of now the motor is in the car, I scoped it and the walls look "ok" but until I get it out I can't tell. I am looking to do a store bore piston.

So far I plan on doing piston, H beams, OPG's, bearings, ARP hardware, valve springs.

If the motor needs to be bored I will bore it out and sleeve it back to a stock bore but I would rather not.

For now(again I am broke lol) the plan is to keep it a motor car on E85 with plans of an adder maybe next year(I am going 10.5:1) and an end goal of 700-750 wheel.

Any ideas from people that have done it I would love to hear.
 

92fiveohfox

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May look at a 15+ short block if you truly only want 700. How many miles on it when it let go?
 

oneslo5.0

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May look at a 15+ short block if you truly only want 700. How many miles on it when it let go?

Like I said, it's a street car so a 1,500hp stick shift race car isn't my goal BUT I do want to build my own turbo kit so having the ability(motor wise) to crank it up will be fun. But on the street a 700 wheel car is hard to come around for most. I don't want to spend time and money putting a stock motor back in this car and have it on the outer limits of safe when I can just build this for 1000hp and be safe at 750.

As for the motor, this is the second one in the car. The car let go(same failure) at 7,000 miles back in 2012 but fortunately for me the car was stock and Ford put one in under warranty. The car now has 38,000 miles and like I said its a full bolt on car for most of the 31,000 miles on the new motor.
 

SID297

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I have two different suggestions.

1. Find a good low mileage junkyard motor, or
2. Buy an Aluminator

If the sleeve is screwed up, and I bet it is, it's not going to be inexpensive to fix. An Aluminator would get you everything you need and give it to you with a warranty. You can then sell the good parts off your current engine. In the end the money spent would probably be a wash.
 

Weather Man

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If you can do the labor yourself, and your block is still usable (.010 or .020 overbore), you can put together a forged shortblock cheaper than buying the aluminator. If you have to pay a shop to do everything, aluminator or equivalent would be a better deal.
 

GBCoyote

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I'd give MPR, JPC, or Livernois a call and discuss your options. You're looking at several grand either which way. I would also yank the motor apart prior to planning anything to see truly how much you are planning on replacing or fixing. Assess the damage before making a build sheet. The aluminator is a good option, but not always going to fit in everybody's budget/ultimate goals.
 

oneslo5.0

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I have two different suggestions.

1. Find a good low mileage junkyard motor, or
2. Buy an Aluminator

If the sleeve is screwed up, and I bet it is, it's not going to be inexpensive to fix. An Aluminator would get you everything you need and give it to you with a warranty. You can then sell the good parts off your current engine. In the end the money spent would probably be a wash.
The wall is definitely scuffed, I can see that when I scoped it. I've been looking that way too as an option. That's why I came here, I like hearing all the options.
If you can do the labor yourself, and your block is still usable (.010 or .020 overbore), you can put together a forged shortblock cheaper than buying the aluminator. If you have to pay a shop to do everything, aluminator or equivalent would be a better deal.
I'll be doing all the work, less assembly of the motor and any machine work that may be needed. I hope to run a stock bore piston...hope.

I'd give MPR, JPC, or Livernois a call and discuss your options. You're looking at several grand either which way. I would also yank the motor apart prior to planning anything to see truly how much you are planning on replacing or fixing. Assess the damage before making a build sheet. The aluminator is a good option, but not always going to fit in everybody's budget/ultimate goals.
Oh absolutely will. This is the plan off pulled plugs, compression test and a bore scope. I have no idea how bad it really is. I can tell you at the very minimum #7 has failed and the motor has to come out. I think the heads are fine and the motor is rather healthy as I have zero knock, no misses, no material in the oil and no CEL or codes.
 

98 Saleen Cobra

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I'm more curious how 2 engines have failed. 1 being totally stock, second only a tune bolt on car.. Sounds like there might be another issue maybe computer related..
 

RIPCHVY

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Yea how did you manage to blow two motors before 40,000? I have owned my car since 7,500 now i have 76,000 (two years later) and i have had nitrous for a year and now i have been boosted for 3-4 months. I also drag race my car almost every weekend and beat on it weekly.
 

oneslo5.0

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I'm more curious how 2 engines have failed. 1 being totally stock, second only a tune bolt on car.. Sounds like there might be another issue maybe computer related..
I am also curious. The first one was that "oh no I cracked a skirt in #8" failure back in 2011/2012 as for this one I think I drive the balls out of it, rev it high and quite frankly drive it hard. But I had the same thoughts and will have my tuner look over logs.

Yea how did you manage to blow two motors before 40,000? I have owned my car since 7,500 now i have 76,000 (two years later) and i have had nitrous for a year and now i have been boosted for 3-4 months. I also drag race my car almost every weekend and beat on it weekly.
I agree, I am looking into all this. I am also going to flow test the injectors to see if I am having a fueling issue maybe. I won't know till I stop being lazy and pull the motor, logs and injectors to find what failed.
 

cjd223

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2015 short block is what I put in my '12 after it lost a rod and piston. Seems like I paid $1,865 for it. Got it cranked and running tonight. Small coolant leak that I will fix tomorrow.
 

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