Quote:
Originally Posted by BillGrissom
Good that someone besides Metric is doing it. I recall an OM617.952 newly rebuilt engine on ebay maybe 7 years ago. Rebuilt by an engineer/hobbyist. Sold for ~$3000, I recall. Sourcing parts is the hardest part. New turbo pistons are >$500 each if you can even find them. For reference, one can buy a set of 8 new pistons for a Chevy small-block for $80.
After my 1985 CA 300D engine failed 10 years ago (at 330K miles), I stripped it down. Several pistons had missing chunks. I found new cylinder liners for $11 ea (more expensive today). I replaced the liners, but would need a machine shop to mill the tops down to match the block ("deck"). I have a set of used turbo pistons I bought from Rollguy. Too many other things in the interim, like my daughter wrecked that car, which I've repaired other than painting, then she wrecked our minivan a few days ago. Re cylinder liners, see my post where I easily split them out of the block with a screwdriver and hammer. I heated the block over a propane stove and chilled the new liners in the freezer, but still had to beat them down with a sledgehammer, with thick plate atop to spread the force so they wouldn't crack (thin cast-iron). I didn't have my 12-ton shop press then.
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Yes, everything is more expensive today for rebuilding these engines. I was fortunate to be able to find TWO sets of new standard turbo pistons, so I can rebuild at least two more engines without having to source good used pistons. Pistons are the hardest part to find, if you don't have good ones to re-use. Sleeves are upwards of $30 each, and rings are about the same. With the cost of chemicals and the environmentally responsible disposal thereof, cleaning the head and block (hot tank) is close to $200! Needless to say, rebuilding one of these engines is not cheap. It is also hard to clean all the fasteners, brackets, and aluminum parts. Many of them have years of baked on grease and dirt, and are very time and labor consuming to clean. I have access to a blast cabinet, so once the aluminum parts are cleaned as good as possible in my solvent cleaning sink, they are sandblasted. I really don't want to pay the machine shop to clean the aluminum parts, as it would be close to $150. I would have to get the parts as grease free as possible anyway, as the grease degrades the chemical in the parts washer.....Rich