So, a couple months back we picked up a wrecked but running '85 300D-TD showing 215K miles on the odometer for an engine/transmission swap, and since then I've managed to get it pulled and partially disassembled. I ran it several times before pulling it, and it started and ran well except for some knocking noise that I suspect was injector nailing based on what I've read. I wouldn't say that it had a lot of blowby as far as I could tell; some, as I remember, but nothing terrible. I didn't get around to a compression check. Anyway, after getting the oil pan off, I got a look at the bearings and cylinder walls. The bearings looked pretty nice, just a few minimal scoring marks on the ones that I looked at (nothing like the ones I pulled out of my old 302 with who knows how many miles, they were original, said FoMoCo 68 on the bottom). The thrust checked out well on the rods (within normal tolerances according to the Haynes manual), the thrust on the crank was well out, so I suppose new bearings would be a good precaution no matter what. The cylinder walls, inspection-wise, were a mixed bag. On a couple cylinders I could still see the honing marks, but on others there was some scoring; the number one cylinder looked the most worn.

I would like to get this motor ready to go for the long haul before I throw it in. The motor seems to start, run, and rev out nice enough, but I'm seeing more wear on the cylinder walls than I'd like, and I'd hate to drop it in only to find that it burns oil. I'm leaning towards getting new rings and sleeves and maybe having the machine shop do the assembly on the short block in addition to the sleeves and honing. Rings, sleeves, and related machining will probably double the price of the engine work (I am replacing all the seals, it's had its share of leaks, and I'm sure I'll run into other little things), but I don't think the cost is too big a deal if I don't run into any serious issues. The pistons I'm planning on reusing, I do need to get the head off to look at the crowns, but the skirts look good. Top end work I plan on leaving for later; I'll pull the head apart and have it hot tanked to clear out all the accumulated sludge, but unless that looks pretty worn I'm not going to worry about it.

So, does all this sound reasonable? I know I need to find a good machine shop, I don't know how much good new rings and sleeves would do if I were doing it all myself. Also, I'm not expecting to come out with a like-new bottom end. As long as it's good to go for another 200K or so I'll be happy. I basically want to do as much as possible to ensure that we'll get good service out of it--it'll be a daily commuter--without blowing the whole wad on a rebuild that it's not really in need of.

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Once and future king:
'64 Ford Fairlane w/approx 238,000 - looks rough, but amazingly reliable if you know how to look after it; I will soon begin work to totally restore and modernize it.
Family vehicles that I lay some claim to:
'78 300D w/approx 350,000 original, '62 Ford F100 4x4, '90 Ford E150 w/171,000 original