Looking for cost of rebuilding an engine in a 1977 Ford Econoline Chinook RV in the Omaha Nebraska area. I have spoken to a couple of shops that are asking $4,000 or more and looking for a lower price for labor. I can purchase the engine at O'Reilly auto parts store for $1,600 crated.
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Looking for a mechanic to rebuild engine in a 1977 Chinook (Omaha)
- Thread starter Skippy
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highdesertranger
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this might be a good read, talks about used vs new vs rebuilt
https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=35258
generally speaking I don't recommend rebuilts unless you can verify the parts going in. highdesertranger
https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=35258
generally speaking I don't recommend rebuilts unless you can verify the parts going in. highdesertranger
A rebuilt engine is only as good as the machinist/mechanic doing the work. I'd go with a used engine (with good compression readings and minimal sludge) and shy away from auto part store rebuilds. There are just too many unknowns with rebuilders. Auto part stores usually go with a lowest bid type builder and the engines are hastily put together. Something as simple as some lint from a red shop towel can foul the works and cause a catastrophic breakdown. Although they give you a warranty, they're just playing the odds at your risk. They might warranty a bad engine, but it doesn't change the fact that you still have to deal with another breakdown crisis and do everything all over again. Jasper is a big outfit. I know they have an apparatus to run check their engines before shipping to check power balance, oil pressure, temps, leaks, etc. That's a huge reassurance and quality control bonus. Smaller rebuilders just don't have the equipment or ability to do this. Fortunately, your 318 is a real durable and straight-forward engine to rebuild.
Van-Tramp
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Hi Skippy,
Rebuilding an engine is not going to be cheap if you are paying someone else to do it for you. No matter what, it is a huge amount of work (more so when the engine is in a van or RV). Much of the cost is the fact that the engine needs to come out to do a rebuild, and that is a big deal in a van. No one wants to do that job unless it is worth their while... like enough money to make it worth the time and energy... and that will be thousands right there alone. Then, on top of that, they will charge an hourly rate ($100+ each hour) to do the easy part of actually rebuilding the engine, which really is not all that difficult. Fun in fact.
I've done a rebuild in my old 70's Mustang back in the day. It wasn't so hard... just followed a script from a book and bought the tools as needed. I still have those tools today in my van in fact. The hardest part was pulling the motor and putting it back in. I've pulled an engine from a van too... never again... well, unless I got paid thousands then maybe.
Good luck
Rebuilding an engine is not going to be cheap if you are paying someone else to do it for you. No matter what, it is a huge amount of work (more so when the engine is in a van or RV). Much of the cost is the fact that the engine needs to come out to do a rebuild, and that is a big deal in a van. No one wants to do that job unless it is worth their while... like enough money to make it worth the time and energy... and that will be thousands right there alone. Then, on top of that, they will charge an hourly rate ($100+ each hour) to do the easy part of actually rebuilding the engine, which really is not all that difficult. Fun in fact.
I've done a rebuild in my old 70's Mustang back in the day. It wasn't so hard... just followed a script from a book and bought the tools as needed. I still have those tools today in my van in fact. The hardest part was pulling the motor and putting it back in. I've pulled an engine from a van too... never again... well, unless I got paid thousands then maybe.
Good luck
RoadStar66
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Big problem with stuff like engine rebuilding these days. Unless you live far outskirts from town, you are going to have resistance from neighbors or pubic works enforcing zoning, noise, and other local laws regarding all the noise, equipment, liquids handling and other problems that are part of such work. Many cities now have laws outright banning any kind of mechanical work on personal vehicles. Even changing your oil in your own driveway can get you a citation these days.
JD GUMBEE
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^^^Wow, I must be really out of touch.
It sounds to me like you are talking more about gated communities with HA's than normal townships...but I have been in Deliverance-land for a long time now...and may be out of touch on this.
I cannot imagine a shadetree wrench not being allowed to repair an engine on their own property.
(If so, it is getting very close to the revolution.)
Is the engine a 302? 351? 460??
They all could have been in there, depending which size unit you have.
Even camper van models back then used 300/6 cylinders with three on the tree.
It sounds to me like you are talking more about gated communities with HA's than normal townships...but I have been in Deliverance-land for a long time now...and may be out of touch on this.
I cannot imagine a shadetree wrench not being allowed to repair an engine on their own property.
(If so, it is getting very close to the revolution.)
Is the engine a 302? 351? 460??
They all could have been in there, depending which size unit you have.
Even camper van models back then used 300/6 cylinders with three on the tree.
He isn't out of touch on this, in city of Port Angeles WA you got 30 days to make any repairs on a vehicle, a lot of people just don't know how bad it is cause they never lived in the city, never had the city come knocking on your door or never looked up the city codes.
Me personally if I couldn't rebuild a engine, would put a used one in with good numbers on compression and such and take the old engine and rebuild it slowly learning on how to do it.
Me personally if I couldn't rebuild a engine, would put a used one in with good numbers on compression and such and take the old engine and rebuild it slowly learning on how to do it.
JD GUMBEE
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F living in a rat infested city.
Bet you can't even shoot a Possum if it's after your chickens...nevermind a nuisance neighbor made to 'go missin'
Or walk out nekkid and pee off your own porch.
Never understood how people could live like that.
Human beans weren't meant to trip over each other.
Wonder how many mass shooters lived in cities vs country life?
Hmmm, a new data set to research.
Bet you can't even shoot a Possum if it's after your chickens...nevermind a nuisance neighbor made to 'go missin'
Or walk out nekkid and pee off your own porch.
Never understood how people could live like that.
Human beans weren't meant to trip over each other.
Wonder how many mass shooters lived in cities vs country life?
Hmmm, a new data set to research.
Total bummer! Those are some very cool old rigs... Good to hear that you worked it out with the seller before dumping money into it. It could be a totally different deal if you could do the work on it yourself, but like VanTramp said it's a 'beyatch' to pull a van engine... and you definitely don't want to do it twice.
