How much should a decent garage charge to DROP the stock engine in a Fiero GT, rebuild it (new seals, clean up etc..)and reinstall?
I'm in Ohio. (Anyone in Ohio want to help out or make a bit of money? lol)
Just curious, I am pondering the idea of dropping the motor, cleaning it up to like new and replacing any potential switches or other parts while out (including AC and any wiring issues)
I'd like to do this in my garage, so I can sandblast or degrease what needs to be cleaned before painting or polishing. I want to keep it stock.
------------------ 1987 Fiero GT 2.8
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09:31 PM
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Dennis LaGrua Member
Posts: 15733 From: Hillsborough, NJ U.S.A. Registered: May 2000
To have a completely rebuilt 2.8L long block installed. Best estimate- $3000-$4,000 in parts and labor or more than a DIY swap cost.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, 3.4" Pulley, N* TB, LS1 MAF, Flotech Exhaust Autolite 104's Custom CAI 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
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09:36 PM
Jul 26th, 2011
ltlfrari Member
Posts: 5356 From: Wake Forest,NC,USA Registered: Jan 2002
Bear in mind that virtually no 'local (or otherwise)' garage has probably touched a Fiero in anger for 15 years and now have no idea how to even pull the engine so assuming a 'first time pull' with no/little knowledge and rusty bolts and all the other c**p that goes along with a first time pull it probably gonna take them three or four hours to get it out, similar putting it backand hook it all up so there's $800 in labor costs off the bat.
As for a rebuild. I'll leave that to others but I gess it comes down to how much do you want to spend!
If you've got the room, pull it yourself. I just pulled mine from the 88 on the driveway. 4 hours to get it out (3 to disconnect everything and 1 to get the front cradle bolts out which decided to put up a fight for some reason!). An hour to get it back in but only because the stupid dolly wheels didn't want to go where I wanted them to (working a slightly sloping concrete driveway does not help I guess!).
Loads of info on here on pulling the motor assembly.
As a guide, the local Ford dealership quoted me around 2k in labor to swap in a new motor into a Mercury Cougar (+4k for the motor!). Needless to say I passed and am doing it myself!
How much should a decent garage charge to DROP the stock engine in a Fiero GT, rebuild it (new seals, clean up etc..)and reinstall?
I'm in Ohio. (Anyone in Ohio want to help out or make a bit of money? lol)
Just curious, I am pondering the idea of dropping the motor, cleaning it up to like new and replacing any potential switches or other parts while out (including AC and any wiring issues)
I'd like to do this in my garage, so I can sandblast or degrease what needs to be cleaned before painting or polishing. I want to keep it stock.
It will cost more than buying a crate or remanufacturered engine and having it installed. Last time I had all the machine work done on a block it was more than buying a long block ready to go.
You are looking at $4000 about to have a garage do it. 60% labor. IF they say the words, "fiero, those are hard to work on" or "extra charge for working on a rear engine/mid engine car", you need to leave right away as they are incompetent. The Fiero is far easier to work on than ANY car made in the 90's -2012.
I would see how much to have it trailered to BMW Guru's garage or maybe Sinister Performance. Both of them are experts and far higher skilled at engine replacement than MOST garages.
[This message has been edited by timgray (edited 07-26-2011).]
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08:04 AM
TopNotch Member
Posts: 3537 From: Lawrenceville, GA USA Registered: Feb 2009
I dropped an 88 duke myself (my front cradle bolts were stubborn, too). I took the block to a machine shop, and for about $650, I got the block bored, crank ground, new pistons installed on my rods, and one rod re-conditioned (a bearing had spun in it). That's a lot less than $3000 or more. Edit: That $650 included the cost of the new pistons, and new bearings.
[This message has been edited by TopNotch (edited 07-26-2011).]
I'd like to add my car is in pretty good shape, so I'd like to keep as many of the original parts.
My reason for dropping the engine is to replace what I beliee to be a gasket that has started to leak. At this age, if I have one more are either going to oe have started to already. I'd like to bring it back to "like new' comdition as well as keep it from turning into a oil bucket. lol
Here's the car when I bought it for my wife. It has beed driven less than 10K since 2006.
Your basic interior shot. Has a few issues that can be fixed...
The "frunk": Not a heck of a lot of rust here...
3/4 rear shot:
The money shot: Not to much rust on anything here either. Just drying out of a lot of the rubbr parts. I did a tune up this past weekend and every bolt was a piece of cake to remove. Even the rear plugs.
I'd like to do this as much as I can myself, and I don't want a "new" engine. from a dealer or other. Maybe I was not very clear. Sorry.
If I do the labor myself (mostly) what woud replacing gaskets and seals cost me? I assume someone sells gasket kits and bushing kits. Assuming I can pull the motor based on what I read on the forum.
------------------ 1987 Fiero GT 2.8
[This message has been edited by broderp (edited 07-26-2011).]
Awesome link. I think I can pull the motor. Doesn't look to complicated. May look into some help with the motor teardown.
THANKS!
IF you have help, tools or someone who does have tools, car is not your main driver and a place to do it then go for it. You will save a LOT and will learn a LOT. But easy is not. Since you car seems so clean most probably nuts and bolts will come out easy. Just keep in mind that something somewhere may complicate. Good luck!
I did a complete teardown and rebuild of a customer's 2.8L a year and a half ago which had 175,000 kms (110,000 miles). It was running fine, but was smoking on start up. Here's a summary of the costs of parts and machine shop labor (stuff you can't do unless you have a really good machine shop in your garage!) (edit: note that the total is $3000 not including cradle removal, engine disassembly, engine reassembly, and reinstallation of cradle). This may help you get an idea of the magnitude of costs you can expect. Many additional costs creep in since with the engine out, it's a prime time to replace the clutch, water pump, and oil pump, among other things. Note that the costs, part numbers, etc are all Canadian so you can expect there to be differences from your locale. Also note that the master rebuild kit includes the following: crank & rod bearings, pistons, rings, camshaft, cambearings, complete seal and gasket set, flat tappet hydraulic lifters, timing chain, cam sprocket, crank sprocket, frost plugs, & oil pump.
[This message has been edited by Bloozberry (edited 07-26-2011).]
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09:58 PM
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Jul 27th, 2011
Fieroseverywhere Member
Posts: 4242 From: Gresham, Oregon USA Registered: Mar 2006
They have great prices on good parts. Be sure to do a search for the 5% discount code also. On larger purchases it can save you a bunch. You can also use most of the part # list above to find the parts you're looking for.
Gaskets: ~ $700 for master kit (includes: Pistons, rings, rod bearings, main bearings, cam bearings, camshaft and lifters or followers, timing components,gaskets, oil pump & expansion plugs). ~$225 for head gasket set (upper end gaskets only).
Time: Probably figure a day on a first time pull expecting difficulties along the way.
Experiance: The most important part. Having the knowledge to do it yourself really is priceless.
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09:43 AM
1fatcat Member
Posts: 1519 From: Zimmerman, Mn Registered: Dec 2010
My reason for dropping the engine is to replace what I beliee to be a gasket that has started to leak. At this age, if I have one more are either going to oe have started to already. I'd like to bring it back to "like new' comdition as well as keep it from turning into a oil bucket. lol
Just remove the engine, clean it off real good and dip it in silicone. j/k
If you're just doing a re-seal, it's not very expensive, but as stated you will probably end up needing/wanting to replace more than just gaskets and seals. The last "re-seal" I did ended up costing about $1,000 in parts because I ended up replacing all of the engine bearings, oil pump, timing chain & sprockets, frost plugs, harmonic balancer, oil pan, water pump and used more expensive head gaskets. I would say if you budget 1,000 for parts, you should be fine. Any left over money is just a bonus. You should be able to do it for less, but you never know until you're in there.
j/k
