So long story short(er). I recently bought back my old cruiser from the kid who bought it from me 3 years ago. It had a bad engine. Took it to a reputable cruiser mechanic in orange county with the hopes of a rebuild and he recommended throwing a different engine in it.
One of his long time customers recently did a v8 swap and he had his old 1fz laying around. It had 180k miles and had a top end rebuild/head gasket done at about 140k.
They put the engine in along with some various "while we're in there" items and the thing ran beautifully. Quiet as a church mouse.
I picked the truck up on a Friday evening and early the next morning took it on a road trip. Risky, I know; but there wasn't anything telling me it was a bad idea.
I drove it from Tustin, CA to Boulder, UT (if you haven't been, you should go). About 45 mins into the trip I noticed that when I turned off the OD and the rpms shot up I would get a rattle which I thought was coming from the dash, maybe a drive line, etc. Didn't think much of it.
After being at our destination for a couple days I was checking stuff under the hood and gave it some gas and realized that "rattle in the dash" was actually something much more serious as it was coming from the engine.
I payed attention to it on our trip home and realized that the noise happens as the engine ramps up it's rpm's just before it switches gears. And it doesn't always do it. It's only in that "floating" stage before it drops to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. This is why going up the Cajon Pass with the OD off it made it the whole time. If I turn off the OD and the engine wants to go in to 4th, it makes the noise.
___ANYWAY___
I bring it straight back to the mechanic when I get home. At first he doesn't seem too worried about it but today he called me and said he can't pinpoint the noise, but it's coming from inside the engine. Still idles like a dream though.
At first he thought it was a timing chain tensioner or something. He also took off the valve cover and everything looks good so he thinks it something deep in there and says it should probably be rebuilt. Again, this isn't pep boys. He's been recommended to me by multiple mud members and he and several of his employees drive 80s.
Here's where I need the advice. Total cost in to the rig so far:
Purchased for 4k
Engine for 1k
Swap+misc seals, fluids, etc. - 2,800
We'll say I'm $8,000 in to the cruiser. As you can see from my signature line and my avatar, it's a great truck. The paint has oxidized on the hood and roof and I was going to monstaline the rig. Interior is in great shape. New radiator, cap, t-stat, hoses, fan shroud, fan, and clutch as well.
I could try to sell this thing as is for 8 grand and try to break even. The other option is the rebuild. My mechanic said he would do a complete rebuild (top and bottom end, everything) with free labor and parts at cost because he feels so bad that this happened. He told me it would be 3 grand, which I know is a total steal.
My obvious 1st choice would be to keep the rig and do the rebuild. I've regretting selling this thing for the last three years and was lucky enough to get it back. The problem is, I have no money. I went in to debt to get the cruiser where it was before the noise and for the first time in our marriage (all of 5 whopping years) my wife and I can't pay off the credit card and I HATE that feeling. We bought our first home and had our first baby a year or so ago so money is very tight right now.
Do you guys think I would have better luck selling the cruiser as is for 8? Or putting 3-4 grand in to it to do the engine rebuild and make her look pretty and try selling it for 12 or 13?
Thanks and sorry for the long post, I'm just really stressing out here.
-Spencer
One of his long time customers recently did a v8 swap and he had his old 1fz laying around. It had 180k miles and had a top end rebuild/head gasket done at about 140k.
They put the engine in along with some various "while we're in there" items and the thing ran beautifully. Quiet as a church mouse.
I picked the truck up on a Friday evening and early the next morning took it on a road trip. Risky, I know; but there wasn't anything telling me it was a bad idea.
I drove it from Tustin, CA to Boulder, UT (if you haven't been, you should go). About 45 mins into the trip I noticed that when I turned off the OD and the rpms shot up I would get a rattle which I thought was coming from the dash, maybe a drive line, etc. Didn't think much of it.
After being at our destination for a couple days I was checking stuff under the hood and gave it some gas and realized that "rattle in the dash" was actually something much more serious as it was coming from the engine.
I payed attention to it on our trip home and realized that the noise happens as the engine ramps up it's rpm's just before it switches gears. And it doesn't always do it. It's only in that "floating" stage before it drops to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. This is why going up the Cajon Pass with the OD off it made it the whole time. If I turn off the OD and the engine wants to go in to 4th, it makes the noise.
___ANYWAY___
I bring it straight back to the mechanic when I get home. At first he doesn't seem too worried about it but today he called me and said he can't pinpoint the noise, but it's coming from inside the engine. Still idles like a dream though.
At first he thought it was a timing chain tensioner or something. He also took off the valve cover and everything looks good so he thinks it something deep in there and says it should probably be rebuilt. Again, this isn't pep boys. He's been recommended to me by multiple mud members and he and several of his employees drive 80s.
Here's where I need the advice. Total cost in to the rig so far:
Purchased for 4k
Engine for 1k
Swap+misc seals, fluids, etc. - 2,800
We'll say I'm $8,000 in to the cruiser. As you can see from my signature line and my avatar, it's a great truck. The paint has oxidized on the hood and roof and I was going to monstaline the rig. Interior is in great shape. New radiator, cap, t-stat, hoses, fan shroud, fan, and clutch as well.
I could try to sell this thing as is for 8 grand and try to break even. The other option is the rebuild. My mechanic said he would do a complete rebuild (top and bottom end, everything) with free labor and parts at cost because he feels so bad that this happened. He told me it would be 3 grand, which I know is a total steal.
My obvious 1st choice would be to keep the rig and do the rebuild. I've regretting selling this thing for the last three years and was lucky enough to get it back. The problem is, I have no money. I went in to debt to get the cruiser where it was before the noise and for the first time in our marriage (all of 5 whopping years) my wife and I can't pay off the credit card and I HATE that feeling. We bought our first home and had our first baby a year or so ago so money is very tight right now.
Do you guys think I would have better luck selling the cruiser as is for 8? Or putting 3-4 grand in to it to do the engine rebuild and make her look pretty and try selling it for 12 or 13?
Thanks and sorry for the long post, I'm just really stressing out here.
-Spencer