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MG MGA - Help me suss this out.

Ok, here's the thing.

As you may recall I am in the middle of rebuilding my 1600 engine.

I'm doing a little upgrade; port and polish head, performance CAM, current sunk cost +- $300, anticipated finished cost +- $1800.

I just got offered a freshly rebuilt 5 main 1800 engine, ported polished, performance CAM etc. Rebuilt by a reputable company. Cost $1,000.

Ok seems like an easy call, but here's my dilemma.

1) I like the idea of having rebuilt my own engine
2) I like the idea of having the original engine in the car.
3) I don't want to spend $1,000 only to loose a $1000 in value because its "yet another" 1800 conversion.

On the other side an 1800 would be pretty zippy.
T McCarthy

Put in the 1800 and save the 1600 for the next owner.

Ken
k v morton

Tyson,
This is a tough question. I like to rebuild my own engines, too. If you can afford it, why don't you get the 1800 and put it in the garage? (Make sure that you know the mileage on the rebuild, it may help later) If you get the 1800 and don't install it, you may want to run it on the bench to check oil pressure, etc. and insure that it is in good shape.
mike parker

I'd go for the 1800, but be aware of the things such as the tach that will need to be changed for that engine. Keep the original engine and parts, you can always finish that rebuild and go back to the 1600 whenever you want, although with the increased performance from the 1800 I doubt if you will. ;-) Yes the value of the car might be diminished, but you still have the original engine for the car, so there shouldn't be any real loss for you if you ever decide to sell the car.
Bill Young

The magic word here is "reputable company" $1k is a pretty low price for a complete rebuild with the extras that are included. If you have personal experiance or have friends who have delt with this company, go for it. Too often on these boards we have seen someone end up with a supposed rebuilt that was not as advertised. Also remember that the swap of a five main into an A is not quite a bolt in proposition.
J Heisenfeldt

What's the warranty period on that engine? It will cost you a few hundred dollars extra to put that 5-main in, as J says it's not exactly bolt-in, but not hard either. The 1800 really makes driving the car more pleasureable, if you like power. If you don't need to go fast then having the original engine is nice. I opted for the 5-main basically because it was cheaper than rebuilding my 1600. I bought a rebuilt 5-main from Glen Towery. It came +.030, 9.5:1 compression, unleaded head, re-ground cam, polished crank, and it really is a nice motor. Over 30k miles so far and no trouble. I told him it was going in my MGA, and he machined the pilot bushing for me, included the correct flywheel, and machined an MGA backplate to accept the oil seal. Also provided the MGB front tranny plate and fork (for an additional cost). That was 2001, and it cost $1350 plus a few extras. Last time I checked his engines fetched a few more dollars. I don't know what reputable company is offering the engine, but it seems pretty cheap to me. I'm having a head built right now and the labor for porting and polishing the head is taking up almost half the cost, around $300. My buddy is also having his whole engine done and the price quoted him is just under $2000, no fancy cam, no porting and polishing. So it makes me wonder what they're skimping on in a $1000 engine. The trouble is, you'll never know exactly what went into that engine.

I'll say the same thing I said to my buddy now that he's experienced a "rebuilt" engine that was crap. Take YOUR engine to an engine shop you trust, tell them exactly what you want, pay the money even though it's expensive, and then have piece of mind that you won't have to go through this again in a few years.
Mark J Michalak

Just rebuilt a 1622 last week - new pistons, new valve seats, new bearings including cam bearings, new oil pump, rebored, crank and camshaft ground, head and flywheel machined, block hot tanked and magnafluxed. Total parts and machine shop (no assy cost) - $1982, ie, twice the price of your 1800 5 main, and in line with your anticipated cost to rebuild the 1600. (And the engine cost $500 to start with) Seems the 1800 is a no-brainer.
Would suggest a 3.9 diff to go with this so the car really cruises. Look forward to seeing you in Reno/Tahoe in 2011.
Peter.
P. Tilbury

T, I just finished rebuilding a 1600 and learned a few valuable lessons. First, "Trust but Verify". I had bought a rebuilt lower engine block from someone with good credentials and assembled the engine and installed in my car only to start it up and hear a massice knock! the result was a bad crank which damaged the bearings. I ended up ripping it out and he excepted it back for a return for a "Sorry bout that" I would rebuild the 1600 qand confirm everything along the way. If you do get the 1800, drop the pan and confirm everything!
WMR Bill

T, One more thing to take into concideration. What fool is going to spend $1800 in parts and countless numbers of hours to rebuild an engine only to sell it for $1000! To often people replace a few components and call it a rebuilt motor. It sounds less like a rebuilt motor and more like a repaired motor. Just not worth the risk! My 2 cents
Buyer Beware!
WMR Bill

Well, there may be extenuating circumstances regarding the lower cost for the 1800. Tyson, if the engine is "freshly" rebuilt, with zero or extremely low miles on it, do check with the seller as to whether you get the rebuilder's warranty. If he doesn't know, get the number of the rebuilder, and call and ask. Even if you have to pay a couple of bucks for it, it will be worth it. The rebuilder may want to see the engine to verify that it hasn't already been damaged, and is as he built it.
Good luck.
mike parker

Thanks all.

I went with the "if its too good to be true it probably isn't"

If someone wants to know more about it let me know.

Tysen
T McCarthy

This thread was discussed between 03/09/2008 and 05/09/2008

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