512BB engine out - what next?

I give you a lot of credit for attempting this but be careful as this is not something for the faint of heart, I think a general rule with any f-car is unless you really need to take the heads off, don't!!! They can be a real pain to get off even with the engine out of the car. As far as things to be done - it depends on your wallet At minimum - all belts and hoses, the bad clutch, all the fluids, I would have all the major cooling components tested and redone if neccessary, BTW the cooling lines going from the front to the back can be a PIA so be careful what you do with them, I don't think you should mess with the valves but others have replaced the sodium ones with stainless steel. Carbs should be checked and rebuilt if neccessary, Did you do a compression and leakdown on the engine prior to disasemmbly?

 

Here is a description I found for leakdown that explains it better than I could

A leak-down test is a check of the amount and location of the leakage from a cylinder. A special gauge is used, together with a source of compressed air. The air is vented into the cylinder, and the gauge measures the percentage of air that leaks out of the cylinder. A simplified procedure:
- Bring the engine to operating temperature.
- Remove the spark plug and attach the gauge.
- Bring the piston in the cylinder to exactly top dead center on the compression stroke.
- Introduce the air and read the gauge.
- Record the readings and move to the next cylinder.

The leak-down test is better than the compression test for determining condition. In addition to the numeric readings, the test will show where the leakage is. If the rings are bad, you will hear a hiss at the oil filler. If the intake valve is bad, the hiss will be at the intake manifold, if the exhaust valve is bad, the hiss will be at the tailpipe. If the headgasket is blown, or a head is cracked, the radiator will be
pressurized.

 

Please excuse my ignorance but,
if you have no plan of attack as to what to do with your engine after taking it out, then why exactly are you taking it out?

 

A major overhaul at 15K miles?
Was the engine trashed?

 

Dave, I think he means a major servicing, not overhaul...And since a major service on the BB always involves an engine-out job, he wants to know what else he should consider doing(or having done), since the engine is out of the car for the clutch and belts anyway.
I would, besides the technical side of the story, consider doing some engine bay detailing.And while you are at it, also check the condition of the rear suspension/bushings and maybe do some cleaning or detailing to the suspension components.Just my thoughts....

 

What do you mean by "overhaul" ? If it has good compression it may just need a major service , new clutch, replacement of some parts such as hoses, plugs, cables,seals etc , cermanic coating on the headers and exhaust and some clean-up and repainting of the engine. That will be a look cheaper than what I consider an "overhaul" . Now the carbs may in fact need an "overhaul", but at only 15k miles, I don't the engine does.

 

1) Buy yourself an overhead lift
2) get a service manual and exploded parts manual
3) buy an engine puller - summit racing sells one
4) get lots of baggies, paper and pen to mark and store all bolts and parts- if you think you will remember where thw 10mm acorn nut went 5 weeks later it won't happen
5) buy a 5 shelf unit to store parts as they come off
6) build a buck to hold the engine when it is out.
7) purchase every socket extension and joint and metric wrench you can find
8) protect the paint by taping off corners, all rear hood edges
9) when out, take the engine to a dealer to do the work, this will save you big bucks but the work will be documented by a dealer which may be important when you go to sell.
10) have them change all o-rings, belts, hoses, tensioner bearings, rebuild the water pump, change the head gaskets etc.
11) If you are doing the work set the engine to TDC, note where the cams are, the flywheel is, the distributer is secured and where the distributor rotor is pointed.
If you have never pulled an engine before this may not be the right one to start.
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take many pictures as you go along.
line up a qualified mechanic on a retainer just in case.
get your wife and two daughters to help push the car back on the lift!!!
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Even doing it yourself expect 3000$ + for parts including a clutch pack. And this does not capture your time.
Ferrari will cost you @6500$. Work the numbers.
This is not an easy job for the novice.
see prior pictures.
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Bob Downing makes some excellent points! I did the major service on my Testarossa and it is a MUST to be organized, and label everything. Overkill is better than not being thorough enough.

And Bob also suggests taking the engine to a dealer for the service. That's something I never thought of...but is a great idea. Lots of the costs involved are labor, and pulling the engine yourself saves tons. And letting the dealer do the actual engine work gets you some "official" service history by a qualified mechanic. The best of both worlds.

Bob...have you taken an engine to a dealer for work? I would like to hear how they reacted, did they try to do more than necessary? I would be worried that they would try and put one over on me to run up the costs.

 

The AC compressor can be easily left behind in the engine bay with no need to disconnect the hoses. But if you need to replace the dryer anyway, then you may as well remove the whole lot. The gas is harmful to the atmosphere and many places will fine you if you get caught dumping it.

There are many good mobile AC service guys that will suck out your gas and clean and re-cycle it for you, then come back and re-fill the system when you call them again....or you can take the car to a shop before you disable it. This way means that you don't need to "BUY" much gas, if any, and only pay a token service charge.

You should consider fitting solid exhaust valves and hardened seats if you're not sure of them being done already, otherwise there is no need to remove the heads. Nipping them up is the most you may consider, but even that can sometimes actually cause problems.

Usually, the whole service is possible and practical in situ, it's only cambelts that cause the engine removal.

The leakdown check can be done at any time, even when the engine is out. It does not need to be running or even connected to anything.