Engine rebuild vs. replacement (355)

My engine needs some kind of a rebuild, I won't know the extent of it until it is dropped from the car and further inspected. I thought about searching for a used engine to put in its place but in the end I have decided to stick with my original engine. A used engine is an unknown quantity which will cost dollars to turn into a known quantity. So you have to buy it then spend dollars on it to make sure its in good condition. The cost of the purchase and making sure its good enough to use will most like get close to $20k. I would rather pay $20K to $25K rebuilding my original engine since that solution has a higher probability of having a long term reliable engine. Having the original engine in the car is an added bonus

 

There are advantages to purchasing a complete used engine, but of course the key is to get a good one. What are the odds? Pretty good I would think, especially if you get one out of a crash. Ideally you'll get a guarantee on compression and bearings, maybe even tests is it hasn't been removed from the hulk yet. When you're done you'll have your old motor to cannibalize. Great garage decoration or if you're single, coffee table base. The big key in my mind is WHO is going to put the motor in. If you're going to put it in yourself, then the risk-assuming you have a guarantee-is your time and some fluids. If it's not a good motor, you pull it out, return it, and find another one. OTOH if you're going to pay a pro to do it and the motor turns out to not meet your standards, then you're gonna have to pay twice and be excoriated by everybody who only believes in rebuilding your motor. I would probably pile on too.
Another consideration is the condition of your present motor. What specifically are the problems with it? Heads? Cylinder walls? Bearings? Each of these is a different fix. Are you the kind of guy who does it all when you only need to fix one problem?
Motors are pretty cheap right now and I'm sure quite a few are available.
I just ask myself: "Okay, what will return the motor to good running condition until the next part that's working fine now decides to fail?" In short, I usually don't fix what ain't broke, excepting normal maintenance items like belt tensioners.

 

How you had an awesome time yesterday plugzit. I think the real problem with 355 motors is that way too many 355's need rebuilds have head problems poor leakdown numbers. I could buy a LS6 chevy motor for my Z06 and be perfectly OK with it but buying a 355 motor is like buying a handgrenade with the pin pulled. At a minimum I would leak the motor down but as our fearless leader (Dave Helms) once said when discussing a similar topic, because the valve can rattle around in the guides you can have a 355 with good leak numbers that totally fail when the valves spin in the guide bores to a new position! That is some scary stuff. Because of all the 355 issues I would rebuild this motor before I bought a wreck motor. If it was a 348 I would buy the wreck motor. There is that much of a difference between those motors.

 

Yes, awesome time.
Reread my post.

 

FWIW, I had the same choices about 8 years ago when my engine failed at 20k miles with spun connecting rod bearings and valve guide issues. Had I done the work myself, I would have gone the buy-a-used-motor route, but because I didn't, I chose to get my engine rebuilt by a well-known shop (Autosport Designs in Huntington, NY).

They rebuilt the engine, polished, balanced, inspected or replaced everything in the engine compartment AND gave me a 1-year warranty on their work. Without question, the engine ran stronger than it ever had before, and it has been very reliable so far (fingers crossed and touching my b@lls while I write this) and I have put 30k miles on it now with no problems since that could be attributed to their work.

Was I happy to have had to rebuild the engine, definitely not, but I have been very happy with the quality of work that was done. If it was an engine out of a totaled car, I would have always worried about having the same engine build quality issues that I had initially.

That's my story, so I hope it helps with your decision and I wish you the best of luck with whichever route you choose to take

 

Notoboy, the sharing of your first hand experience is very much appreciated. Thanks!

 

I did a rebuild of my 355 engine. It cost a ship load (certainly a lot more than mentioned here...but then, I did a LOT) and I'm very happy knowing that all the crap stuff that happens to 355s will never again happen to mine!

 

Aircon, can you let us know how long ago you did it and how many miles you have put on since then? This information is very useful for people that are wondering if a rebuild can provide a long term solution to the common problems of the original 355 engines.

 

I may get flamed by one or more for writing this, but as you will hear if you speak to mechanics that have worked on 355s for a while, the engine building at the factory was spotty at times on 355 engines (there are many bad and almost unbelievable stories out there).

If you get your engine rebuilt by a quality shop, they can inspect every piece, polish and balance anything that needs it, replace pieces of lesser quality with better ones, and theoretically (if performed by a top notch shop) put the engine back together to much higher standards than it was when new. And when completed, the engine will almost unquestionably run better and stronger than when it was new. The experienced Ferrari techs on this board may post up in this thread, but if you speak with any one of them, they would agree with this statement as well.

NOTE: If you rebuild your 355 engine, use a very experienced shop that is familiar with the 355 engine and its issues, because it will make all the difference. If you don't know any great shops, PM me (or others on this board) - off the cuff, I can think of great shops on the east coast, west coast, in CO and in TX, and I'm sure I am leaving some off my mental list as well.

 

You shouldn't get flamed for stating facts. I certainly won't be flaming you. You posted valuable information as far as I am concerned.