How Long between Rebuilds?

Beginning to panic are we?

You're not actually driving it are you?

 

That is one of the main reasons modern engines last so much longer. That being said, as long as your Webers are properly calibrated and you minimize the use of the choke, fuel dilution shouldn't be much of a problem. You could have oil samples analyzed like AEHaas does to confirm this.

Also remember that the Dino engine came off Fiat's assembly line and was better machined/assembled than the Ferrari engines of the same era. Fiat had much better tooling.

 

It will have more to do with what parts were installed recently and the workmanship of the person who rebuilt it than anything Fiat did to it.

 

500 to 800 miles a month! WOW!!

 

IMO a properly rebuilt motor should go at least 100K miles.

 

I got it. 500 to 800 miles per month is the equivalent of 15 to 20 times per week...

 

Uro
I bought my car at 51,000 miles, some of it track time. Engine had been apart but I don't know what was done. It had a broken head stud that I replaced. I pulled heads after 70,000 miles because of valve leakage. Replaced 4 exhaust valves, all guides and seals. Drove another 60,000 miles and was burning a quart of oil every 2nd fill up. Rebuilt the entire engine. Needed pistons and another couple of exhaust valves. Clutch plate, studs and bearings got everything back to 100%. Napolis is right, well over 100K miles if not abused. Or left sitting in a garage for years at a time. I have driven my car daily and problems have been fixeable because they are caught immediately. Just don't let the little things get big, whatever they are. It is a shame to not drive the car as long as there is no rain or snow. Enjoy.
John

 

More like a girlfriend that says " I Do"

 

I gotta SAVE that! LOLOLOL!
At least I can look forward to starting from the top of the List, I suppose....

Like John, I wouldn't rebuild unless a valve dropped or something.....all the pistons were unusable, John?

All the 308 pistons are long gone too, what's up with that?

 

All rings well worn but none broken. Oil ring was sad. Bore really needed boring so i did. Lip on top, tapered some. I had new pistons made with new hard, thin rings. Old pistons themselves were good. Bore wore more than pistons. I moved the piston valve pockets out 0.05". Valves had touched outer lip sometime in the past. Depth was fine. All new pistons were weight matched to an original. No problem finding source in LA area. Kept the old ones. Cams were worn too. One or two lobes on each. Sent them down south to be hard coated and re-ground. Again no problem. 15K miles and still smiling.
John

 

"Also remember that the Dino engine came off Fiat's assembly line and was better machined/assembled than the Ferrari engines of the same era. Fiat had much better tooling."



All Dino engines were built by Ferrari at Maranello per Doug Nye in his book "Dino The Little Ferrari"

Just trying to keep the facts straight.

Aloha,
Mark

 

No no no... all 206's were built by FIAT ! the first 246's were built by FIAT and then the later 246 I am guessing sometime after the 246 L series, not sure when it happened they were assembled at Maranello but still cast by FIAT. FIAT made the parts and Ferrari assembled but not at first, this is according to Mike Morris's book "FIAT Dino - Ferrari by another name".

Facts when it comes to these cars depend on whose book you are reading

 

Bottom end of block is bullet proof....will last several generations (of owners). Mileage will never be the limiting factor.

Weak link is the head(s). If you do not do appropriate valve-shim clearance checks every 7500 miles, you are looking towards new cams. Shims have hardened surface that eventually goes away. This leads to cupping of the shim and subsequent rounding of the edges of the cam lobe. Goodbye cams.

Flip the shims once to expose the unworn side. Then toss them the next time. Shims are cheap. Working on the aft head is easy. Working on the forward head is back breaking. This is why owners often neglect the forward head or both heads. Don't fall into this trap.

If properly maintained (chain tension and hardened shims), this engine will outlast you. Don't fix it unless its broken. The more you meddle with the engine the worse off it will be. Maintain hoses and heads. Enough said.

Jim S.

 

Mike, yeah... I could see the 206s (aluminum) from Ferrari if it came down to it, but not the 246s (iron). Ferrari AFAIK, did not have casting expertise with iron. Machining aluminum is like butter compared to iron. Fiats iron castings numbered in the millions by the late 1960s. Ferrari's castings numbered in the thousands and they were aluminum. Remember folks, we are talking about a large increase in engine production by Ferrari standards; Fiat Dino, Ferrari Dino, and Lancia Stratos. What are the total numbers of engines?

 

Business was so bad in 1967-71 that Fiat had Ferrari assembling Fiat Dinos to keep the factory alive. My 2.4 liter Bertone Coupe (long gone) was assembled at Maranello, as were most 2.4 liter Fiat Dinos. The Dino 246 GT and Daytona lines were just coming up to speed and saved Ferrari as sales increased rapidly from the SOHC days, especially in the US. The 2.4 liter Dino iron blocks were cast and machined by Fiat for both Dinos. I do not remember who did the 2 liter aluminum blocks for the Dinos that allowed Ferrari to use the engine in F2, his main interest that started the Dinos lines. Maybe somebody remembers. I do not think Ferrari realized at the time what a big impact the enlarged version of the 2 liter engine would have on the success of his production car sales. Racing was his main interest.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

Are we talking about two separate things? Block casting and assembly.