Rebuilding / service time for 308 engine

engine rebuilding / servicing
Is a vague term that could include or exclude a lot of things depending on who you ask.

 

Well if there are no major parts to change I guess it doesn't need rebuilding does it?

The job is always easy for the guy who doesn't have to do it.

 

Couldn't be a more true statement.

 

There is a surprising amount of time spent in just cleaning, inspecting and measuring parts vs factory specs in order to determine what needs to be replaced or reconditioned.


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I have about 300 miles on my rebuilt 308GT4 engine. The heads were off the engine when I bought the car. I had no one local who would even attempt a rebuild and others I contacted were not real enthusiastic about taking it on as it appeared the internals were no longer stock but I had no documentation as to what was done.

I found a local engine builder who agreed to help me. I stripped the engine, cleaned and measured all the parts for tolerance. I went through every TAV page to get the part numbers of what I needed to replace, did all the ordering and checked what I received. I cataloged all the external fasteners and ordered replacements in yellow zink finish.

I took all the parts to the engine builder along with my conversions of all dimensions into English units as he didn’t like working in metric.

I worked with him side by side on the rebuild with him doing all the hard stuff and me being the gofer. That is my only experience with a 308 rebuild.

How many days do you think it should take to rebuild your engine?



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Many times over the last 45 years in the Ferrari business.
You have zero idea what you are talking about. None. Clueless.
School is not out yet. Get back to class and leave the adults alone.

 

Might be better off giving details of your car as “average” is a relative term. Current mileage, history of prior engine work, what issues you see that suggest it needs a rebuild and pictures of engine and general car condition would give some data points of your car, its past life and you as an owner.

We have to be realistic that as someone who has gravitated to Ferrari ownership we are generally not people that are happy with “close enough is good enough” and anyone doing the work has to factor in that they take the time to do it right first time or they will erode all their profit on the job by fixing every minor oil weep and carb stumble that you find once you get it home.

Most 3*8 owners would not be satisfied that a new set of rings, fresh head gaskets and a wipe down with an gasoline soaked rag constitutes a rebuild.


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Your questions reflect your lack of knowledge and experience in the matter but yet instead of asking questions your opening salvo is to question the veracity of the information. What possible good will it do to debate you? You already know it all.
I never give estimates on that nature of job until it is in my shop and I have spent considerable time researching its condition. Then and only then do I tell you whatever number I give you may get lit on fire the first day. Have you ever experienced heads stuck on from corrosion? Not a single way to tell in advance and I have seen Ferrari engines that took over a week of man hours just to remove a head. I had one recently a couple of the liners needed to be machined out and taken out in little pieces. I had another with head studs so stuck in the block from corrosion it went 2000+ miles in shipping before one of the several machine shops succeeded in getting the last 3 head studs out.
You know nothing but profess the contrary.
Go away.

 

YEP, that's the key - How much actual WORK is necessary. That's totally unknown until the work is actually done. Re removing heads: it took me a couple of days to get the head off of an E-Jag 3.8 motor due to corrosion. A non-problem example took maybe 15 minutes to pull the head! You can't charge the same amount for both situations even though, by the book, they are the "same" operation.

 

Lets start with your opening statement. Rebuilding and servicing are 2 completely different things. When it comes to major engine work on any Ferrari 5000 isn't getting you far. If we are genuinely talking about rebuilding work that means you are pulling the engine. I doubt you're getting an engine pulled for 5000 let alone work completed. So again.. qualify "what" you are getting completed for those quoted rates? That low end could simply be a lock and swap timing belt and an Italian tune up.... maybe.

Your question is too vague and doesn't have supporting details.

Experienced shops know that working on these takes time and until "you are in there" there is no way to know. Shop time is real and inefficiencies' are HUGE. You don't run down to the neighborhood parts store when you stumble on needing something that was unplanned.. You're days away via mail order AT BEST. From a shop perspective that means tabling the work and moving onto something else till next week.

 

You are just feeding the troll.

 

I do give real clients a rough estimate and stress it is a best case and it will most likely go up and keep them informed and then only after inspecting the car. I never give estimates on the internet and I never accept work on cars whose owner starts a conversation the way you did. The good shops have far too much business to go through that.

I learned a longtime ago that if I go through life telling shoe makers how to make shoes I'll never get good shoes made.

 

With the head separation and known galvanic problems it’s fair to say that an experienced shop would layer up several jobs simultaneously. So every morning ( assuming it’s not playing ball ) be able to within 10 mins reapply penetration fluid and apply more force with the jig .The jig they have had made and used many yrs and carry in the shop specifically to do this job .

So I don’t buy into the how longs a piece of string argument.
I have got sympathy for the OP .
Obviously what the shop owner can’t say the exact date it’s gonna be finished due to the variable time the head’s seperate, and parts availability.
But if a parts gonna take 3 weeks to arrive the shop guy can’t bill the punter 3 weeks for sitting around and waiting as I said he will layer in other ( bread + butter ? ) jobs to keep his “ timesheet “ occupied. The same as starring at the head removal jig after he’s adjusted it .


He should be able to give a staged quote depending how deep it ends up .

I can’t see the issue of giving a ball park 1 inc rings , shells , gaskets every oil seal , belts , sending ancillaries off for refurbs and other s ball park 2 + 3 inc valve springs , liners, piston sets etc .

Set off on one journey and via email / pics give periodic up a dates if anything else appears eg “ oil pump gears look knackered …for an extra ( insert $ ) we can replace “ while we are in “ Or the €150 starter motor refurbs not ideal instead we need a new one @ what ever $$ .