Bought low mileage forged motor....What should I double check before install?

[1gcrazy]

Hey guys, I'm buying a shortblock from a guy across the country. He's a really rad guy and even thought the process has been long and tedious it has been more than a pleasure working with him.
His tooner name is hairybeanbag.

I recommend him to anyone looking to buy.
Anyways, that isnt' the reason i'm here writing.

So here I am, buying this motor and it will be here soon. Its got JE pistons on Eagle rods he said its just under 2k miles If i'm not mistaken. Since I dont plan to have the engine out for a long while after installing this one. I'm curious what I should check on THIS engine to strengthen my reliability odds...I mean after all, isn't that the reason we build these motors? Reliability?
I'm curious as to which clearances I should check. Not that hairybeanbag didn't build a good motor but to ensure long life. I dont want to have to pay for someone to do it and I've got most of the tools to build an engine.
Can anyone tell me what to look for? If i disassemble the engine and have it all laying out, can I reassemble the engine with everything from where it came from without issues?
I've got two different haynes manuals from different years and i'm no slouch when it comes to the combustion engine.
Thanks guys!

 

[jking29]

I would,
1. check the big ends of the rods for concentricity
2. check the bores for taper and the mains for line in the block
3. skirt clearance on the pistons
4. deck surface for flatness.
5. clearances on both the rods and mains
6. Ring endgap

If all of this checks out your motor should live a long and happy life and be able to withstand some pretty good punishment. Remember it's a lot easier and much less expensive to check and make any corrections while it's apart. The peace of mind is priceless.

 

[luvmygst]

I would find out what machine work he had done to the block when he put it together. Other than that ask him what if he checked clearences when he put it togeter.(im hope he did). Other than that I might pull the main and rod bearings, check the clearance on them, and see what they look like. I would not mess with the pistons. If the B/S are still there I would remove them(I doubt they are). With 2k on the clock the rings are just getting seated good, and if you pull them you would at least need to hone the bores again to get a good seal. That would mean more material taken out of the bores and looser tolerances. That's my .02. Take it for what its worth. Good luck.



EDIT:
I would do all the things listed in the above post if I was starting with new parts. That is the advatage of building a motor from scratch. Buying a used motor you kinda have to put some faith in the other guy.

 

[1gcrazy]

Well I bought it for 1k....I'm willing to take that chance.

We talked on the phone a few months ago about it and I was really stoked and never in my life had I EVER put down more than 300 bucks on something I didn't need so I assume it was pretty badass.
He said he had a shop build it from what I remember, Also, instead of breaking it in like a pansy he ran the shit out of it which is completely fine with me, thats the way I would have done it...
I'll hafta ask him again about it all, its been a while.