Removing/replacing crank with head on?

[nickblackgsx]

I'm looking at a 1995 talon tsi fwd. It has 44,3xx miles on the body. Stock everything, Needs paint, and the motor is out, been sitting for 14 years after a piston got a hole in it(don't know how it happened).

Seller sent the car(last year) to a shop to put a new piston in it bc one got a hole in it. I have no idea if the head was damaged or even serviced. Shop didn't know dsms and put a 6 bolt crank in a 7bolt motor.(which scares me for the rest of the motor) So the car is supposed to be rebuilt but with a 6 bolt crank. They went as far as putting the motor back in the car and didn't know why the motor couldn't bolt to the flywheel.

Motor is on a stand and
My questions are:
Can I pull the crank and leave the head on and pistons and rods in and just put a 7 bolt crank in pretty easily? Im familiar with timing jobs and installing trannies and working on turbo installs and such.
I have a 7 bolt crank in an old block, should I just have a machine shop polish/balance it and it be ok to use?
IF I do this is there any way to tell if the rest of the motor is in good shape without dropping in the car first?

I'm pretty sure I can get a good deal on this car but I have several other dsms I'm working on but a low mile dsm is pretty rare these days.

Thanks in advance!
Nick

 

[Firsts tuner]

From all I have read you cannot use the 6bolt rods on a 7bolt crank. The rod journals are narrower on the 7bolt so the rods would require machining. I'm no expert but I'm pretty confident in that statement.

 

[nickblackgsx]

I wouldn't be using anything 6 bolt. The shop installed a 6 bolt crank on the 7 bolt rods and pistons in the 7 bolt block by mistake.
I wanna know if I can swap the 7 bolt crank in without removing the head. Or if that is even a good idea.

 

[niddydsm]

you do not have to remove the head in order to take the crank out. Trans, timing belt, oil pan and pretty staight forward from that point on

 

[uummm]

As long as your positive they are 7 bolt rods, then it should be no problem to do it with the head in place.