For those that have assembled your own engine

[CrackedHorn]

....what is the difficulty level?

Assuming a person is mechanically inclined, wrenches on their own car for 99% of things, has basic tools, has (most) of the knowledge, etc.

I am in the middle of doing the timing set and OPG in preparation for boost. I have found this process quite straightforward.
I have considered pulling the motor and paying a shop to install new pistons, rings, and bearings for peace of mind. (Bringing them the engine / shortblock, not the car)

And, like every guy with tools and just enough knowledge to be dangerous, have then wondered how difficult that job would be for me to do myself.

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[WildHorse]

If this is your first engine rebuild.. a coyote wouldn't be my first choice.

 

[Johnny Rockit]

If this were a typical V8 I would say go for it. I have built 335 series engines in the past and woild be very cautious with a Coyote, even if was a spare that was just for experience. And I say this as a once certified ASE guy who went to voc school and then years building at Aamco.
If you do it, triple check every step and then triple check them again.

 

[CrackedHorn]

If this is your first engine rebuild.. a coyote wouldn't be my first choice.

What makes doing the bottom end on the coyote more difficult than compared to, say, an LS?

 

[WildHorse]

No so much the bottom end, it's everything else.
But as Johnny Rockit said, triple check everything, then triple check again.
LS are relatively simple engines who's basic design hasn't changed much
from gen 1 SBC.

 

[Ole Texan]

The bottom end rebuild is not the worry on a Ls or Coyote. It is the reassembling of the timing chain etc because of the duel overhead vt cam setup on the coyote.
Any rebuild you need precision measurements thus precision instruments are required. Plus the skill to use the instruments correctly, and have the correct tolerances.
I built several ford 289 - 302 back in the day. 10 years ago built two 509 Chevy big block engines for a boat. But I would not rebuild a one off coyote. If I had an extra coyote on hand, I would be ok disassembling and rebuilding as a learning process.

 

[Timbuck]

I’m embarking on this journey at the moment. i have a gen2 motor that I just picked up yesterday. Darton sleeved and built…Callie’s rods , m142P Mahle pistons , kept oil squirters ( which I wanted to do)
I left the engine short block build up to a pro , I’m mechanically minded but i felt clearances etc was out of my league.
He also made up a nice torque plate for final honing to get it perfect.
for me… doing it this way I ended up with a short block very similar to a TKM sleeved block , for less than half the price. I’m in australia and shipping , exchange rate and tax a TKM would cost me $25000 aud ($16000 USD)

my total “all parts“ and machining and assembly is $14500AUD ($9299usd)

to put that into perspective a gen3 aluminator short block in australia is $16000aud ($10300usd)

This is my first coyote , I’m enjoying the process And I do love learning about the car in all aspects.
ive redone the heads , lapped the valves and replaced seals etc.
so far nothing is rocket science. Just got to pay attention to detail..
I am a little nervous about timming etc , but everything else is fairly straight forward. Im replacing all the main hardware bolts with ARP… new ford performance phases , chains , guides , flip bracket , opg & crank , new boundary pump assembly.

its daunting at times , but as I’ll have this car for a long time the learning process will help me do anything to the car into the future.

 

[Hack]

I've assembled engines successfully before. I would say that I found it to be very rewarding. Although every time I turned the key I had it in the back of my mind wondering whether the engine would actually start and function properly. I haven't had an engine I assembled fail - yet.

I think you have to consider whether you are a very detail oriented person that can be exceptionally careful and methodical. Putting together any engine is not difficult. You have to keep everything very clean and follow the steps correctly. Also, you have to research enough to find out what the process is and decide exactly what components you are going to use and why. Then the last thing is finding a really good machine shop (but still double-check and measure everything they did for you).

Yes a twin overhead cam engine is more complicated than a traditional pushrod cam in block engine. It is more steps to perform. However, the steps needed for the cams aren't any more difficult than those needed for a traditional cam in my opinion. However, I've only assembled pushrod engines so far, so I'm basing my opinion on watching other people do the job, not on personal experience.

 

[robvas]

You'll probably get it right on your third try

 

[junits15]

I've never done it, i plan to eventually but my intention is to try on a honda motor or a cheap engine.

I'm under the assumption that the first one will likely not work right

with that said, i've seen some jank engines run well. I saw a guy misplace all the cam buckets and it still ran (although noisy) he was able to salvage the build too.

 

[luca1290]

I would say, go for it.
Just obtain the factory manual because some components must be mounted in fixed directions (the cams hold downs come to mind, sorry I don't know how they are called properly in english).

Also, proper tolerances must be insured, so you will have to buy matched pistons and place them accordingly... but there may be more.

If you have enough time, patience to learn what you don't know and space, why not?

 

[CVN 80]

....what is the difficulty level?

Assuming a person is mechanically inclined, wrenches on their own car for 99% of things, has basic tools, has (most) of the knowledge, etc.

I am in the middle of doing the timing set and OPG in preparation for boost. I have found this process quite straightforward.
I have considered pulling the motor and paying a shop to install new pistons, rings, and bearings for peace of mind. (Bringing them the engine / shortblock, not the car)

And, like every guy with tools and just enough knowledge to be dangerous, have then wondered how difficult that job would be for me to do myself.

Keep in mind that the Coyote shares a basic design flaw with every other modern engine, really with any other modern CAR: It was designed to be assembled in a factory, ONCE, using lots of special equipment - and then never taken apart again.

It was never intended to be repaired, which is why it's packed to the rafters with bad ideas like aluminum construction, clearances in the ten-thousands of an inch, single-use TTY bolts, plastic bits that thermally cycle themselves to death, one-and-done seals, near-zero tool clearance and the general "onion" state of the vehicle where Step One of installing a new intercooler is "remove headlights." You're just supposed to buy the car, drive it for a hundred thousand miles, then throw it away and get a new one.

To your question: Do you already have your own torques wrenches and feeler gauges? I guess that's a good general test of someone's ability to tackle a modern engine.

I personally haven't done a Coyote, but I've built Volvo white blocks and the process was Go Slow Double-Check EVERYTHING, occasionally buy some expensive specialty tool and spend the entire project seriously questioning whether technological "progress" was actually a good thing.

If you're a competent mechanic, just take your time, read the documentation for the heavy-lift items like the cam timing and be prepared to buy the odd hilariously-expensive-but-can't-be-used-for-anything-else special tool.

 

[CVN 80]

I've assembled engines successfully before. I would say that I found it to be very rewarding. Although every time I turned the key I had it in the back of my mind wondering whether the engine would actually start and function properly. I haven't had an engine I assembled fail - yet.

I think you have to consider whether you are a very detail oriented person that can be exceptionally careful and methodical. Putting together any engine is not difficult. You have to keep everything very clean and follow the steps correctly. Also, you have to research enough to find out what the process is and decide exactly what components you are going to use and why. Then the last thing is finding a really good machine shop (but still double-check and measure everything they did for you).

Yes a twin overhead cam engine is more complicated than a traditional pushrod cam in block engine. It is more steps to perform. However, the steps needed for the cams aren't any more difficult than those needed for a traditional cam in my opinion. However, I've only assembled pushrod engines so far, so I'm basing my opinion on watching other people do the job, not on personal experience.

I agree. Go slow and be VERY wary of the variable-timing setup on the cams.

 

[Hack]

I've never done it, i plan to eventually but my intention is to try on a honda motor or a cheap engine.

I'm under the assumption that the first one will likely not work right

with that said, i've seen some jank engines run well. I saw a guy misplace all the cam buckets and it still ran (although noisy) he was able to salvage the build too.

There's no reason it can't work the first time. My first rebuild was a 250 straight 6 and I still regret investing any money in it. I should have spent the extra and done a V8 engine swap into my 1970 Mustang convertible rather than rebuilding that craptastic engine.

Keep in mind that the Coyote shares a basic design flaw with every other modern engine, really with any other modern CAR: It was designed to be assembled in a factory, ONCE, using lots of special equipment - and then never taken apart again.

It was never intended to be repaired, which is why it's packed to the rafters with bad ideas like aluminum construction, clearances in the ten-thousands of an inch, single-use TTY bolts, plastic bits that thermally cycle themselves to death, one-and-done seals, near-zero tool clearance and the general "onion" state of the vehicle where Step One of installing a new intercooler is "remove headlights." You're just supposed to buy the car, drive it for a hundred thousand miles, then throw it away and get a new one.

To your question: Do you already have your own torques wrenches and feeler gauges? I guess that's a good general test of someone's ability to tackle a modern engine.

I personally haven't done a Coyote, but I've built Volvo white blocks and the process was Go Slow Double-Check EVERYTHING, occasionally buy some expensive specialty tool and spend the entire project seriously questioning whether technological "progress" was actually a good thing.

If you're a competent mechanic, just take your time, read the documentation for the heavy-lift items like the cam timing and be prepared to buy the odd hilariously-expensive-but-can't-be-used-for-anything-else special tool.

This 100% - definitely don't skip steps because the correct tool costs too much. Worst case, make your own tool. But don't just guess and hope it will be correct.

 

[Johnny Rockit]

What makes doing the bottom end on the coyote more difficult than compared to, say, an LS?

LS is gay. Coyote rules. Here's why...





Kidding, not sure why.

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