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Re: Engine Swap vs Head Gasket & Chains Posted by Justin VanAbrahams [Email] (#32) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Justin VanAbrahams) on Tue, 6 May 2003 14:39:58 In Reply to: Engine Swap vs Head Gasket & Chains, George Tuma, Mon, 5 May 2003 21:29:38 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I think it comes down to cost vs. time. Ultimately, I think doing the job in the car would take less time, but probably not by much.
That said, I'd do an engine swap. I'd take that spare engine and do everything I could - new chains, tensioners, seals, etc. - and put that back in the car. You'll have a much easier time, more space to work, and end up with a much happier engine as a result - but it will invariably cost more. Furthermore, in the event work goes awry with the engine out of the car, you don't have to worry about additional downtime - you can still limp the car along as-is while you wait for new work or parts. If the engine is in the car and something goes wrong, you're screwed. :)
FWIW, when I swapped the engine & tranny in my '88 9kt, I pulled the old powertrain by myself in about four hours. Installing the new ready-to-go one took a little less time. In terms of actual downtime, I can't see a head gasket & chain job taking less than eight hours!
-J
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