The guy at the part store i talked to today told me that after i get my block and heads machined to come back and see him abou getting the right kit for the job. I called up a machine shop today to get some price quotes and soon found out the guy was speaking a different language then me. I need some input from some of you guys out there who have done this to your engines or know what your doing, I want to replace the entire valvetrain and bottem end of the engine. I just need to know what i need to have done to the block and heads and what i dont need (things like (brain fart cant remember what they are called, the plugs in the engine block. freeze plugs maybe?)).

 

What are you looking for, a verbal explanation of a typical engine rebuild?
The reason the guy at the parts store wanted you to come back is because until your block is checked out, there's no way to know for certain what your final bore diameter will be. Your cylinder bores could be out of round, bowed, or warped which would require the block to be over-bored, which would then mean oversize pistons instead of standard. Since you're replacing everything in the engine, everything with the block needs to be checked. The block should be stripped totally down, and hot-tanked to clean it up. Other things that need to be done to prep the block would be: have it checked for cracks, align-boring the crank main bearing journals, and have new cam bearings pressed in. The heads should be checked for straightness, and the surface should be shaved true if it's out. The heads also need to be rebuilt: recondition/replace valve guides, full valve job, etc.
Even if you plan on paying someone to do all the work, you can still do the disassembly yourself to save some $.

 

Thanks for the reply, my main question is if i walk into a shop and tell a guy that im rebuilding my engine and need the heads checked / straightened and the block checked over and fix what ever is worn out will they be able to do it? the guy i called up whent through a lot of crap when i told him im rebuilding it compleatly. Also can anyone tell me roughly how much i should expect to pay for this kind of work? block and headers seperatly.

 

The first thing you should do is ask around, go to local cruises, car shows, etc. and find out who some of the other guys in the area use. You may even find someone there who builds engines. Not all good engine builders are big name companies (and not all big name companies are good builders).So yes, you can drop off your engine and tell them to rebuild it. But how much it costs depends on their shop rates, the condition of the block, and how far you want to go with the build. If you're just looking for a rebuild, and your major components (as well as cylinder bores) are still in good shape, then you wouldn't have to trash all the internals and it'll save you a bundle. A new cam, bearings, and lifters would be a definite to replace. It's impossible for a shop to give a hard quote, because they may find some surprises after the engine is opened up, like a need for an overbore/new pistons. That's why some guys prefer to just buy a crate motor and not mess with the old one. And if your engine is far gone, a crate engine could be a less expensive way to go.

 

Im doing all of the tear down my self, Im just looking for a place to machine any abnormal spots on the block and the heads.

 

Camaro 69 has very good suggestions. However; if you want to do the job yourself, you need to locate a good automotive machine shop. Then, I highly suggest you listen to what the machinist has to say. Also most machine shops can get the parts you need and want for about the same price or less than you can get them yourself, as they can get the parts wholesale and sell them to you at cost. Parts for them is just a loss leader. The goodthing is that they are responsible for the parts fitting properly. A good automotive machinist knows more about engine building than most parts people.