I have to rebuild....

[J-Groove]

I'll try to make this as short as possible; this weekend I finally started the TT conversion on my '95 N/A.

All was going well, I pulled off everything I need to pull, I have the Tranny ready to drop, all my fluids are drained. I then go to do my 120K tune up and new oil pump.

Keep in mind that I have never done my timing belt before, I had someone replace it for my along with my water pump back when I first got her before I started to really want to work on cars. So this has been my first time taking this apart.


When removing the driver's side motor mount I noticed I didn't have a Reamer bolt. Odd, but as I took off the mount all I felt was flush block and no hole, so at this point I'm thinking that the reamer bolt is used as a spacer. The car has apparently been running fine for the last 6 years without one. (BTW, if anyone does know why the reamer bolt is so important, please shed some light, the manual talks about it a lot and I just don't get it)

So, everything is off, I installed the new oil pump, idler pulley, auto tentioner etc. Get the new timing belt on, spend that oh so fun time of getting everything lined up perfectly. It is done, I'm happy.

I go to put back on the motor mount, check the torque settings and go to torque it down. Just as it is tightening up it becomes loose, OH CRAP, I see a little bit of water drip out from behind the mount. When I back it out I find this.



Nice I know, and look at the one above it.




To give you a better idea of where you are looking.




So not only is the block cracked, but the lower hole is cracked enough to leak from the water passage. ARG! Also after looking closer I found why the block felt smooth where the Reamer bolt was supposed to go, that was because it had been broken off in the block. Oh the joys of being the 3rd owner of a car.

I was documenting the work, a lot of pictures and all, now that I am looking back through them I can see the cracks in the block had been there for a while, so basically when trying to torque down the engine mount became its death sentence. I suppose it is always better now than later but it still sucks.

So now comes my questions.

This block is gone, my debate now comes to should I get a TT or N/A block.

Which ever way I choose the car will be TT when I rebuild the engine.

But the debate comes to, I can get a N/A bare block, or heck almost any block for under $100, but then I have to get it bored and honed so tack on roughly $400 (unless someone knows a good less expensive place in Texas). Then there comes the chance that my internals, being that they have 110K miles on them may have some ware and need replacing anyways, so there goes the price saving of using the N/A block over a TT one.

Then there is the TT block, ideally would be great, since I am going TT the lower compression ratio would be the best way to go. But, with that I loose my option of reusing my internals, and my nice new shiny oil pump I just got. haha

So for those who were kind enough to read through this, what do you recommend, I'm leaning towards the TT block, it will cost more but will probably be better in the long run. But then again I don't know.

Also, what route would you take for the best balance between dependability while keeping the price as affordable as you can.

All I need is the short block. But looking around, the only non risky solutions to that are still around $2K, and that is just not going to cut it.

Also, how in the world does a block break apart from a bolt?

...Please help.

-John

[blownmodela]

I would personally go with the TT, you will always regret it later down the road if you dont. Youll always be saying man I should of gone that route. Regret is a lonely place. Good luck. Go TT

[Chain]

I am no exspert but if you are going TT I know personally I would get a TT block.
Just makes more sence to me.

[virtualarson]

Wall Of Text

[J-Groove]

Good point on going with the TT block, now I just need to make sure my heads will for sure work with the TT block. That and track one down for a price I can do. I check out tradeMotion.com there prices seemd almost par for what I'm finding online and there stuff is new versus most places used.

I need to do more research.

And thank you so much for your insite viruallarson. Did you notice the nice three pics I did up with the wall of text? Did it help your reading at all?

-John

[jackhammer]

I agree you may as well do a tt block since it's never a good idea to put used pistons in any block besides the one they came out of. I assume your heads will bolt up fine since i put tt heads on an na block when i did the conversion.

As far as how the cracks happened i can only draw 3 conclusions

1. Your car was wrecked at some point
2. That motor is not the original and came out of a wrecked car
3. Not having the reamer bolt put too much stress on the remaining 2 during it's lifspan of being mounted that way, (too many hard launches?)

[iceman_ii]

Originally Posted by J-Groove

This block is gone, my debate now comes to should I get a TT or N/A block.

Which ever way I choose the car will be TT when I rebuild the engine.

Originally Posted by Chain

I am no exspert but if you are going TT I know personally I would get a TT block.
Just makes more sence to me.

Groove - you are scaring the crap out of me, and Chain - if you don't know what the hell you are talking about, kindly don't post... there is enought wasted bandwidth on 3Si.

Groove - back to you... I appologise if if get a little bit condescending here, but you keep talking about blocks, and I don't know if you know the difference between blocks, short blocks, and long blocks, I am assuming you DO know the difference, and that when you say "block", "block" is what you mean...

That said, the N/A and the TT BLOCKS ARE THE SAME! Both are high nickle steel, the difference isn't the blocks, the difference is what you do with them. First you talk about wanting a TT block for the lower compression, then start talking about N/A "bare" blocks. I am sure you have researched the build, but it seems you may need to brush up on it again. Blocks don't make compression, blocks just sit there, the pistons and the rods make the compression.

If you were just getting it back to a stock state, I would say, sure, get a factory shorty, you can get one for about 2400 new... but you AREN'T taking it back to stock, you are upgrading, the question is, HOW MUCH are you wanting to upgrade??? If you reuse your old internals now that you have the opportunity to change them, and especially if you dont at least put in forged pistons, you need to be slapped like a stepchild. Don't cheap out, you will definately regret it later.

My $.02

[J-Groove]

Originally Posted by jackhammer

I agree you may as well do a tt block since it's never a good idea to put used pistons in any block besides the one they came out of. I assume your heads will bolt up fine since i put tt heads on an na block when i did the conversion.

As far as how the cracks happened i can only draw 3 conclusions

1. Your car was wrecked at some point
2. That motor is not the original and came out of a wrecked car
3. Not having the reamer bolt put too much stress on the remaining 2 during it's lifspan of being mounted that way, (too many hard launches?)

Thanks, that is great to know about the heads.

The car was wrecked by the first owner, it was a drivers side collition, so this mount would have taken the first blow. I'm just wondering why it was never an issue until now?

That does make sense, she didn't see many hard launches in the 7 years I've owned her as I never took her to do the 1/4.

But I have been autoXing her for the last 2+ years, so I guess I should be considering my self lucky that I found this problem while doing work instead of out on the road at some point.

-John

[jackhammer]

Originally Posted by J-Groove

I'm just wondering why it was never an issue until now?

It's been an issue since they cracked, it's just that your the first one that cared. Whoever did your belt last time is a jackass for not telling you about it and just putting it back together "just tight enough to hold"

[Presto97sl]

contact BeautyOverBeast he has a 95 vr4 block thats bare so u can do what u wish with it. He is in dallas so its not to far away.\

and OT i am probably going to baylor law school and was hoping that i would be the only tt in waco