Don't even think about it until you have the manufacturer's service manual. Next, look for a community college Automotive program that offers a night class. We used to have a well-accepted open shop class two nights per week for the community until the young new instructor whined that something might get broken. That used to cost 60 bucks per semester and you had access to all of the equipment if you knew how to use it, and the instructor was there to help.
You can check rockauto.com for a rebuild kit. There will be some machine work you will want to farm out to a local engine machine shop. They can bore and hone the cylinders. If you buy the kit from them they will fine tune the bores to match the new pistons. Some connecting rods are of the "cracked cap" design and can not be resized if they are worn oversize. They must be replaced. Let them do the entire cylinder head work. It takes special valve spring tools to get the valves out. They'll test the springs to see if they're weak, and they'll grind the valves and seats. They can give you an estimate on those costs. Mostly what you can do is disassembly, measuring, cleaning, inspection, and reassembly.
If the piston pins are pressed into the connecting rods, let them press them back together. It's real easy to damage a piston, and if they do that and you bought them from them, they'll replace it.
Nov 13, 2012 at 7:46 PM
