Engine Rebuilds

[joekarter]

OK, so I am new to FV and have a couple of seasons under my belt. I am NOT a regional or national driver but rather a club racer at my local tracks. I shift at 5800 and have never seen my motor above 6100 RPM (missed a shift a time or two ), run redline oil and change it regularly, adjust the valves before each race and all the normal maintenance that is required to run a FV.

With this information, about how many hours can I run my motor before it's time to rebuild it? What should I expect to pay to have a motor builder freshen it up for me?

Thanks in advance for all who reply.

[BLS]

I would recommend you call Dietmar (Quixote Racing) and speak with him. He is on the west coast (Lakeside, California), can answer your questions, and will be happy to discuss your situation.

619-561-7774


Barry (who Dietmar has helped over the phone/by email often)

[Tiago Santos]

I'm sure each builder will have their own little preferred intervals, but I believe most folks typically have the motors freshened up every 20 hours..

On the West Coast, there's Brian McCarthy, Dietmar and Ron Chuck... Unless I'm forgetting anyone else. Prices vary a lot depending on builder, parts, how much of a hurry you are in and luck! In my experience, most builders will be pretty defensive as far as giving you a quote before actually tearing into the motor, but they should be able to give you a "best case scenario" kinda price and a range of how bad it can get Actually, I think Dietmar even lists that on his website!

[budawe]

Sounds like you're doing all the right things. An early sign of age will be the extent of oi leaks in your engine. As the rings wear, leakdown and blowby increases causing excessive pressure in the crankcase. This extra pressure will drive oil out of everywhere. We all know that VW motors leak but when it's all over the motor and excessive, it's time for some maintenance. If you have access to a leakdown tester, you can measure how the rings are sealing and make a decision.

As Tiago mentioned, I am but one of several sources available on the west coast. 916-712-5742.

[smsazzy]

OK, so I am new to FV and have a couple of seasons under my belt. I am NOT a regional or national driver but rather a club racer at my local tracks. I shift at 5800 and have never seen my motor above 6100 RPM (missed a shift a time or two ), run redline oil and change it regularly, adjust the valves before each race and all the normal maintenance that is required to run a FV.

With this information, about how many hours can I run my motor before it's time to rebuild it? What should I expect to pay to have a motor builder freshen it up for me?

Thanks in advance for all who reply.

Shift at 6500 and call Brian McCarthy to get you fixed up. No need to shift so low unless you have a fan belt.

[teamwisconsin]

If I still had a Vee (and let's all take a moment and be thankful that's not the case) I would be sending all my work to Brian McCarthy. He's knowledgeable, experienced, and most of all, honest. Plus he has some great stories.

[Kim291]

You should give Dietmar a call as mentioned before. Each one of these guys have their specialty. I would recommend Brian for any trans issues. He is awesome at building them.

For my engines I have been going to Dietmar since I started racing vees. I have been doing basic club races since 2004 and started running with SCCA for about a year and a half now. Dietmar has no problem giving you a quote prior to work and you definitely will get your engine back in a timely manner. (Turn around time is awesome). He builds very reliable and fast engines for the best price. Best of all you also get FREE advice. :-) 619-561-7774 or fvraceri@cox.net

Kim Madrid
FV 29

[joekarter]

Thank you to all who have replied. I currently have an email from Dietmar at home that I haven't responded to yet because I have just been too busy. But I will get back to him soon.

After I sent this out to the group, I did some digging into all of the documentation I received when I bought the car. In among all of the flyers and advertisements I found one receipt from Ron Chuck for a motor refresh back in May of 1999. That is the only motor rebuild information I found. Lot's of other repair work, but no motor stuff.

Then I went and pulled out all of the log books including the one I am using now and found that since May of 1999 I can account for 40.5 hours of run time without a motor rebuild, assuming of course that I received all of the receipts for work done on the car (I can't help wondering if that is even possible!). So from what I can tell, I am way overdue for a motor rebuild. I had the heads serviced earlier this year and there wasn't anything glaring that needed done and no major oil leaks, but I am worried that I am on borrowed time with this motor.


Again, thanks to all who have replied!

[Bob Posner]

I recall that the motor in that car was on the pole at a Portland conference race after the rebuild by Ron. I chased it,it was strong. Maybe you should consider Ron again if it only lasted for 15 years....

[fv9]

I recall that the motor in that car was on the pole at a Portland conference race after the rebuild by Ron. I chased it,it was strong. Maybe you should consider Ron again if it only lasted for 15 years....

Which car is it?

[joekarter]

I bought the car from David Gray. It was originally Ken Stapleton's FV.

[fv9]

I bought the car from David Gray. It was originally Ken Stapleton's FV.

The car isnt ringing a bell. What type of FV? Color scheme?

Just realized your avatar may have given it away. Silver Citation?

[joekarter]

Yep, that's the one...