Okay, I am having the machine shop do all the machine work on my engine block. That alone is quite a bit, but he wants $350 to do the complete re-assembly, meaning to instal the cam, crank, pistons, and all the rest.

My question is how hard it this to do on your own? I'm new at this so are special tools required, special skills. What would be the downfalls or problems I could have?

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87 Fiero GT (Rotrex Supercharger)
Rebuilding Engine! Check Website under FIERO RESURRECTION!
WWW.angelfire.com/pa5/davidfiero/

It's certainly NOT brain surgery! I would only let him do it if he was gonna give a generous warranty with it.

If you have a GM service manual with this engine in it, or a chilton or haynes then you can do it yourself. CLEANLINESS is the major thing besides checking clearances of bearings etc with pastigage. Also lubing everything as it should be, like the main and rod bearing surfaces with assembly lube and the camshaft with a special lube supplied with the camshaft.

Unless you REALLY have a hard time with things mechanical, if I were you, I'd do it myself. Good luck!

Phil

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87 FIERO GT 2.8 5spd
0-60 in 6.8 seconds!

like GTdude said, if you have the manual, its not to tough at all. special tools - torque wrench & ring compressor. plastigage good thing also. the toughest thing is putting the cam in. gotta be super careful not to bang it up while sliding it in. and engine stand is super helpful also. the stand & ring compressor can be rented also. probably also want to have them put the pistons on the rods also. (unless they are already). the whole trick is to be clean & careful. lotsa pre-lube. make sure NO MACHINED SURFACES get damaged. like when putting the pistons into the cylinders - make sure the end caps dont scrape the cyl. walls. oil up the wrist pins real good. oil/pre-lube everything. nothing dry.

I have done several engines and it is not hard to do. You do need a special tool to put in the cam bearings and you must pay close attention to alingment of the oil holes in the Block and bearings. You also need to check the end clearence on the crankshaft. Pep Boys and Autozone will lend you some of the tools. You should clean the engine with dish soap and water with a bore brush until you can wipe the cylinder walls with a white cloth and get no dirt on the rag. You have to do this quick so it does not rust. The cleaner things are the longer the engine will last. Another important things is that the rods must go on the pistons a certain way and the rods must go on the crank a certain way or the engine will last about 10 minutes.

The camshaft installation worries me along with setting the timing. I have ordered ARP head studs. Is there a certain installation needed for these?

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87 Fiero GT (Rotrex Supercharger)
Rebuilding Engine! Check Website under FIERO RESURRECTION!
WWW.angelfire.com/pa5/davidfiero/