Engine out to refurb’ engine bay
Discussion
Come the end of the year I would like to have the engine out of my MG Magnette ZB and the engine bay to be prepped and repainted. Not to concourse standard but simply a good standard of removing/killing surface rust prep and paint. obviously replace engine and ancillary
Before I seek quotes from garages any ideas how much money this work is likely to cost?
At the same time I expect to replace the clutch as it judders on ‘take off’.
Before I seek quotes from garages any ideas how much money this work is likely to cost?
At the same time I expect to replace the clutch as it judders on ‘take off’.
Difficulty is that prices vary widely from area to area & garage to garage.
Your best bet is to find someone local to you that has had recent work carried out, have a look at it & if the quality is acceptable take the car & see what they would charge. Failing that local recommendations followed by a trip to the shop with the car.
An issue I can see is removal of engine/box & engine bay bits & pieces & I wonder if you might do better stripping out & refitting yourself as I can see bodyshops not wanting to get involved with that side of things - or a lot of hours which = lots of money.
Your best bet is to find someone local to you that has had recent work carried out, have a look at it & if the quality is acceptable take the car & see what they would charge. Failing that local recommendations followed by a trip to the shop with the car.
An issue I can see is removal of engine/box & engine bay bits & pieces & I wonder if you might do better stripping out & refitting yourself as I can see bodyshops not wanting to get involved with that side of things - or a lot of hours which = lots of money.
crankedup said:
Come the end of the year I would like to have the engine out of my MG Magnette ZB and the engine bay to be prepped and repainted. Not to concours standard but simply a good standard of removing/killing surface rust prep and paint...
One thing about doing big works on the engine bay of older cars is sometimes a car which was running ok before the work won't afterwards. Naturally the customer will blame the garage and the garage will need to bear that in mind when quoting.If it's practicle I'd remove the engine and strip down the engine bay yourself, then give it a good clean and degrease before getting it trailered to/from the paint shop.
For a start you remove a whole load of labour for the garage/cost for yourself. You also have all those parts available for you to refurb while they are accessible and the cars away. Next you know the garage has the best access to the area being painted and no excuses for being lazy and just trying to paper over things, either missing some spraying or overspraying. Finally you know if some rare bit of trim gets broken or lost it's because you broke/lost it and you aren't in an argement with a garage that it was broken/missing when you gave them the car.
For a start you remove a whole load of labour for the garage/cost for yourself. You also have all those parts available for you to refurb while they are accessible and the cars away. Next you know the garage has the best access to the area being painted and no excuses for being lazy and just trying to paper over things, either missing some spraying or overspraying. Finally you know if some rare bit of trim gets broken or lost it's because you broke/lost it and you aren't in an argement with a garage that it was broken/missing when you gave them the car.
Anybody giving you anything but an hourly rate is sticking a wet finger in the air. One thing you can be very certain on is that it's going to be utterly impossible to guesstimate the amount of time, let alone what parts and materials are going to be required. They can give a rough guideline, but no more.
Thanks for comments, unfortunately DIY is not an option for me, it’s either a garage job or no job. I am hoping that as it’s a relatively simple engine bay it wouldn’t be to higher cost, although as yet I have no clue money wise. as suggested I need to try a few garages and chew it over.
It’s a shame the bay is a let down for the rest of the car but sorting it won’t add value, just make me happier perhaps, but poorer!
It’s a shame the bay is a let down for the rest of the car but sorting it won’t add value, just make me happier perhaps, but poorer!
crankedup said:
Thanks for comments, unfortunately DIY is not an option for me, it’s either a garage job or no job. I am hoping that as it’s a relatively simple engine bay it wouldn’t be to higher cost, although as yet I have no clue money wise. as suggested I need to try a few garages and chew it over.
It’s a shame the bay is a let down for the rest of the car but sorting it won’t add value, just make me happier perhaps, but poorer!
The trouble with entrusting this sort of work to anyone who is not a perfectionist is that they will most likely make a hash of it and the car will look like its been bodged. if you do employ a perfectionist it is likely to cost a fortune with no appreciable value added to the car. It’s a shame the bay is a let down for the rest of the car but sorting it won’t add value, just make me happier perhaps, but poorer!
The clutch judder could be caused by worn engine and gearbox mountings. If I were you I would have the engine and engine bay steam cleaned by someone who knows what they are doing and will mask vulnerable components with polythene before blasting away.
Once everything is cleaned off, it should be relatively straightforward to diagnose the clutch judder and treat any corrosion with the engine still in situ. It will look a whole lot better and perhaps make you happier without making you too much poorer.
More thanks for contributions.
I will seek a price guide for the work but it’s begining to look like a non runner budget wise. Also I will have the engine mountings checked, although the clutch judder is fairly severe. Car is booked into the local MG specialist for major service and inspection next month so hope the juddering clutch can be resolved. The car is perfectly drivable as it stands but if it’s engine mounts or new clutch this will be a winter job.
I will seek a price guide for the work but it’s begining to look like a non runner budget wise. Also I will have the engine mountings checked, although the clutch judder is fairly severe. Car is booked into the local MG specialist for major service and inspection next month so hope the juddering clutch can be resolved. The car is perfectly drivable as it stands but if it’s engine mounts or new clutch this will be a winter job.
Is it practical to get the car to this garage, have them take the engine out and then return the car to you and then you can spend as long as you like doing the engine bay to a standard you're happy with. The problem with your question has been covered. What is one man's 'acceptable' is another man's 'bodge' ...
If it were my car and the paint was like glass I'd want the engine bay the same. If it was a daily driver looking paint, I'd want the engine bay to match ...
Your time is free. Let them sort the clutch problem while you do the engine bay. Sounds good if you can make it happen. Three days on the job - Labour £0.
If it were my car and the paint was like glass I'd want the engine bay the same. If it was a daily driver looking paint, I'd want the engine bay to match ...
Your time is free. Let them sort the clutch problem while you do the engine bay. Sounds good if you can make it happen. Three days on the job - Labour £0.
TooMany2cvs said:
Anybody giving you anything but an hourly rate is sticking a wet finger in the air. One thing you can be very certain on is that it's going to be utterly impossible to guesstimate the amount of time, let alone what parts and materials are going to be required. They can give a rough guideline, but no more.
^This.Am I missing something here? It's a couple of hours to pull the engine out on something old like that. Remove a few hoses, unbolt the exhaust, remove the bellhousing bolts, throttle cable and a couple of wires and it's out.
There are a few garages around my way that also have a proper spray booth. Find one like that and they'll be able to do the whole job easily. Providing there isn't any welding required, i'd be wanting change out of £500
There are a few garages around my way that also have a proper spray booth. Find one like that and they'll be able to do the whole job easily. Providing there isn't any welding required, i'd be wanting change out of £500
Escy said:
Am I missing something here? It's a couple of hours to pull the engine out on something old like that. Remove a few hoses, unbolt the exhaust, remove the bellhousing bolts, throttle cable and a couple of wires and it's out.
After doing that the hard work begins. Not the best photo but a lot more came out than just the engine:
crankedup said:
More thanks for contributions.
I will seek a price guide for the work but it’s begining to look like a non runner budget wise. Also I will have the engine mountings checked, although the clutch judder is fairly severe. Car is booked into the local MG specialist for major service and inspection next month so hope the juddering clutch can be resolved. The car is perfectly drivable as it stands but if it’s engine mounts or new clutch this will be a winter job.
I hope this is not a certain MG restorer in Ipswich.I will seek a price guide for the work but it’s begining to look like a non runner budget wise. Also I will have the engine mountings checked, although the clutch judder is fairly severe. Car is booked into the local MG specialist for major service and inspection next month so hope the juddering clutch can be resolved. The car is perfectly drivable as it stands but if it’s engine mounts or new clutch this will be a winter job.
I’ve done this a couple of times, TR3 and MG Midget. It’s a lot of time consuming work. Once you get the engine out it opens up lots of “might as well” options like replacing grommets, hoses, clamps, cleaning up wiring, checking core plugs and yes all the effort to remove years of gunge if the engine bay is that dirty. As a few others have said, if you are handy with the spanners then get the engine out and tackle that while a body shop paints the engine bay and you put it all back in. That way you shouldn’t loose/break any of the little bits and pieces like clips etc.
I find it very satisfying work restoring an engine bay. Good luck.
I find it very satisfying work restoring an engine bay. Good luck.
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