How long does it take to build an engine?

[occam22]

I have a disassembled engine with all new relevant parts. Its clean inside and out. It has new jugs and pistons, PMA and pamcopete ignition, electric and kick start, everything has already been pitched and replaced with new or tested to be in spec. Basically its completely ready to go back together.

My question is.. how long should it take for an experienced xs650 motor builder to reassemble it? Not a back yard mechanic or tinkerer, but someone who has worked on these engines and knows them?

Im strictly interested in a reasonable amount of "on the clock" assemble time.

Ive been told 15 hours. That seems way high to me as Ive seen guys field strip a 4 cylinder sprite race engine is a fraction of that time.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Paulrxs650]

Probably not too far out. My last engine build (with all cleaned and ready parts, gaskets seal etc) to a weekend, so about 16 hours for me. Id focus more on the quality of build than the time though. Sprite engines, as in car engines, dont have the gearbox thrown in the mix too

 

[Airwolfie]

How long is a piece of string?

All depends on how well the builder knows the engine. It took me four weekends to do mine, learning as I go along. My mate recons one could do them in a day, so 8hrs or so, IF all goes smoothly! If all the parts are there, everything is cleaned and painted or whatever, no missing bits, no broken bits, I can't see that 15hrs is impossible. Definately doable I think.

But what do I know, I'm just a noob when it comes to building engines!!!!

 

[I am Carbon]

with beer and smoke breaks 2 days sounds about right

 

[gggGary]

Yeah too many variables yet, who took it apart how well organized are all the parts, nuts, and bolts? My feeling is either you are comfortable with a builder or you aren't. I wouldn't want to run an engine that the builder felt "pressured to get R done quickly"

 

[hoffman900]

Highly variable.

To do it right, it takes a lot of mocking up and disassembling, re machining, ordering custom parts, etc. This can take weeks and months (depending on work load and on when parts suppliers can get parts to the builder).

Once everything is where it should be. It should take no more than a day for everything. A couple hours if it's just a new top end / cylinder head assembly. As said before, this depends on mocking it up several times before hand.

 

[TwoJugs]

Slap together with air tools and no witnesses = 6 hours

Done right with my ass on it going 100 = 20 hours

There is no way to put a number on this. Especially with all the parts that are sold today that really don't fit or work right. I have people contact me often asking me how much. I tell them my hourly rate and give them a guess on time. They never call me back. Ha ha.

 

[DIRTY DOG]

I have done a few of them and 15 hr. is not out of the question.some faster some slower
won't know untill doing it.

 

[1974jh5]

Yep, it depends. Last engine I rebuilt was an MGB, after getting stuff to/from the machine shop etc, six weeks of sourcing parts and various other tasks the final assembly took me about 8 or 9 hours. That's an engine I'm very familiar with though. The one before that was a 13B rotary, after cleaning measuring etc the final assembly only took about 5 hours, of course it only has 3 moving parts.

My XS only needed a top end, assembly of that was about 4 or 5 hours taking my time. Add a transmission reassembly, yeah I can see 15 hours or so. Gotta make sure all the thrust washers snap rings etc are in place correctly and that can be time consuming.

IIRC the last complete 4 stroke bike engine including transmission rebuild I built was a XR200 Honda and that was about 10 hours or so.

 

[peanut]

Yep, it depends. Last engine I rebuilt was an MGB, That's an engine I'm very familiar with though..

3x bearing or 5 ?

Built quite a few of those over the years myself

According to Nobby Hall the MGB works Competition Dept I was the first person to bolt a later overdrive gearbox onto my early 1961 3 bearing engine .


Apologies for hyjack I was thinking of Anlaf who recently ended up stripping and rebuilding his engine in well under a day