Engine Block Differences

[89SHOMAN666]

Hey All,
I noticed in another post that one of the members mentioned that the earlier SHO motors blocks had less meat. Is this the case? I thought the 3.0 motor stayed the same until they discontinued it, and that the only difference between the 3.2 and the 3.0 was the 3.2 was a bored out 3.0. Am I wrong? If they did modify the block in later years, what was changed, and why did they feel the need to change the design? If the 89 blocks have less meat are they rebuild-able, do they have enough meat to allow you to bore them out??

Also, I have heard a lot of discussion regarding problems with rob bearings. What causes these bearings to fail in the SHO-improper maintenance, over driving, etc.? My 89 has 89,000 miles on it, is this something I should look into changing? Finally what are some of the symptoms that cars with rod bearing problems exhibit? Was this a problem area of the motor?

Well I realize I asked a lot of questions, but I am just attempting to learn about some of the idiosyncrasies of the car. I'd much rather learn before a major problem arises!!

Thanks.

 

[Mike Kopstain]

Peter,

The older blocks are definetly rebuildable, but if you were going to bore a block, you might want to look into a 93+ block. There is certainly enough meat to re-hone the cylinder walls, however .2 overbore might be questionable.

As for the rod bearings, it's up in the air. It seems to be a combination of age, driving style, mileage and exhaust condition that determines whether your rod bearings will fail now or 6 years from now. In another words, unless you are the original owner, there is no way to have any idea what condition the bearings might be in.

A rod bearing job can be done in under 5 hours, for less than $100.00. Considering that you most likely don't have a car payment on this car, I would consider the $100.00 a small price to pay for years of security.

 

[Bizzy]

Moving this to SHO related open forum since it is not technically a troubleshooting topic.