how much are we talkin for real

[bigLSHO]

ok well ive been tryin to find a good place to get my 60K done and my father talked to one of his friends whos had an SHO since 92. he said that this guy took his car into a shop in Ohio for the service 3 years ago and it cost him 1600 dollars....i almost s**t myself when i heard that cause that price seems totally nuts to me since i only paid 2K for the car. i have 142K on the clock and bought it with 129K without the second 60K being done because i knew nothing about the SHO before i bought it. the valves are clicking away, it is sluggish and im affraid to drive it because i dont want it to die on me. i need a good place/person around pitt that is competent and isnt goin to charge me more than the car is worth. but if no one knows anyone in this area that is capable of doing it could you offer me estimates or what you have paid to get the job done....ive got most of the parts besides valve shims but i figure a good shop could get a hold of those easily enough...any help would be appriciated

 

[rlw001]

When Mark Nunnaly aka DrivinHard still lived in New York state I drove up to his home and he did the full 60k for $300. I supplied the parts.

I would rather drive a few hours and be confident it was done right.

 

[davidb]

ok well ive been tryin to find a good place to get my 60K done and my father talked to one of his friends whos had an SHO since 92. he said that this guy took his car into a shop in Ohio for the service 3 years ago and it cost him 1600 dollars....i almost s**t myself when i heard that cause that price seems totally nuts to me since i only paid 2K for the car. i have 142K on the clock and bought it with 129K without the second 60K being done because i knew nothing about the SHO before i bought it. the valves are clicking away, it is sluggish and im affraid to drive it because i dont want it to die on me. i need a good place/person around pitt that is competent and isnt goin to charge me more than the car is worth. but if no one knows anyone in this area that is capable of doing it could you offer me estimates or what you have paid to get the job done....ive got most of the parts besides valve shims but i figure a good shop could get a hold of those easily enough...any help would be appriciated

Try here. http://www.shotimes.com/SHO0fame.html

I don't know when it was last updated but here are some Pa Shop listings. If you do not do the 60 or 120K yourself it's going to cost you. You need to decide how important it is to you to own a SHO. These cars cost you time or money. In some cases both. Good luck to you.

Dave

 

[bigLSHO]

i understand that i would have to pay and put time into taking care of the car...but 1600 dollars for a tune up...i could buy a 3.2 outta a junkyard take my manual and figure out how to tear it apart and put the parts on myself and spend a third of that...now i know that i have no experience with that and i also know that the engine being in that small compartment of an engine bay does not make things easy for a mechanic but $1600?? i could just keep buying another SHO every time i needed a tune up

 

[Jaz2099]

Do it yourself. http://www.shophoenixproject.com/maint.htm Seems to me you may not know what a complete 60K is . Its not just plugs and wires.

 

[ohfosho]

yeah the shims are just a regular wear part on this 'race' engine. it is really straight forward if you read over all the procedures regarding the top 60k service on shotimes, and sho pheonix project. but it can be a trick to find the shims that you need, and now for you, it is hard to tell how bad your engine has gotten since you say that its ticking away.


i had a gentleman fairly close to me do a front 60k for $500 (canadian), i provided all the parts:waterpump, cam seals, crank seal, timing belt, crank sensor, lower rad hose, and oil and an oil filter.

 

[Entropy]

Take a look at the Pheonix Project site that was listed and see how comfortable you would feel doing it yourself. If not, I'm sure there are a few members on here that would be more than happy to help you for some cash or at least suggest a good, cheaper shop. In my oppinion, though, if you want to keep this car, you probably better start doing this stuff yourself if money is a concern...

As another baseline, the guy I purchased mine from has his 60k done at Anderson Motorsports in Clinton, IL. Some consider them a "premier race shop" (The jury is still out in my book ) and they also house a dealership (All Ford Parts went in). He paid almost $1800 with the only "extra" being the commonly seen leaking waterpump. On the flip side of this, I am assembling parts to do my own 120k w/ rod bearings and have come up with everything but the shims for less than $400 (including the Rotunda tool set)....

 

[93superSHO]

Go to Josh's site- SHONUT- and get the 60k dvd It is simple to follow and goes step by step, get valve adj. tools at SHONUT, I have shims from about 6 or 7 engines in a box for when I need them(got all of them from salvage yards where I took them off) my cost, liittle bit of time and $50.00 total. Went and counted I have 168 shims laying around. Once you do it it will be a snap from here on out.

 

[revhardSHO]

Im located in Upstate NY, about an hour north of where Nunnally used to live. I could do the 60K work for you, I charge the same as Nunnally, you supply the parts. Let me know if you need any help.

 

[bigLSHO]

i know the members on here are really helpful...i check the forum a lot just to read up on the topics...ive really been thinkin about finding a 3.2 motor somewhere and just seeing how hard it is to work with...i am by all means no mechanic but i have a decent amount of knowledge about engines and how they work...especially readin up on the sho a lot...with the DVDs that they offer and all the online write ups on the 60K how likely is it that i could do my own 60K minus maybe the valve job...with all the correct tools of course and a lil help when needed...ive always been good at taking things apart and putting them back togehter...and i know an engine is a big task...but im saying if i lable things it shouldnt be impossible right

 

[PAracer]

Being in the Pitt area, you have a couple guys that could help you find a good 3.2L. RCM Automotive is great for buying new/used parts including engines and whole SHOs. Also Dan Barbush is in your area. He has a large selection of parts cars. Using a search will yield their email adresses.

For a used 3.2, I would put new crank and cam seals in, rod bearings, cam seals, valve cover seals, water pump (if you don't like the one you have), timing belt. Basically an whole 120k service. The fact that all of this can be done outside of the car makes the work 'easy'. Read up on 3.2 swaps to make sure you are buying the proper parts. With the engine out of the car, you need to also consider a clutch and TOB. All said, a 3.2 swap can be done for under $600. To do it with piece of mind and a car that will last a long time, $1500 would do it.

I say go for the swap.

 

[bigLSHO]

yeah i think i have decided to go with the 3.2 swap...i mean there is enough info on this forum and on other websites that i should be able to find a decent 3.2 take it apart do a 60K on it and get it up and running....i know it will be tedious but we all gotta start somewhere...why not start with a decently difficult engine...and if i have any problems i live less than a 100 yards from a shop so if i have to dish out a few bucks then so be it. im sure ill be posting in a couple weeks/months with all kinds of questions before i start so be ready haha