Engine Freshening Tips (long)

[Jon Pennington]

I have a 2001 SR20DE with about 60k miles on it, which has been in
outdoor storage for almost two years.  It has no valve cover and no
exhaust manifold, and the engine was stopped at an unknown crank angle
(I don't know if the valves were all closed or not).  I did stuff rags
down the exhaust ports, throttle body, and coolant passages.  I did
not drain or change the oil before storing it, either.  I did saw off
the axles (that sucked) without removing them from the case, so the
VLSD transmission has been nearly 100% sealed this whole time.  It was
sealed with palette wrap, put on a utility trailer, and covered with a
tarp.  It's been subjected to temperatures from 0-100°F, rained on,
and snowed at, but has been in the shade.  I'm going to have to
bug-bomb it before I unwrap it, too.

I also have a '94 G20t that's been severely neglected in the 180k
miles previous to my ownership.  The valve cover leaks, the oil
catcher thingie on the front of the block leaks, some of the wiring
harness is damaged, and the engine generally runs like a dog.  But it
has a high-port intake cam and a 7500 RPM redline, as opposed to the
roller engine's 6600 RPM redline.  I want to yank the engine out of
the G20, Frankenstein the head and accessory drive system from the P10
onto the roller shortblock, and put another 100k miles on it.  The
essence of this engine swap is budget-minded durability without
killing the fun factor.

I'm pretty sure that I want to replace the main bearings and main
seals in the roller motor, and I think I want to pull the pistons,
clean the bores with a bottle brush hone (just knock off the rust,
nothing more).  I'll replace the timing chain tensioner, maybe even
the chain.  I want to swap a couple of things like the oil filter
adapter, whatever sensors the P10 ECU wants, and use the accessories
from the P10.  I also plan to disassemble the oil distribution system
from the lowport head, clean it thoroughly, and probably gasket-match
the ports and the intake manifold.  I know I need bearings and seals
(to match the block), new piston rings, a head gasket, a valve cover
gasket, intake gasket, and a fair amount of hand-wiring to repair the
harness bits.  I'll be using the B15's transmission, too, which will
need new axle seals at a minimum.

What else should I be looking for?  Should I be looking at any
fasteners in particular?  Is pulling the pistons out of the bores a
/really/ bad idea?  Does anyone have a "Garage Monkey SR20 Engine
Rebuild HOWTO"?  I have the FSM for both cars as well as Haynes
manuals that cover all G20s and B14s for visual reference.  I have a
good set of torque wrenches, and know my way around with them.  Is
there a left turn at Albuquerque I need to watch for?

-- 
-=|JP|=-     <//><

Yeah, I rock the mic like a cuttlefish...