The journey begins - purchased a truck.

Overhaul is 40 hours, 3500 to 4800, all they are doing is cylinder kits fo 6k, no oem parts, no injectors, turbo. No cutting counter bores if needed.
They are using Chinese parts, don't think they would last in my engine set at 600 hp.
In Oklahoma we pay sales tax on core charges, if I get the head in Missouri I will save over 500 in taxes and shop markup, save on injectors and turbo also. Around 5000 parts and 3600 labor and one mechanic that I know and trust will do all the work, not like my friend that had a dealer overhaul and had lots of problems and when they pulled it down they found their now unemployed mechanic didn't tork the head bolts, some were removed by hand.
I'll use someone I trust verses a 6k quickie. You get what you pay for.it may cost me 12 k but no short cuts or cheap parts.

 

The guys i know use oem parts, I'm sure not every independent shop does. But yes, it's a basic inframe so 6 cylinder kits plus upper and lower bearings. That's all the dealer is doing unless you pay them for their additional packages. Detroit used to call them the step up program, not sure if they still do. Counter bores needing cut would be a small additional charge but so will it be at the dealer.

Sidenote about oem vs aftermarket: is not like Detroit owns the plant that makes the liners and pistons. It's all outsourced so I'm not entirely convinced oem is any better than after market, tho obviously not all after market suppliers are created equal. I'm sure some are junk while others are good. I use oem cause the price difference is almost negligible. New head from detroit was 1653. From fleetpride it was just over 1500. I think my inframe kit plus bearings was 2250ish from Detroit while fleetpride was about 200 less. It was 2 years ago so my numbers might be slightly off, but my point is the price differences is so small i would only go with i em since i don't know enough about the after market suppliers to make a good call on them. I just can't help but wonder if the detroit parts I'm buying are made on the same line as the federal mogul aftermarket ones and just put in a different cardboard box.

 

Name brand aftermarket parts are many times made side by side with OEM, odd ball aftermarket, you never know. With some research on the private name, you can find many times on their web site, they say they are an OEM supplier.

Many years ago I bought an aftermarket OH kit for a Detroit 6V92TTA. I was well pleased with the parts. I definitely was not pleased with the mechanic that was supposed to be the best 6V92 man in the area. Constant human error problems. If I had the facilities to have pulled the block, I would have done it myself and been much better off. Had it been an inframe I definitely would have done it myself.

The only mechanic I completely trust is me, and I question him every so often.

 

That's the reason i am the only one that works on my stuff. It's almost impossible to find a guy that will do it right, the first time, every time.

 

Ouch those two strokers were about the easiest motors ever to rebuild. I have personally rebuilt one in a rest area on the side of the highway. If the mechanic coudnt get a two stroke right then I don't think you should call him a mechanic

 

I know its kinda off subject but what yr is the old Ford Tractor?

 

I will tell you a not so funny story about a mechanic screw up

When I was in the parasail business in the early days I had 2 old Johnson 140 hp outboards on the parasail boat

Anyways Spring Break was when you made all your money and it only used to last about 4 weeks.

So to get to the story.

I cooked a piston in one of the motors and being that I was not familiar with 2 strokes, one of my buddies had loaned money to the best outboard mechanic in town . He figured I would get my motor fixed by the outboard mechanic and I would pay my buddy so everyone would be happy.

At the end everyone but me.

After a week he has my motor together but it is running like crap . He screws around with it for a whole day than walks away in disgust and says the carbs are screwed up and need rebuilding , and he is too busy to get to it so find someone else to work on it.

Motor ran great until it fried a piston, from too much load on it creating a lean condition.

So being I have a identical engine right next to it I switch over the carbs, no difference still runs like crap, old motor runs great with crap motors carbs.

I than switch over the whole ignition system , same results, motor still runs like crap.

So I do a compression check---should have done that 1st thing but motor was just rebuilt.

Tests show I have a dead cylinder.

Pull the head , well on a 2 stroke there is a exhaust side and a intake side to the piston, and in case you can't visually identify it they print it on the top of the piston in nice big letters.

Well I don't have to tell you the rest of the story.

Mechanic said there was no way I found that the piston was mounted in backwards, called me a liar and said I don't know what I am talking about.


It was dark when I got the head off and I changed the piston around in the middle of the night down at the dock getting eaten alive by Mosquitos , so I could go to work the next day and try to salvage my short season.

After that episode if I burned a piston I would have the motor tore down, cylinder cleaned up and a new piston in and running in 4 hours.

 

Great old tractors...Game changer in their day.