TIME 4 @ INFRAME? Cant decide top or bottom

Don't rightly know, but they're full of good info.

 

Just a different view maybe. But if I had work and lost a couple weeks due to pricing parts and gathering info and then more for tear down and repair. It would most likely pay for a drop in reman engine. One that includes warranty. You can do an inframe and still be left with old seals and old crank and what not. Haven't been driving long but I've been learning don't be cheap spend the proper money. If that's your lively hood then I don't think you should be setting a budget. You should make sure your not over paying for sure but doing it right always costs. There's nothing more frustrating then being stuck because you skimped. Good luck

 

This maybe the time to decide upon:

a), putting on a ceramic coated air intake manifold vs. OEM part.
b), when spot replacing parts: dont forget the belt pulley tensioners or crank shaft balancer.
c), spot coating specific parts to reduce friction, first looking at your used parts, which parts showed increased wear. (micro blue racing...but your on your own here).

the purpose is simply to promote the awareness

 

Yep the bare essence of Owner Operator.

 

My post wasn't a attack just my own personal opinion. To answer you back I've been driving for just over 2 years and have been an owner operater the entire time. Not driving for another company. People phone when they need machines, hay, scrap, gravel, material whatever fits on the trailers we have. My dad has been doing this with his father for roughly 35 plus years and has been a great teacher but he doesn't do it for me. I do all my own wrenching. My truck has seen a shop once for a diagnostic check when I was buying it as the engine fan was stuck on. But since then I have repaired it myself as that's how I am. My yard is littlered in old tractors I fix up and repair. I'm and mechanically inclined and enjoying learning about my stuff and also saving money. I have always tried to do something on my own even if it would end up costing the same as I can learn from it. That being said when I am driving my truck from southern Manitoba up to northern Manitoba where a tow job will cost me $3000 to the nearest shop, I would much rather spend that ,only on other stuff. I don't know how busy you are but I do know that I barely had time to give my truck the maintenance it needed because we were so busy. One of my higher months income was over 40,000. I was working like crazy. If I had to sit for a week it would have cost me more than I could try an save or close to it. Especially to end up with a motor that wasn't fully reman. My slow part of the year is from May till mid August/September. I don't throw parts at my truck. It's ignorant for you to assume all you have like you know me. I haven't been at this long but it only took one year to see how it can go from lots of work to know work. I'm still learning not to be anxious and work hard when the work is there. While I am my own boss and I can say no and move stuff around, me and my father try hard to do what our customers want as soon as we can. I don't run strictly highway. Most of my work could be highway, gravel road (not nice ones these ones can have big creators) and lots of bush and hydro line clearing roads. You say don't throw money at parts but when your looking at rebuild your not throwing money at parts. You know what parts you need. If my truck is at 1.4 million and it's time for an inframe, I will spend the extra money for a complete reman. I've researched what is included and involved and imo that money is well spent. I know and old mechanic whose been doing this for his entire life and could tear the motor down in his sleep and would gladly work with me. But I want the benefit of knowing the motor has some warranty and that I don't ha e to worry when I'm 400 km down a remote gravel road with no cell reception at 2 am I will be fine and have no fear of a breakdown. I may be inexperienced in some eyes but I wont assume I know how you operate. And FYI when the truck was in the shop I solved the issue as it spent an entire day and the shop even bought an ecm for the truck. The previous owner was paying as part of the stipulation was that issue was to be fixed when I bought it. I told the shop right in the morning when I dropped it off that it was most likely a high pressure ac switch and none once diagnosed that.

 

Great opinion on the motor. It is a nagging pressure an Owner doesn't need. Warranty is nice to have.
It sounds like a great operation your dad has built.
Man you have bigger gonads than I do. Your busy season in the winter in that area. I wouldn't want any breakdowns either.
None of us ever do. But if you did breakdown in your scenario, you would still be walking maybe just not cussing as much. Good luck to the both of you.

 

There's be lots of times when I get mad at myself in this passed while because I knew something was up but there's only so many hours and turned a blind eye to a minor problem and even though minor it's caused me grief out on the road. One major part to that decision would be like you said less cussing. Nothing is full proof but if I can walk away an say I did the best I could then at least that won't eat me up lol I'm sure just like me Detroit special takes pride in what he can do and is hard on himself so doesn't take decision like that lightly.

 

Go price a reman CAT engine and guaranteed you will end up choosing to have yours inframed instead. Nothing wrong with an inframed motor. If you want extras pay for them. Everything gets inspected and signed off on during an inframe. If it fails it'll be covered the same as a crate motor would.

 

A reman is still better then an in frame .
You don't get things like resurfaced deck , line bored crank journals, hot tanked and magnufluxed block with an in frame. Front structure and rear structure reseal ect ect .....
I do agree thou , a reman from cat is expensive .