inframe.

Did a few over the years , not that hard with the correct parts / kits , also helps having a shop to work in and good array of tools.

 

If you can rebuild a small block chevy you can rebuild a diesel engine . the only difference is the size of the parts you are working with and the torque specs .

just get the engine manuals from the maker of the engine . I use oem parts too not aftermarket makers . the cat manuels are tricky because you need at least three different ones to get the job done and they are about 500 bucks but well worth the money. I got lucky because my buddies have the torque wrench for the rods and mains and I just had to buy one special tool . that was the socket for the head bolts and cat got 106 bucks for that one !!!!! but It works like a charm too so I guess it was cheap ....LOL and it does make an awesome paper weight for the wife to use in the office .

Just do every step like they tell ya in the book and it is not that hard other than clocking the rods and mains !

 

I helped with a couple overhauls the first trucking job I had back in the 90's. Two things I remember was he had to have a guy come in with a special tool to press in the pistons/sleeves, and for the main bearing bolts we had a 6' pipe on a 3/4" breaker bar and had two guys push on it as hard as we could, lol. I doubt if this method is in the tech manual, but it worked.

 

It depends on what motor you have & how thorough you want to be with your overhaul. You will very likely need specialized tools, specific to your engine, for things like removing & installing sleeves, measuring deck height, cam timing, etc. It's an expensive enough investment that I would prefer to pay someone who works on my brand of engine every day, knows what things to look for, knows all the short cuts, has read all the service bulletins, has the ability in house to re-cut a counter bore, magnaflux the head and hot tank all the parts before they go back on. The cost of the labor seems cheap to me compared with the time & revenue I could lose doing my own, or some shade tree mechanics, work over because it something went wrong. Just my .02

 

Buy a reman head and six new injectors, its worth the little extra money trust me. I overhaul engines for a living the only time there is trouble is when they try to save money or get by cheap. For instance well I'll take my head to machine shop and have my injectors tested, there is alot more to a big diesel truck head than a small block chevy I promise you. Also pay close attention to rocker shafts that seem round they may have an orientation could have oil pressure trouble when done then somebody throws a couple grand at it just replacing parts, and you have pay some one to actually fix it. I'm not saying the average mechanically inclined guy cant handle it but I am saying attention to detail and if you make the bottom new and go cheap on the top well tops gonna be weaker than bottom the weak side always gives first.

 

I did my detroit 60 series on my last truck and planing on doing this cat on my current truck this winter. I save quite abit doing it my self.
I used a torque mutipler on the rods and mains. Had the machine shop drop the pistons in the liners for me while they put rings on wrist pins on.This save time and only had to drop the liners in with the pistons already in the liners.
I got lucky and didn't have to cut the top of the block to match up the liners.
I did have to buy an extra injector because I over torqued a cylinode when connecting the wires back on and broke a screw off.Those torque at approx. 3 inch pds.
I found the complete job very rewarding after completing.

 

The CAT be a lot easier if you buy CAT parts piston will come in liner with rods already on.

 

unless you buy the CAT SILVER precious metal overhaul kit. it doesn't come with reman rods.

 

Again why would you replace pistons, liners, rings, rod bearings, main bearings, and stop short not replce wrist pin bushings which are at the other end of rod bearings. Which by the way rod bearings and wrist pin bushings will always be the items with most wear due to the brutal force they are thrown from top to bottom, and by the way a new bushing comes pressed in reman rod. And not replace the piston cooling nozzles as well also not in precious metals kit. The money u save by not doing it right, figure spending 3 times that amount to go back in just a short time later because you saved a few bucks. Not to mention more down time