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View Full Version : OT - Info on Precision Engines - Houston



Michael Cody
05-14-2004, 8:06 PM
Don't usually go off-topic but I know we have some motor heads here as well premier woodworkers.. who span a great breadth of experience & interests.

My 16 year old blew his bank account on a 85 Ranger 4x4 with a real tired motor (2.8l w/150k lots of blow by & smoke).. but the body is near perfect, drive train excellent, tires-brakes great too.. for only 700$. Don't see how he could wrong on that -- picked up some of his grandpa's haggling genes. We are going to be spending the summer, me providing the expertise & loan, him the brawn & some cash payments to redo and rehab this truck. Sounds like fun, ya know reliving my youth through my son :D -- but anyway I found a long block @ Precision Engines in Houston for 895$ + 140$ shipping. That is 3-500 cheaper than anyone else and cheaper than I could rebuild & machine the old one. With such a good body & other stuff, this screams for a new/rebuilt motor not a used one .. Anyone ever heard/used these guys or maybe live in the Houston area and know of them.

This sounds like a super fun summer project for us both and my 11 year old wants to help too not to mention a couple of the older boy's buddies.. saving some cash would let use splurge a bit on some other items maybe ... thanx in advance for any help y'all can give me..

Chris Padilla
05-14-2004, 8:35 PM
Hey Mike,

That sounds like a blast to me! I wonder if my daughter will be interested in such things when she's that old! :)

It seems somehow ironic that the best deal you could find on an engine would be outside of Michigan! :) I know Detroit is GM (mostly??) but it still seems ironic. Sorry that I have nothing to add to your question. I know Todd burch lives in Katy...just a stone's throw from Houston. Perhaps he will know something.

Jason Roehl
05-14-2004, 8:52 PM
Michael--try asking on www.ford-trucks.com. You'll have to register there to post and all, but I guarantee someone there will have heard of them--they have close to 200,000 members. Lots of master mechs hang out there, with lots of good info.

Wes Bischel
05-14-2004, 11:45 PM
Mike,

Is this a 302/5.0 or are you staying with the 2.8? Just curiuos. :eek:
At under a grand, it sounds really cheap. Do they specify what parts are changed and what machining is done?

Either way, make sure there is some sort of warranty that does not include shipping the engine back to them for repairs.
Another possibility to consider is a local shop for the rebuild. You may be surprised (that is if you haven't checked already).

Sounds like fun.

Wes

Todd Burch
05-15-2004, 12:06 AM
Michael - wish I knew more about them, but I don't. Perhaps you could ask them for a reference in your neck of the woods. I could probably go by there, but I'm not sure what that would accomplish... If the warranty looks up to snuff, you'll probably be OK. There's a lot of cheap labor down here. Another place that advertises a lot on the Radio is Thunderbolt - they've been around as long I can remember and have a good reputation.

Todd

Tyler Howell
05-15-2004, 8:58 AM
You know the rules Mike. The Pix requirement holds true for OT too. :p
Great project and a great bonding opertunity.;)

Ted Shrader
05-17-2004, 12:49 PM
Michael -

I have had good luck with <a href="http://www.fourstarengines.com/">Four Star</a> engines. Put two different ones in trucks. Got mine through a local supplier - so no shipping costs. Prices were reasonable.

Ted

Robert Ducharme
05-17-2004, 1:25 PM
Michael,

If you are interested, I have the engine from my 1987 Jeep CJ-7 that is available. I replaced it with a Corvette engine.

It is a 6 cylinder 258 cu inch / 4.2 liter engine with a performance cam. It has about 20,000 miles on it since it was rebuilt. I expect that it would be more than sufficient for powering a ranger and would be pretty good on gas milage.

Send me a PM if you wish more details.