Hello all , im about to tackle pulling the engine on my 64 starfire . I want to freshen it up a bit , nothing fancy . Any info on rod and main bearings ? Places like fusick and kanter offer them but at a costly price . Anybody find any loop holes on parts ? Thanks

 

Did you check here for rebuild kits?

https://egge.com/

 

Not sure if it's possible to rebuild it cheaply and I wouldn't want to if it meant lesser quality parts.
Anyway I'm interested in following the rebuild if you don't mind posting your progress.
I have a 62 394 I'm gonna rebuild in the future.

 

Kanter and Fusick would be my last choice for engine parts because they a priced higher than most. The level of "freshening up" you plan doing can affect cost. I certainly not buy the cheapest kit you find.

The first consideration is how much piston clearance do you have. Worn, sloppy, loose pistons needs to be determined. Worn pistons and worn cylinder bores could lead to piston skirt breakage, especially if you are planning to use the original pistons.

I would look at Charlie Jones posts on rebuilding his 394. Charlie is meticulous about what he does and knows what he is doing.

 

Here is my story on my 394 re-build.
I totally agree that it is an expensive proposition.
Probably twice what a small block Chevy would cost
Before buying parts, tear down the engine and measure the wear.
The cylinder walls should not exceed a taper of .012 thousandth top to bottom.
Top being the deepest point of the piston ring groove that occurs at the top of it's travel .
The bottom being the lower part of the cylinder.
If the walls exceed 012 taper, then the engine must be re-bored and new pistons.
Mic the crank shaft and compare it to shop manual specs.
If the journal diameters are out of spec or the rod journals are out of round by .002 or more.
Then the crankshaft will need to be re-ground.
394 "Rocket" engine build - ClassicOldsmobile.com

 

I'd have to look at my receipts. I bought some things from Terrill in Texas, and I think I bought some things from the shop that did my maching work.

 

Before pulling the engine apart do a compression test or better yet a leakdown test to identify problem areas.

 

The least expensive way to buy the parts is in a kit. Buying everything separately is almost always going to cost 30% more.

See what your machine shop can get the parts for. I can typically get parts for decent prices and still make a few dollars on them.

Don't buy anything until you have the engine apart and know what you need.

 

If the OP's Starfire still has a Slim Jim Rotohydramatic transmission, I bet he'll need the damper plate too that bolts to the flywheel. When I rebuilt the 394 in my 64 98 the damper plate had several broken springs in it. Check here if you need the damper plate.

https://www.fatsco.net/

I also had 2 pistons with broken piston skirts. 1 also had a broken ring land.