What can I do with this mess… BOTCHED cam and lifter job

[healthyrx]

Since you threw out that $8k figure, my thoughts would be to first go talk to that machine shop up the road. They could probably do a basic hone/ring job, fresh cam/lifters and assembly for under that. Second would be to price out a fresh long block. Whatever that costs and the labor to put it back in.

Outside of those 2 options, I think selling it as a roller and buying a Tacoma like you also stated may be the best path. Especially since you already found some other damages caused by that guy. No telling what other surprises you'll find as you go to put the motor back in

I spoke with them yesterday, theyll swing by my shop sometime and give me an idea on cost but they're about 4 months out on scheduling right now...
I think I may like the idea of selling it as a roller the most. The truck has been nothing but headaches.. before I became involved with the company it had the air suspension replaced 2-3 times, the last time of which the local ram dealer let it sit in their yard for so long a rodent got inside the cab, made a nest out of the back seat, died and leaked goop into the carpet....

 

[TotallyHucked]

Yep, send her down the road

 

[Sherman Bird]

one thing that i would do immediately

take a bunch or sandwich bags that seal up.
Those fasteners, bolts, screws, nuts need to go into those baggies.
Use a Permanent Marker to mark the bags, before putting the fasteners into them.

the bags should be marked Starter or Starter Solenoid, etc.
You would be surprised how fast parts & hardware get lost.

Nothing worse than a mechanic hired to put something back together, that can't find hardware, it is irritating enough to start throwing wrenches

I'm currently replacing the engine (5.3L "T") in a 2006 GMC Sierra. This one seized up due to a hunk of carbon letting loose in #7 and the rod bent when said hunk of carbon wedged against the cylinder head. I use the Ziplock bags with a sharpie to mark what's what. What a lifesaver! I've been doing this for about 30 years! Saves time, migraines, and many cuss words!

 

[LeeD]

I'm currently replacing the engine (5.3L "T") in a 2006 GMC Sierra. This one seized up due to a hunk of carbon letting loose in #7 and the rod bent when said hunk of carbon wedged against the cylinder head. I use the Ziplock bags with a sharpie to mark what's what. What a lifesaver! I've been doing this for about 30 years! Saves time, migraines, and many cuss words!

I’ve been doing that for a long time and it’s a life saver when it’s time to reassemble. Another trick my friend taught me is to setup a large table and as you’re disassembling put the pieces on the table running right to left and back to front. This way you just go left to right and front to back when reassembling.

 

[Sur5er]

with 175k on the engine, you are really looking at a complete rebuild! Is the chassis, tranny, suspension, and the rest of the body worth the money you will have to spend for the rebuild and installation? Be prepared to deal with and pay for more broken and wrong parts as well as the mechanic's aggravation. Grab a pencil and paper and do a straight-line cost-benefit analysis.

 

[rosco11]

Long story short…
before I started, my company had hired someone who was in mechanic school and was supposed to be out full time mechanic. He began working on replacing the cam and lifters in a 2014 ram 1500 we have and we ended up having to let him go 4 weeks into the attempted lifter job… yes 4 weeks into the lifter job.. we let him go for somewhat unrelated reasons, however now I am left with this mess.
I do not think that he replaced the cam or lifters yet because there is a box of lifters in my shop however I do not have anybody able to pick up where he left off nor do I want to get stuck paying a mechanic to figure it out…

I figure he was not exactly careful in removing the engine either as I noticed one of the transmission cooler hard lines (the ones that run right underneath the oil filter) is ripped- like he forgot to unhook it and just bent it back and forth until it broke
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It is less time consuming, read cheaper, to buy a rebuilt long block and just swap the engine. Which is what you should do now. I am assuming the engine has over 200k miles, if the cam and lifters need replacing. So the bearings, rings, etc are also well worn and you will be spending as much money just doing the cam and lifters as it would cost to do ALL of it.

A compitent mechanic is going to charge in access of 5000 to do the cam and lifters. That same mechanic is going to charge you at least that much to pick up this mess as it sits and sift through it to put it back together. Or you can hire someone for cheap, just like you did last time, who is not certified and spin the revolver one more time hoping you get lucky.

Do it yourself. If you can not, hire someone who can. The going rate for certified mechanical work like this is 120 to 150 an hour. Plus parts. The least time consuming path, read cheapest path, to get your truck back on the road is a rebuilt long block and pay a certified mechanic to install it.

 

[Dusty]

Have you approached an experienced Ram dealer technician to see if they'd be willing to moonlight this project?

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, 18” wheels. Build Date: 3 June 2018. Now at 97660 miles.

 

[tntdiddy]

No matter the brand of vehicle, this should be quick and easy since it's a business decision, a company truck that's probably been fully depreciated, is taking up valuable space, hasn't been able to be used for its intended purpose (generate income), and is highly likely to continue breaking down (which will cost the company more revenue). Buy a replacement vehicle and send out a memo to all employees that the company is taking written, cash offers on this project truck prior to another method of selling it. It's past time to dump it.

 

[Sherman Bird]

Have you approached an experienced Ram dealer technician to see if they'd be willing to moonlight this project?

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, 18” wheels. Build Date: 3 June 2018. Now at 97660 miles.

Now THAT'S funny! I was approached MANY times in my illustrious career in dealerships to "moonlight" by customers who were basically cheating the system. Personally, I thought they were mighty arrogant to approach me to do work on the side. Professionally, it is playing with dynamite. These high paying dealers today actually ferret out subversive behavior in their techs by sending in "undercover" posers to bait techs with such proposals; then fire the ones who fall for the ruse. Sonic Automotive group did when I worked at one of their dealerships. Part of the employment agreement contract included a clause forbidding side work.

The fact that someone assumed I wanted to spend my leisure time working on their vehicles, taking on a huge liability so THEY could fatten their wallets was pretty presumptuous, not to mention an insult to my intelligence, and a slap in the face of professionalism.

Who pays for screw-ups? An uninsured wannabe who actually is so dim as to fall for that scene certainly has no insurance. One tech I worked with back in the 80's worked on a Mercedes in his home garage on a side job, and was killed when the car caught fire. He left a widow and 3 small children along with making them homeless due to the destruction of their dwelling.

 

[pakuma]

Another thought is:

1) Have machine shop do the head work like we said above. Then those are done.
2) Talk to local people you know. Find out who the local dealer's Hemi "Guru" is (but don't go there)
3) Contact that person (not at work), and ask if they'd be willing to assemble and reinstall the engine for you, say at nights/weekends (on the side). Be prepeared to throw some good cash at them to get their attention. The thought-process here is a Hemi guru mechanic will literally know every nut and bolt and where they go. Some of these mechanics have home shops too. They'll charge more per hour, but they should be a lot faster than your guy who took 4 weeks! You learn to work fast at dealerships. You don't want some moron putting too long of a bolt into an engine block and causing damage!
4) If #3 doesn't yield anything. Consider contacting the local dealer and explain your situation and what they might charge to reinstall it. You'll have to pack everything over there ..and that's going to take time/effort. But again, they do this stuff a lot. Especially smaller dealers who might not be so busy right now. So... not sure if you want to do that. But these are some ideas to consider.
5) Plus the Ram mechanic can probably tell you what other parts of the engine you should replace ..things they see crap out.

6) How are the truck's exh manifolds? You might want to have them inspected and 'trued' up too at the machine shop when you take the heads in.

Be very careful approaching a Dealer's Technician, some dealers would fire them if they found out that they were doing side work
___

 

[Marshall]

i came up with some scrambled thoughts

You mentioned deleting MDS
I believe to truly deleting it, you have to use the Camshaft out of a 2500 & build up from there with parts that interchange with both the 1500 & 2500 engines, i think i recall, something about the heads, maybe 2500 parts

another thing, you mentioned that the truck was in the same complex as the machine shop.
I bet that the machine shop manager knows a couple of mechanics that moon light

That’s My idea, talk to those guy, and have them look at the block
I really hate fixing some ones stuff that’s pulled apart, you have no clue what was going on before, but if it’s just lifters, may as well finish the job if the block looks good, plane the old manifolds as well
You may stuck with the Chinese crap
Or sell it cheap to kid with no money