Nothing is ever as easy as it sounds. That homely is as apt for automobile restoration as it is for everyday life, and when I jumped headlong into my first restoration project in August 1999, I learned how true it is.

When I bought my 1967 Fairlane 500XL in August 1999, one of the deciding factors was that its original 289-2V was running reasonably well. Because of this I abandoned the usual engine-body-interior sequence for restoring old cars and planned on doing the body and interior-before tackling the engine. As a vote of confidence in the 143,000-mile engine, I ordered an Autolite 2100 from Pony Carburetors with plans to toss the 1974 service replacement model that was on it. I also spent the next 10 months collecting a lot of other parts before I decided to put on the new carburetor.

In early June 2000, I decided it was time to add the new carb, and as my "deputy assistance service advisor" looked on during the test run, the engine started emitting a loud squealing noise. Before I could turn it off there came from somewhere inside the engine a loud and painful THUNK! Even a rookie knew what that meant.

The first decision was to have some one else rebuild the engine. This decision was easy because I don't have a garage or basement where I could do the job myself, I don't have all of the necessary skills and tools, and I didn't know anyone who had the room, tools, or time to help me. Even though I saw ads for complete rebuild kits for the 289 priced at $800-$1000, I simply was not going to be able to do it alone.

Accepting my limitations, I set out to explore what needed to be done and find someone to do it. Almost immediately I realized that there is a lot more to "rebuilding an engine" than simply rebuilding the engine. It never dawned on me that part of the process (and costs) included removing and reinstalling the engine and getting it to and from the rebuilder, as well as towing the car to and from the installer.

So my first step was to find a rebuilder. Local estimates ran from $1,800 to $2,200, with crate engines in the $2,350-plus range, for stock rebuilds with no special machining.

Next I found a guy who would remove and reinstall the engine for $450, but he said I couldn't leave the carcass at his place during the rebuild because he lacked the room. Also, he wouldn't take the engine to the rebuilder -- that was my job, he said. He also said that when the engine was finished I'd have to pick up the engine and tow the carcass back to him for reinstallation. My first thought was, "It seems like I'm dong too much work here."

Along the way I also decided to have the C4 automatic transmission overhauled as long as it was out. I received a quote of $650 from a local guy who is reputed to be the "guru of C4s." Getting the transmission to and from this guru would also be my responsibility, but could be piggybacked when I took the engine to and from the rebuilder.

Several weeks earlier I had bought a pair of Flowmaster 40s to give the Fairlane a nice growl. Once the engine was complete, these would be added. I looked around and found an independent muffler shop that would do the work for $350 using 2.25-inch aluminized pipe and inserting an "H" pipe.

So, within a few weeks of blowing the engine, my budget looked like:

REBUILD

Rebuild to stock $2,000

Remove and reinstall engine: $ 450

Towing (3/@$75) $ 225

Haul engine and transmission to and from

installer and rebuilder $ 150

TOTAL $2,825

EXTRAS

Exhaust system $ 350

Transmission rebuild $ 650

GRAND TOTAL $3,825

Obviously, the total was a far cry from the $1,800 I'd originally estimated. Not only that, but I needed to take off work a minimum of three days to tow the car to the engine puller, deliver the engine and transmission to the rebuilders, and tow the carcass home, and later reverse the process. Taking off work was one thing, but I also had to coordinate the schedules of several other people, a process that I knew would stretch my time and patience.

Quickly, I realized I needed a one-stop shop to handle this.

Just around the corner from my home outside of Annapolis, Maryland, I have a neighbor who is a weekend drag racer, and he hooked me up with his mechanic, Jamie, who later accepted the job simply because he enjoys working on old cars. One of Jamie's conditions was that the job would be on a time-available basis, meaning it may take up to 3 months instead of the normal 2-3 weeks.

Jamie's estimate for the entire job was within $300 of my combined earlier estimates. The advantage for Jamie was that he offered "one-stop service:" he would take care of everything once he picked up my car, he would install the new exhaust system, and the rebuild would include additional machining not covered in the other estimates. Jamie's auto repair business was next door to a transmission shop that would refurbish the transmission and torque converter. (As it turned out, the transmission was in good shape so it needed only a good cleaning, new gaskets and seals, and some small hard parts.)

By now it was early August, and Jamie's estimate was:

REBUILD

Rebuild $2.265

Jamie's labor $1,000

Contingency $ 300

TOTAL $3,565

EXTRAS

Exhaust system $ 250

Transmission $ 300

Total $4,115

Though Jamie's estimate was nearly $300 above my earlier combined estimates, I figure my time and the aggravation of coordinating everyone's' schedules, humping the car and its parts around the area were worth at least that much. Plus, he was local so I could check on his progress at regular intervals. So, in mid-August I told Jamie it was deal and to come and get the car.

It was about three days later that I got the bad news. That ominous THUNK! I'd heard in June was the final gasp of the car's original matching-numbers engine. After opening the engine, Jamie found that a bolt holding a connecting rod on the crank had snapped, allowing the rod to swing around and bust off a piece of the cylinder skirt. The block was junk; the flailing rod and loose pieces also bent and dinged the crank enough to junk it also.

After I inspected the damage, I set about to find a replacement block and crank. As luck would have it, Jamie was also working a 1965 Ford pick-up with a good running but tired 289-2V. The truck's owner had already paid Jamie to jerk the engine, so the owner offered the 289 to me for $250. After a quick check with some friends, I learned the 1965 block was a 100 percent match with the original 1967 block. I told Jamie to use the 1965 block and crank but use the original 1967 parts for everything else.

While $2,265 was a tad high for the rebuild, it was an excellent value considering the extra machining done. In addition to a 0.40-inch overbore, the shop also installed hardened valve seats, milled the heads .010/inch and milled the deck .008/inch, to create a nice flat surface to mate the heads and block. They also balanced the rotating assembly.

The over-bore, with the head and deck work, turned my 289CID into a 295CID, and upped the compression ratio from the stock 9.8:1 to about 10.4:1 with the stock 53-56cc heads. Complementing all of this, we used a mild cam for improved performance. The cam specs are .281/.450 INT .296/.474 EXH and are a nice improvement over the stock cam of .230/.360 INT .237/.380 EXH. Lastly, we used 2.25-inch welded aluminized pipe to custom-bend the exhaust before adding the Flowmaster 40s.

We needed only $100 from the contingency fund, so the final cost of the job was:

REBUILD

Rebuild $2,265

Jamie's pay $1,000

Contingency $ 100

TOTAL $3,365

EXTRAS

Exhaust system $ 250

Transmission $ 300

GRAND TOTAL $3,915

Add in the $250 for the replacement block, which would have been necessary regardless of who did the rebuild, and the total cost is $4,265.

There is no doubt that a competent weekend mechanic could have done the rebuild a lot cheaper. But considering my shortcomings regarding space, tools, skills, and time any extra costs made the venture a good value, especially considering the extra machining done on the block and heads and the balancing, along with the convenience of having a single person in charge of all of the work.

The total down time of the car was about 3 months, roughly from mid-August to mid-November. Rather than an obstacle, this downtime allowed me to strip the engine compartment of all components, sand it down to bare metal and then prime and paint it to near-OEM specs using Krylon #1613. I also refurbished the power steering pump and its brackets, replaced the rubber boot on the power steering piston, cleaned the alternator and brackets, then added new brake lines, a new master cylinder, a new solenoid, and a new windshield washer pump and reservoir. All of which matches nicely with the freshly painted engine and its new hoses, belts, plug wires etc. And hidden under the stock distributor cap is a new Petronix electronic ignition module to provide hotter and better-regulated spark.

While the engine was out I also removed and refurbished the wiring harness. One of the previous owners of the car had painted the entire engine compartment a glossy black following a small carburetor fire. The paint job included all of the wiring, but with a little carburetor cleaning fluid and some elbow grease everything was put back right.

Right now I'm putting on some miles to break-in the engine before I take it back for a dynamometer test. In 1967, a stock 289-2V with a single exhaust was rated at 200Bhp @4,400rpm, and producing 282 ft/lbs. of torque at 2,400rpm. Those numbers were taken at the crankshaft and did not account for losses of power as it traveled through the transmission, down the drive shaft, into the rear end, and out to the axles.

Today's values are taken from the rear wheels. The differences between 1967 numbers and 2001 number could easily be as much as 20-25 percent. Using that rule of thumb, a stock 289-2V would be putting out about 150-160 Bhp under today's standards.

Jamie has estimated that with the bigger cam, higher compression ratio, electronic ignition, and duals, the car should easily hit 180-plus Bhp, equivalent to about 230 Bhp in 1967. I'll post the numbers here after the dyno.

Lastly, the only untied thread is to find a home for the left over 1965 parts, the most valuable of which is the aluminum timing-chain cover. Any offers?