engine rebuild help, lots of questions on organization and other stuff Options

[stateofidleness]

hey guys..

so im in the middle of "rebuilding" my engine, and by that i mean replacing all the hoses, stripping the smog equipment, painting/powder coating to make it look nice, and other general maintenance.

what i have a hard time understanding is how you guys keep everything sorted when taking it all apart?? im an ABSOLUTE noob with this stuff and am basically learning as i go from online forums and friends (MUCH MUCH MUCH appreciated btw!)

taking it apart is no problem lol, but im scared that i wont be able to put it back together.. i barely know the names of most of the parts of the engine let alone where the parts "should" be. ive seen some very beautiful engines on here and know what mine could possibly look like if i take the time to do it right. that is what inspires me and keeps me motivated.

WITHOUT spending tons of $$ on taking it to a shop to be "machined" (dont even really know what that means... is it possible for me to have a solid reliable engine "rebuild" without taking it all COMPLETELY apart... basically tin off and stopping... i dont have the knowledge or funds to turn it into a huge powerful engine but i think i can do most myself and have a solid build.

what all would ya'll recommend i do (im a novice, keep that in mind) and side question is how do ya'll keep it all organized?
another side question: if i get all the tin off and decide to powder coat, will the coater straighten the tin for me to? how do ya'll straighten the edges?

thanks for the help in advance!

maybe i should post in the concourse section as well for some pics of stock 2.0L's?

[Twystd1]

Assuming your engine has good leak down numbers and the oil pressure is where it should be. And there are no "WRONG" noises coming from the engine.

A major tune up like what Cevan did is the hot ticket. Especially if someone is financially challenged.

I really like what Cevan did on his engine. That sucker looks darn purdy to me...!!!!!

IF you haven't dropped your engine/trans combo to facilitate your major tune up.

YOU SHOULD. And it's easy to do. REALLY.

The first time might take 2-3 of hours to do this with a helper that hasn't done it before.

The second time you will have it out in 45 minutes or so.

Aaron and I can drop an engine/Trans combo and reinstall it in about an hour while were talking shit on each other at a machine gun staccato pace while eating burgers.

Bradhole does it even faster.

By the time you have pulled and installed a Type IV engine for the third time.
You will responding to all the "How do I drop the motor" threads like you are an old pro.
(You will act old and wise even though the 12 year old neighbor kid did all the work) (Gotta love the kids)

Have fun with your major tune up. And take the time to appreciate the knowledge and work you put into your car. It's priceless.

Clayton