Does anyone else remember these and are they still around? Probably not since the newer construction methods would limit their access plus the modern engines are not as prone to failure as the older ones.
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Joe
I would guess its too much risk/not enough profit what really kills it for car garages. If you rebore the old engine and fit oversize pistons (making assumptions that the liners are thick enough to take it, aren't nikisil coated etc) and the customer takes it away and doesn't run it back in correctly, your still going to get lumped with the blame for it going wrong when it starts to smoke or seizes during running-in. People just expect to turn a key and have their car work immediately once its been fixed, like their washing machine or fridge does.
Compare that to the garage just bolting in a short engine. They only have to answer for the connecting it up bit, any problems inside go back to the short engine suppliers who offer a guarentee for their engine. And it will come bedded in from the factory so no having to explain to a end user about how to run a engine back in. Much less risk.
And when you've costed up the hourly labor to strip a engine, prepare and post fettle it, pay someone who knows how to setup the bar and rebore it in situ and add in the costs of oversize pistons and gaskets etc. I'd wager theres more pure profit to bolting in a replacement short engine.
If you go into a motorcycle shop clutching a scored cylinder or with a poorly bike, odds on they have a local specialist who has a van norman which the above indian bar seems to be a copy of, who does the cylinders for all the shops in that area. There are still quality companies which supply this little industry if their pockets are deep enough. Kwikway seems to be the big name of late.
http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=KWK055-0001-15&source=froogle&kw=KWK055-0001-15Loved that site for that company doing the marine regrind stuff. Everyone shirtless and in red boiler suits in the promo shots. Definitely NOT faked for the website by marketing types
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