I’m looking into the options for moving my son into a 2 stroke maybe for next season. Obviously there is more maintenance with 2 strokes compared to briggs, but if we’re just running some club races, is it manageable to do the work yourself and still be competitive? I’m very inexperienced with 2 cycle engines, but I am a career tool and die maker and have no issues working with tight tolerance items.
Best thing to do is download the overhaul manual for the engine you’re planning to run. Read it through you’ll understand if it’s within your capabilities.
Essentially, top end (piston changes) is an absolute doddle. Your kid could do it.
Bottom end gets a bit more complex, still not rocket science I only choose to send mine to the shop because I don’t have the tooling.
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You’ll have no trouble with top ends and porting.
Bottom ends feature a lot of presswork and you’ll have to decide whether you’ll be doing enough of them to justify the cost of the dies.
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If you are driving a lot I’d just do my own engines, it is not that difficult if you could get an overhaul manual for your particular engine.
Get the runout as close to zero and have some shaft play is the most crucial part
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As a career tool and die maker, I’d be shocked if you had any issues fully rebuilding a non gearbox two stroke. Honestly, you probably wouldn’t have much of a difficult time rebuilding any engine if you had the proper tools and documentation. It’s not that hard, it’s just complicated when you think about it all at once. Taken step by step, it should be a simple enjoyable affair.
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For me it was more of a question of Cost versus Time benefit. I have the tools at my disposal, but lack the time to really do the job right. Maybe if I was doing multiple rebuilds at a time, it would be worth it to me. As it stands, its easier, despite the cost to just send it out to a professional. On a second note, when you have a builder do it, you can always fall back on them for advise about tuning or issues you are having when they arise. Most builders will dyno the engine after rebuild and supply you with carb settings for peak performance. For me, that information is priceless.