I've been reading quite a few posts here and it seems that everyone refresh's their motors different ways. The methods are completely random and there is no standard that I see. At what point (hours, Yrs) do you decide to do a completly massive overhaul?

Now you guys with those BIG POWERS, I think its obvious that you guys replace everything if not the whole motor...

Is there any standard out there by motorheads in which we refresh a boat motor or does it just depend on the rebuilder and customers driving habits??
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I'd be interested as well as I've got almost 400hrs on a set of 454 mags, all is well, but was just wondering WHEN it would be a good idea. And how much $ per motor would it cost?

I believe the cost per motor is going to be directly affiliated with the parts and labor involved with it. IE, if you only replace the valve springs, reseat the valves, and retainers your not looking at much. Although if your looking at replacing the pistons or their rings your looking a complete tear down.

Thats why I posted this thread, it seems that everyone has questions as to what and when to replace.

Hopefully we will get some good motorheads on this topic

If you're doing an "inspect and replace as necessary" you are doing the equivelent of a service overhaul. If you're remachining or replacing every component to factory specifications you are doing a rebuild. "Freshening" can mean a lot of different things, none of which means "rebuild".
Typically, if the engine got new rings, bearings, and a valve grind you could consider it freshened.

at what point or hours do you decide on rebuild or refresh?

a leakdown test and compression test are the best indicators.The top end(valves ability to seal/valve springs) usually needs attention in half the hours that a bottom end does,Smitty

so you typically rebuild every other what?? 200hrs??

depends on how the engines been used too......i saw a BBC in a 26 sport boat that was mainly used on a small lake for cruising around with a occasional high speed run but never beat on that had close to 1200 hours on it and still ran great. then again I've seen BBC's that have been beat on hard and only lasted 200hrs too.....

to me personally it comes down to how comfortable you are with what you think is the state of your engines health. if its bone stock then dont screw with anything till it breaks or starts loosing power for some reason. When i had my mild 454's in the scarab it was opened up just to take a look at how things are wearing.....in the 5yrs that i had it (besides the times the engines blew up i mainly did things like roll new bearings in or replaced valve springs that were weaker then the rest or replaced some broken poly-locks.