Let's take a few seconds here to think. If you played baseball, would you show up to a game without a set of cleats? If you went to the lake, would you forget the boat? No, of course not. Why, then, ...

Building an engine is a sort of rite of passage for motorheads, one that holds the power to provide a tremendous sense of accomplishment, though it can also bring the pain and frustration of failure.

The days of the budget-friendly crate engine have sadly disappeared. Sure, you can still find a fully assembled long-block for less than $3,000, but with cast pistons and rebuilder heads, these are ...