🚀 go-pugleaf

Hello again.  I thought I would throw this one out.

How sucessful are engine rebuilds (assume they are done as well as
possible)?

  I've heard that a proper engine rebuild can restore an engine
to new or better performance.  I've also heard that you can never restore
an engine 100% with a rebuild - things have stressed, warped, etc. (after
100k miles) and that you cannot expect to get the same amount of mileage
out of a rebuilt engine as you got from it when it was new.

My car is beginning to show some oil consumption (more than 1qt every
1200 miles) and at first I thought of dedicating this christmas to
rebuilding it.  Now I'm considering only taking off the head to replace the
gasket (it does leak) and having the valves/head machined (new/knurled guides
of course).  I have a feeling (from looking down into other engines of it's
type) that most of the oil loss may be from valve leakdown and not ring
wear.  All compression specs are at or above the factory specs (I may
have some carbon around the rings to help me along).  My major objective
is to recover oil consumption (or lack thereof) with minimal engine
trauma and greatest longevity.

If I recondition the head will the added pressure (from well-sealing valves,
etc.) simply accelerate the wear in the bottom end?  Is it silly to do
partial (top end) rebuilds?  Am I being penny-wise and pound foolish?

The car?  Volvo 145.  Engine? B20B  Miles?  120,000
Well taken care of.  Almost no major mechanical work to this point (head
has never been off).

Will summarize.
-- 
    Gregory R. Travis
    Institute for Social Research - Indiana University - Bloomington, In
    ihnp4!inuxc!isrnix!greg
    {pur-ee,allegra,qusavx}!isrnix!greg