Hey guys! well, now my car'* engine is officially dead (very low oil pressure, knocking really bad). It'* most definitely a rod bearing thing.

I decided I'm gonna pull the engine out and do the main bearings, rod bearings and oil pump myself - I figured it'd be an interesting experience even if it fails

I have the Chilton'* manual to guide me through the process.

Does anyone here has any experience with this kind of repair? anything i need to know beforehand? also, what special tools, if any, would I need? Should I let a shop take care of some parts of this job?

Also, is there a chance I'll need to replace the crankshaft/pistons/connecting rods too? the car has been driven with this knock for 100-200 miles, more or less, since it first appeared (though it wasn't so bad in the beginning).

I know I have a lot questions but I've never done this before.

I'd really appreciate any info,

Well some "tools" are needed, such as a stamping set to mark all the main bearing caps & conn rods before disasembly (to make sure they go back into the same place). In my opinion I would replace ALL the bearings & reseal the entire engine. Depending on how much scaring is on the crank, you might get away with either "polishing" or building it up again & recutting it back down to size. Just make sure when you do this you make lotz of notes & mark everything as to where it goes to allow you to put it all back together in the proper place.

Thanks guys for all the info

Right now I think I'll take everything apart myself, and then just let a shop take care of the difficult parts, that is replacing piston rings, bearings, and doing the head work. I'll still be saving lots of money this way, and still have some fun too

Anyway, I'll let you know how it goes. I have some great plans for this car if it runs right after this repair. It'll be going into a body shop for a full bodywork and perhaps I'll even have it repainted. Then, I'm gonna get my fading blue dash repainted too. Then some little things - like new taillights (SSE ones perhaps? ), new horns (both are dead - they get voltage but don't make a sound), and a new Pontiac emblem for the grille. Finally, I'll fix the ABS and install new struts/shocks. Then I'll be a driving a new 11 y/o car

On Friday I'll start builiding my improvised engine pulling device. Pictures will also be coming soon if I can get my digital camera to work.