Back in the days a cars engine had a life expectancy of about 100,000 miles. Now-a-days, car engines last longer.
If a car from the 70's or 80's has an engine rebuild now-a-days, what is the life expectancy on it's engine?
Are there customs engines for classic cars that can last a few hundred thousand miles?
A large part of the improvement in engine life these days is due to oils that are far superior than what was available in the past.
Older engines can last a long time if properly cared for. I have a 1986 vehicle with 300,000 miles on it that still runs practically like new. Engine has never been apart and is an evolution of a 1960s design. Also have a 1971 model with over 160,000 miles (not super high miles but still well over 100K) that runs great, no oil burning, engine never rebuilt.
How long a rebuild lasts depends on how good a job was done.
I think better engineering and materials contribute to the longevity too
Yes, though we seem to be going backward to an extent with some of the technologies being used such as cylinder deactivation and squeezing small-displacement engines within an inch of their lives with GDI and turbocharging.
Light bulbs also went through a period of improvement and refinement, until they became good enough to last a person's lifetime. When companies realized they were putting themselves out of business, they engineered a limit back into them
Definitely seems to be something going on. The number of people with relatively recent cars that come here reporting severe engine problems is amazing. I don't experience those kind of problems with my decades-old beaters that have hundreds of thousands of miles on them.
You have to realize that statistically, defects will happen, no matter the era. And people only come to this site when they have problems. So the proportions seem skewed. Additionally, you can’t use antique cars as an argument because those were the few that made it. You’re forgetting all the ones that didn’t. It’s called survivor bias. Ask any old mechanic who’s been doing it all his life. He’ll tell you that cars are more reliable than they were 50, 60 years ago
What kind of 1986 car do you have?
So if I take my fathers 1974 Plymouth and just change the oil regularly with good oil and drive conservatively....it can last a few hundred thousand miles?
1986 Saab 900S. Engine is derived from a 1960s Triumph engine originally used in the Saab 99, which was also used in the Triumph TR7. (The Triumph engine suffered from British Car Syndrome and was substantially re-engineered by Saab when it was brought in-house.) I used to have a 1985 900 whose engine was still running great at 400,000 miles but wasn't worth replacing or rebuilding the trans when that went out on it.
Chrysler slant-six and small block V8 engines from that period are known for longevity. How much you can get out of it at this point depends on how it's been treated over the last 48 years and what you do going forward.