1985 Gas DS Engine Rebuild

[chrisivc]

I have a 1985 CC DS with a 341cc original engine that runs fairly well given it's age. The cart was owned privately and was used about once to twice a week on a golf course from 1985-2001 up until when my grandfather passed away. The cart has been has been used occasionally (a few times a year) since then. Two years ago, I took possession of the cart because my wife could use it. I replaced the shocks, fuel lines and got it in pretty good shape.

The only real problem we have had with it is that the engine smokes a little until the engine gets warmed up and the fact that we get an occasional backfire. It does not really have any knocks of pings that I can hear, but we also know it is old and we rarely push it above 50% rpm. I have been thinking of getting the engine rebuilt while there are still rebuild kits available since this engine model was discontinued around 20 years ago. From what I have been reading, a replacement engine of a different model would not be worth retrofitting. I would love to have this cart work for another 5-10 years, if possible.

Is a correctly done engine rebuild something that a local shop (I am in Dallas, TX) can do, or should I send it to be rebuilt to a specialist who rebuilds these small engines on a regular basis? My goal is to service and rebuild the engine right so it is like new so there is little risk of a future mechanical failure.

There is a shop in Missouri (Precision Engineering StL) that says they specialize in the rebuild & fabrication of this particular engine. I see a few people have asked about in this forum before but it is somewhat pricey. Has anyone used them for an engine rebuild before? If so, what was your experience? I am wondering if it was worth the trouble to send it off or if a local shop would be able to do the same thing.

I am pretty mechanically inclined but I dont think I trust myself to do a full engine rebuild (I have rebuilt a lawnmower engine before but that was a smaller engine with less components) and would rather pay a professional for the piece of mind of having a professional do it right the first time, especially since this engine is hard to replace if it fails.

Thanks,
Chris