Things to address on M50 while out of the car?

[LTDScott]

I just purchased a former LeMons car that already had an M50/G250 swapped in (for $250!). The chassis is junk, but the car runs and drives great and I bought it to replace the dead M20B27 in my LeMons car. The M50 was actually purchased from someone here on r3v a few years ago.

From what I've been told, the engine has 170K-ish miles and good compression (which I will verify myself), and hasn't been apart other than to replace basic tune-up parts. Since I have to pull the engine to swap it, are there any weak points or common problems that I should fix or address while it's out? I'm aware of the M20's weaknesses, but this is my first venture into DOHC-land. Being LeMons, I'm working on a limited budget, so I'm just sticking to keeping the car reliable, although 189HP in a 2200LB car should be decently quick.

I still need to figure out what I want to do regarding the transmission. Apparently the synchros in the G250 are getting weak (common problem from what I've read). I'll probably just stick with the G260 that's currently in my car now, and find some solution for the trans mount.

Thanks!

[FredK]

Wow, for a Lemons car the M50 will rock!

There really isn't much to do for maintenance, maybe the serpentine belt, water pump, and thermostat and thermostat housing (especially if it's the plastic one). I'd drop the oil pan to check the oil pump nut. I don't think I've read of one backing off on an M50, but it doesn't hurt to check. If it was already used for LeMons, someone probably already secured it.