I'm the "plane lt." for a skyhawk, based in northern NJ (KCDW), that's
getting ready for its engine overhaul. What should we do with it?

I'm curious what others have done, and how its worked for them. I've been
doing some of reading of articles, but it's raised more questions than
answers. Questions I do need, but I'd also like some of those answers.

Questions bouncing around head include:

Should we get our engine overhauled, or swap it for a previously overhauled
engine?

If we do overhaul, is "to new specifications" the only reasonable choice?

Is there a difference of significance between "factory rebuilt" (zero-timed)
and "overhauled to 'new specifications'"?

Any recommendations for shops for the overhaul (or shops to avoid)?

Finally, I'm confused about the process. Does one shop remove/replace and
another actually do the engine work? Or does the plane need to be flown to
the shop that either does the overhaul or has the engine to swap?

For others asking similar questions, here's some of what I've read:

http://www.mattituck.com/new/articles/ohterms.htm
http://www.avweb.com/news/maint/185049-1.html
http://www.aviation-consumer.com/arc...rt/4718-1.html

I've also looked through the forums on cessna.org, but I cannot relocate
what I'd previously found there.

Thanks...

Andrew