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Rebuild kit needed for 2.9L V6, Where/Who

My '91 Ranger extended cab 4x4 packed it in at 235,000 miles due to what I think is a cracked ring. I bought a Saturn 2001 SL1 since I really need to make it to work every night. Boy do I miss my truck!

The Saturn gets about double the gas mileage which will help make the payments but it is not a truck. I can't do Home Depot with this thing.

I checked around for long blocks and they are in the ~ 1700 - 2000 dollar range and since, I now have transportation, I figure a rebuild that I do myself would be a good idea. I have time now to do a restoration on the truck since it won't be my primary transport.

Who makes a reasonably priced rebuild kit? I have a feeling that I will need pistons. Cam and lifters also.

I've been googling around but not doing so good. Sometimes getting the key words to separate the wheat from the chaff is a bit less than intuitive.

Thanks in advance for pointers,

Wes

ps cross posted to rec.autos.4x4 and rec.autos.makers.ford.explorer since they seem to be relevant to the question.

Reply to
clutch
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You may be further ahead with the off-the-shelf rebuilt. At 235,000 miles, I would think that your block is ready to be rebored and have new pistons fitted. Then there's the question of the cylinder heads - probably new exhaust valves and new valve guides ...

When it comes to these sorts of repairs, it is often hard to decide where to draw the line..... we're dumping some serious change (as well as time) into the project so we would like it to live as long as possible. Yes, we could always pack up the block and crank and cart them and the heads off to the machine shop but we start getting into the area of warranty responsibility and limitations.

While not beyond the scope of a DIYer, there remains the problem of having a clean assembly area and the hassle of running back and forth if things aren't up to snuff.

Having said that,

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a bit on engine kits as does
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- on that looks prettyinteresting is
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HTH Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

Reply to
Jim Warman

I expect the block will need a rebore for sure, a cracked ring likely did some exhaust gas cutting of wall. Don't have the figures right at hand but a rebore didn't scare me. Condition of crank is an item that I hope will be ok. Lube pressure was good from day one to now. I hope std bearings on rod and crank will be okay.

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Found a kit that looks good and with machine work, I think a grand might to this. Engine kit seemed to be the magic word. Once you get past a grand, I really have to think about this. A single guy with two vehicles gets hosed for insurance in Michigan. I don't understand why, I can't drive two vehicles at once. I wish they would insure the driver, not the vehicles. Guess the insurance companies wouldn't make enough money on that one.

No problem on assembly area. I have a garage and I bought a saturn so I now have a vehicle to drive so time isn't an issue. I've rebuilt a

318 V8 and the I4 in my mom's Datsun B-210 with good results. Motorcycles and lawnmowers also. Auto trans also. I just don't care to work on cars if I can avoid it but with a serious dip in my income, due to a plant closing, using my tools again to fix my transportation is like an extra paycheck.

It helped me find a hit. Have a great day.

Wes

Reply to
clutch

The heads will be your biggest problem. I could not find one used set in Texas that wasn't cracked. There is a company that makes new castings, but I don't recall the name. The bottom line is, you won't find a used head that isn't cracked. If you buy a rebuild, only buy from the Ford house. They have them, but they have probably been welded. You might luck out on the heads if the vehicle was mainly driven in cooler climates. Went through all of this once; it wasn't fun. Ron

Reply to
R&B

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