Well got the news back from the mechanic today... Cracked head.. Right between the exhaust and intake valves.. he said that the cylinder is wet inside, but no scaring or anything, and everything pretty much looks good as valves and piston goes.. So, all i need to do is get new heads, complete gasket set and new head bolts..

But, i have NO IDEA where to even look for heads, or what to get.. I am trying to stay within a 1K budget all together.. Head set(gaskets) and head bolts comes to around 240 bucks, which leaves around 800 for heads.. Would like to get a little more power and torque if possible, but again have NO idea what to look for, please help!

 

Hey, were your original heads aluminum or cast iron?

 

I have NO Idea.. lol.

 

New heads: Tom Morana Racing Engines

You may find a set of rebuilt stock ones on ebay.

 

how much power do you think the stage 2 heads will produce? the stage 3's would be nice, just cant justify the 1600 dollar price lol.. the 650 price of the stage 2's is perfect..

 

Ok, so i called tom morana racing.. WOW.. this is what the convo went like:

him:"hello?
me: Yes, is this tom morana racing?
him: Yes...
Me: ... Ok, i have a few questions about one of your products.
him: Ok...
Me: Its the 4.0 OHV stage 2 Cylinder heads, how much more power/torque do these provide over just a stock replacement?
him: ok, its not that much, about 15 hp and 15ftlbs. they are great performers for the price though...

went on to say some other stuff like they are trying to find a middle ground between the stage 2 and 3 heads.. and to call him back on monday and he will be able to give me a better answer on how long it will take to do them and what not..

I was a little shocked on how he answered the phone and what not.. KInda made it seem like he is doing this out of his garage lol...

 

Just to give you a thought before you drop big money on new heads...

There is a proceedure that people may still be able to do if there is real machine shops around this country anymore. They can actually fix the cracks by welding them, I believe and by putting studs for strength or something down those lines. I actually when in college learned alot about this stuff. It was done on a set of cracked chevy 350 heads, but those were not aluminum. They may be able to weld them. I mean they can even weld crank shafts for repairs now. Machines now a days especially all this CNC equiptment if ran by the right person can do amazing things.

This service may be only a hundred or hundred and fifty dollars in my opinion since I had a crankshaft welded and the crank journals repaired for a whole 50 dollars. A new crankshaft would have been a few hundred easily. Plus it was just for a project in class, so I was not looking to spend tons of money.

Now there is also the option of getting heads from a junk yard, they are not SUPER hard to install if you have patience, and really good measuring skills.

If the head is warped at all as well, they can deck the heads and clean that up for you as well, for probably a small fee. Look for like a motorspots place, or even ask your local small napa shop, those guys may be able to tell you some stuff.

...again just another option.

 

Could be man. A highly rated and well known DSM(Eclipse, Talon, Laser) shop is in the same area as my work and their shop looks like nothing much than a two bay garage and an office.

Maybe you could get a cam while you have everything off. If you have a wife she is going to kill me.

 

yeah, the guy was extrememly nice and curtious, i was just a little suprised lol.. his canadian accent made me smile though lol..

DO you think the stage 2 heads are worth it?

 

the other thing though, is my truck is being shipped in december...not alot of time..

 

If you are looking for alot of power to be cranked out of the engine, and you are going for a engine rebuild, look up stroking. That is how you really get the most power out of an engine. It is really impressive when done correctly, plus the engine idles really bad *** in my opinion. Just another thought.

 

yes, but i dont really have the time/funds lol.. the truck has to be shipped in december, and i am limited in the time i can work on it.. Plus, i have a budget of about 1K..

 

Find some stock heads and compare the prices.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1995-...Q5fAccessories

^^$249 a head. So about $150 more for the ported ones. I'd go with the ported ones

 

I'd see if you can get it repaired first or find a cheap stock head.

 

stock 4.0 heads are cast

 

well the crack is right between the intake and exhasut valves, so no it cannot be repaired.. And as far as i know, replacing one head without the other is a bad idea..

 

How about just getting two brand new heads? I got two new heads, switched the valves, valve seals, and valve job for $450 around here.

 

You mentioned Tom Morana is Cdn so I looked at his location, he's about 20 miles from my house. I'm going to go over there and have a look his shop. There are allot of quick V6 Mustangs around here and I'm wondering if his shop has anything to do with it. I'll post the results soon.

 

480 for a set of head studs???? Are you kidding me???

 

You don't need head studs. You will need new head bolts as they are torque-to-yield though. They're like $50 from the dealership.

 

Well, i finally decided that im just going to sell the ranger guys.. Found a BEAUTIFUL 2005 Fx4 f150 online where im getting stationed( florida) and its in my price range.. so im gunna try to get that.. its already got a 2.5" leveling kit, true dual flowmasters an edge performance chip, and k&n stage 2 intake. i THINK its got 33" procomp Mud Terrains on it, not sure of the size though..

 

I'd keep the Ranger and fix it. You're not going to get as much as you want for a truck with an engine that doesn't run as you would for a truck that does. What are you going to do with it?

 

well i want to sell it and get an f150.. if i have to suck up the other 3 grand loan I have then iguess i am cool with it. I am going to try and sell the ranger for 8 K wich will let me put 1K on the other loan..

The truck runs.. Just is getting crappy gas mileage and is lacking in the power department lol..

 

Both of mine were cracked between the intake/exhaust valves (common on 4.0s). Did your mechanic actually pull the heads and magnaflux them? The reason I ask is because you said it runs...did he just slap it back together after he found it or what? I still don't think you'll get 8k either. I paid $3200 for my 98 4x4 4.0 with a blown head gasket. Want to sell some stuff of yours?

 

another reason why i don't want to pull my heads off. they're probably cracked haha