Well I finally got the engine out of this '99 I got for cheap. Short story is it is trashed.


#1 rod completely broke just above the crank bearing journal and #5 rod stripped completely from the crankshaft. Two journals on the crank blue from the heat.


In my 40+ years of working on and around engines I have never seen anything like this.


Not sure yet if the block is ok but already began thinking about finding a donor vehicle with a 4.0 and manual tranny. Since this is a '99, what are the best year models to look for in a donor?


I also found out this truck has the wrong automatic transmission in it. Must be from a earlier year model because it has none of the electrical connections on it. Transmission harness was just tie wrapped to the frame. Since I have to do the tranny also, I would rather take it to a manual. Yea, I know it's a job.


Maybe I can find a donor, take 2 trucks and make one since the body and interior on this one is almost in excellent condition.


Thoughts?


Thanks!