I have a blown head gasket, which is gonna cost me $800 for the mechanic to fix since my dad talked me in to paying a mechanic to do it, stating that theres too much crap on top of the engine that i'll probably break or reassemble wrong. What I'm wondering is should i have the entire engine overhauled since they have to take most of it apart to do the gasket change anyways? It does have over 150k miles on it, and it's driven hard.. Any Ideas how much it costs to get an engine overhauled?

I wouldnt even mind doing most of the work myself, if i had the time. I'm just worried i'll ruin the engine because of all the funky computer controlled and emissions crap on the engine. Lot's have changed from the good old days of simple engines.

SO i guess what i'm asking is do you guys think that it would be worth it to have the engine overhauled since im already $800 in just to pull a head? I already plan on having the valves ground and whatnot. Maybe even have the heads ported and polished since i plan on full exhaust.

Lemme know what you think guys, thanks :)

You have the 4.0 (V-6) or the 5.0 (V-8)?

4.0

sorry thought i mentioned that :/

Provided the cylinders are in good condition and you didn't run an extended mix of water and oil or something, the bottom of the 4.0 is tough as nails. Well taken care of 300,000 miles is more normal than not. Still at 158K, tough call. Me ? I'd probably not do the bottom unless something dictated it.

THats what i was lookin for. im pretty sure the bottom end is ok. but ya never know.

My friend went through this very thing. He bought 2 new heads and put them on himself. Unless it was using a lot of oil, I would leave the bottom end alone. The head work can be done with the engine in the truck. A rebuild would require pulling the engine. Wouldn't surprise me if a mechanic charged $2500 for a rebuild.

I would personally agree with everyone else in leaving the bottom end alone. If you weren't driving around with the car overheating for any pertinent time while the headgasket was going, you should be safe and sound. I would leave it as is, only going to cost you more $ and might actually cause a bit of headache afterwards if the shop is so-so. Good Luck