OHV 1st Gen rebuild

[Mickthe1stgenX]

my '91 blew a head gasket so I'm rebuilding it as to avoid more problems...this is gonna be my first rebuild though, so which of these kits should I get?

http://www.flatlanderracing.com/rebuildkitsford.html

vs

http://www.enginepartsstore.com/servlet/Detail?no=1542

the second one doesn't include camshaft or lifters. neither kit includes cylinder heads but will I even need them?

also..I was thinking about deleting the pistons from the kit and ordering these "hypereutectic pistons" from Morana instead. they're used but at $150 for supposedly 25-30 extra hp would it be worth it? Or should I just get the pistons that come with the kit?

the pistons and cylinder heads are both on this page:
http://www.moranav6racing.com/category.html?CategoryID=32

last but not least are new ceramic JBA headers and a KKM intake

this rebuild is gonna be fun, thanks ahead of time for any help

edith yea and there's an option for over sized parts, do I need standard?

 

[Anime]

You don't really need to do a whole rebuild to fix a blown head gasket, but it is a good excuse.

If you do a rebuild, or even just replace the head gaskets, brand new aftermarket cylinder heads would be a good idea. The factory heads on 91-92 Explorers were rather weak, and are vulnerable to cracking, especially if the motor is ever overheated.

There are plenty of rebuild kit options, you could check with our forum vendors as well for any available discounts.

You probably wouldn't want those particular hypereutectic pistons unless you were doing a very performance-oriented motor. You can get a compression increase just using later style Explorer heads, or non-dish pistons.

Either way, rebuild or just replacing the heads, you could go with JBAs and the KKM intake. Going with headers would save you the trouble of having to remove the manifolds from the heads.

You don't want oversized parts unless you're boring out the block. Most 4.0 rebuilds find very little wear (and the 4.0 is already a very nearly overbored 2.3), so you probably won't want oversize anything (except maybe piston rings) unless you're going to really blow some cash and make it into a 4.3L stroker or something.

Look around and check out some of the rebuild threads for some ideas and see what's involved, and you can check out what parts others have used as well.

 

[Mickthe1stgenX]

thx a bunch man. yea I know I could just go in and fix the gasket but I thought what the hell I might as well start from scratch haha

I'd love to do that 4.3 stroker on my truck but my budget is at like $3,500 for the X rebuild and I still have to get new 33s, rack, new cb, tint. and my fiancee would kill me if I actually used it all. I'd be Mickthedead1stgenX

 

[Mickthe1stgenX]

o yeah and if I get the pistons off a newer explorer would I want a newer OHV piston set or could I use the SOHC pistons?

edit: I searched a little and I guess you can't use SOHC pistons on an OHV

 

[snoranger]

o yeah and if I get the pistons off a newer explorer would I want a newer OHV piston set or could I use the SOHC pistons?

edit: I searched a little and I guess you can't use SOHC pistons on an OHV

'95+ OHV pistons will drop your compression ratio. You dont want them.

 

[Mickthe1stgenX]

'95+ OHV pistons will drop your compression ratio. You dont want them.

good lookin out dude, thank you.

this is a dumb question, but being a noob it's one I must ask. How many lifters do I need to buy? Cause the rebuild kit I'm ordering doesn't include them

 

[Mickthe1stgenX]

day I bought it.

so I've since learnt that there are 2 lifters per cylinder... here's a list of everything that's on its way to Casa de Exploder

$101-intake- http://www.kustomz.com/054094.html

$459.95-rebuild- http://www.carterperformance.com

$159.95-camshaft- http://www.carterperformance.com

$231-12 valve lifters-http://www.carterperformance.com

$762.81-JBA titanium coated ceramic headers- http://www.autoanything.com/exhausts-mufflers/61A2280A0A0A3054397.aspx

$787.80-BFG 33x10.5r15 ATs-www.4x4groupbuy.com

$546.23-cylinder heads-www.kingcylinderheads.com

$223.09-bbk throttle body-autoanything.com

totaling in $3,271.83 that I had to awkwardly stuff into the ATM deposit machine.

I paid $2,600 for the truck, so I'm $5,871 deep. and it's gonna roar even louder. pics up as I go