blown headgasket v8

[pgdsm]

well I think that I have blown a headgasket (hopefully not a cracked head)
Now i have to decide what to do. Repair the gasket, through a new cam while I am in there, or just do a rebuild, or find a runner somewhere and swap it in.

My X has 250K kms on it, Honestly just tired of spending money on it.

So what are people opinions keeping budget in mind?

also cam recommendations for a bit more power in an otherwise pretty much stock X

I dont care about Hp as much as low end power ( I tow and 4x4 with this)

 

[pgdsm]

also does anyone know of any quides to doing a cam swap

anythings to watch for when doing the head gasket on the 302. I think that I am going to tackle this myself.

 

[solitary ogre]

i've found Wasneys was good for used parts http://www.wasney.com/

CeeGee's is another Ford only wrecker

http://www.ceegeesautorecycling.com/

A-combined is in abbotsford

http://www.auto-recycling.com/

there are some Lower Mainland autowreckers i refuse to deal with because i wonder where the parts come from. so buyer beware.

keep smilin..........Thomas in South Surrey, B.C.

 

[beach]

Pick up a Haynes manual, has a section for cam removal etc, let alone everything else.

 

[reserved50]

"vancouver core" had a complete engine a while ago

 

[pgdsm]

thanx for all the replies.

finally got to look at the truck today. There is no water in the oil, but I am loosing coolant so doing a leak down test tomorrow.

I have a manual just asking if anyone had any tips, or knew of good writeups always nice to read up more.

anyone know where to get the oil filler tube for a 96 X 5.0 ford doesnt make them anymore and I have been able to find one for over a year. (VAP in burnaby wrecked mine) so i just been doing oil changes every month

 

[reserved50]

nothing really, see where it leaks and fix it. Bring it indoors out of the 2 feet of snow and let it sit overnight if you have to so all the water stops dripping off it, fill the coolant to the top of rad and apply 18 psi and wait for the leak.

 

[Cobraguy]

Pick a cam for your intended use. Talk to folks like Crane, Comp, Lunati, etc and get their opinion. There will be some excellent choices for bottom end power. Stay away from the Ford Racing cams such as the E303. While an excellent cam, it is a bit outdated and is designed more for a performance Mustang and not bottom end for an Explorer. There are better choices than that for your use.