Engine + tranny rebuild - money no object?

[renesisx]

I want to get my '91 engine and auto tranny rebuilt.

I don't really need any more power, all I want is reliability and longevity.

Currently my car has 80K miles on it. It was only ever used as an airport security vehicle before, so it's had a fairly slow, laidback life.

I'm doing an entire "frame-off" restore on the car starting in a couple of weeks and I'll film the entire thing and upload it on here.


If money was no object, what mods/parts would you use for:

a) Engine rebuild

b) A4LD rebuild


Bearing in mind I just want this engine and tranny to last at least another 20+ years without a rebuild. I would love to get at least 200K miles out of them.

 

[arco777]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I don't really need any more power, all I want is reliability and longevity.

Currently my car has 80K miles on it. It was only ever used as an airport security vehicle before, so it's had a fairly slow, laidback life.

Bearing in mind I just want this engine and tranny to last at least another 20+ years without a rebuild. I would love to get at least 200K miles out of them.

I wouldn't bother rebuilding the engine yet if you don't need more power. Does it have aftermarket cylinder heads on it yet? That is about the only thing you should need to last 500,000 miles (with regular maintenance). If not, you could wait until the stock ones crack or add aftermarket heads now. A board member recently reported 225K miles on his stock heads so it is not impossible for them to last that long, but usually they will fail before 120K miles.

As for the transmission, from 91-94 there were several minor internal upgrades. If you're not hard on the trans, add a better tranny cooler and call it a day. If you do want to tear into it, look into the upgrades both Ford and aftermarket (do a search on Explorer Forum) and you could probably find some improvements, but heat and stress are the main killers of the A4LD.

Regular maintenance is the only thing you should need to get many miles of trouble-free service out of your drivetrain. If I have learned anything from working on Mustangs, it was that modifications lead only to more problems. If it isn't broken, don't fix it. Ford built a good long life vehicle and bone stock it should last you many years if you treat it right.

 

[arco777]

I'm doing an entire "frame-off" restore on the car starting in a couple of weeks and I'll film the entire thing and upload it on here.

Didn't see this until now - neat! Can't wait to see it!

If you do get the motor rebuilt, for longevity I'd stay away from trying to boost output - just get top quality bearings and seals and other parts.

Watch the Powerblock sometime on Spike TV when those guys have a legendary engine builder build up a motor. Everything is hand-checked, balanced, trued, triple checked for straightness or alignment, and so on. That's the way to build a motor in my opinion - not just slapping it together by some shmuck in a cheap rebuild shop. All the little things make a big difference!

Same principle applies to the transmission rebuild. I wouldn't let it out of my sight unless I really trusted the people who were doing the work.

 

[renesisx]

Didn't see this until now - neat! Can't wait to see it!

Yeah, just waiting for some memory cards to come in so I can start. I'll upload it and you guys can all tell me how badly I'm screwing up my truck

If you do get the motor rebuilt, for longevity I'd stay away from trying to boost output - just get top quality bearings and seals and other parts.

This is exactly what I want. What I need is basically a list of parts I should get. I've never rebuilt an engine, and know very little about the Ford 4.0. I can tell you lots about British Leyland A Series, or Mazda Rotary engines.

I don't think there's anything wrong with the motor, but seeing as I have to pull the motor and everything in the engine bay to do the restore I might as well upgrade it before I put it back in. It's just picking the right parts to put back on...

Watch the Powerblock sometime on Spike TV when those guys have a legendary engine builder build up a motor. Everything is hand-checked, balanced, trued, triple checked for straightness or alignment, and so on. That's the way to build a motor in my opinion - not just slapping it together by some shmuck in a cheap rebuild shop. All the little things make a big difference!

I've never heard of that show. I'm going to have to find it on the DVR now. I record practically every show on Velocity channel. Thanks!

Same principle applies to the transmission rebuild. I wouldn't let it out of my sight unless I really trusted the people who were doing the work.

If anyone knows someone in the Chicago area that is good at tranny rebuilds, I would love to know. I basically just want to harden the whole thing. The A4LD is easily the weakest part of the whole car.

 

[arco777]

never heard of that show. I'm going to have to find it on the DVR now. I record practically every show on Velocity channel. Thanks!

It comes on on weekends in the morning - it's like a 2 hour block of 4 shows or so. The ones they usually build engines on are Horsepower TV and MuscleCar but they're all really good. Courtney Hansen hosts the whole block and she is

 

[renesisx]

It comes on on weekends in the morning - it's like a 2 hour block of 4 shows or so. The ones they usually build engines on are Horsepower TV and MuscleCar but they're all really good. Courtney Hansen hosts the whole block and she is

Thanks. I found it and set a Season Record on it. Would never have found it myself, so I appreciate the tip.

 

[Pollarican]

If you're sold on the auto trans - look into putting a 700r4 behind the 4.0. Adapters are available to run this GM trans behind our workhorse 4.0. Pretty reliable combo if the 700R4 is gone over/ hardened a bit.

I personally swapped my A4LD for a M5OD-R1HD from a newer 2000 era Ranger. Its a slightly tougher version of the M5 that came in our generation Explorer, and was a pretty economical upgrade. Running a 5 speed behind the 4.0 really wakes the motor up relative to the auto.

80k is literally nothing for the 4.0 as long as the oil/ coolant was changed at decently preventative intervals. I wouldn't tear the whole thing apart just yet. I just pulled apart and rebuilt my 4.0 with 135k on it - it was offroaded for several years probably a few times a month, ate some water once or twice, and in a chassis that rolled at 50 mph across a highway. Besides having some gaskets that were seeping, the Cylinder walls/ bottom end bearings looked like they were brand new.

I'll chime back in a bit later - gf is waiting on me and I couldn't resist BSing about Explorers haha. If you want Brand/ Parts suggestions, Id be glad to give you some of what I have in my build.

 

[lil red wagon]

Bump

 

[bovine]

any updates?

 

[freezerlunik]

Oh man what a tease! Here's hoping Renesisx does follow through with the restoration...