Need 2.9l v6 cylinder heads Anyone got any?

[Terbo]

Hey folks wondering if any of you have any spare 2.9l v6 cylinder heads kicking around? i need at least one would like two though. You can direct message me or email me.

 

[franklin2]

Don't waste your time and money on original 2.9 cylinder heads. They have all cracked by now. You can buy new ones that are made with new heavier castings to cure the problem.

I bought mine on ebay a long time ago. I just did a search and here is a few places to get them.

FORD 2.9 NEW FULL - PROMAXX Performance Products

ProMaxx Performance developed/designed this cylinder head from the OE casting 86TM. This is a direct bolt on cast iron cylinder head to replace your factory casting. Year: 1989-1992 Models: Bronco II, Ranger Engine Size: 2.9L V6

promaxxperformance.com

Pardon Our Interruption...

New Cylinder Heads for Ford Ranger & Bronco II (1986-1992)

Upgrade your Ford Ranger or Bronco II (1986-1992) with new 2.9L OHV V6 cylinder heads. Durable, efficient, and designed for optimal performance.

www.cylinder-heads.com

 

[Hoosierman]

Franklin2 is absolutely correct.

My 1988 Ranger 2.9 has over 560k miles on it. The only thing the original owner did to the engine was put in a better cylinder head a long long time ago. And not because the original cracked, but because he wanted to keep the truck for a long time and not ever have to worry about the cracks developing.

As it turns out, it was the right move. And I can't recommend getting the improved heads enough. With the kinds miles my truck has on it, I think the proof is mostly there for me.

 

[Terbo]

Okay thanks for the info. i found two on ebay from separate sellers, both say they are reman. Do you guys think remans would work well? also do you think my block surface could be warped? and if so is there anything that i could to myself to smooth them out? And another question is that it would cost me about $775 to get just those heads not including gaskets and whatnot, do yall think its worth it? i got the truck from a buddy and i have about $500 in it. New lifters gaskets and such.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Okay thanks for the info. i found two on ebay from separate sellers, both say they are reman. Do you guys think remans would work well? also do you think my block surface could be warped? and if so is there anything that i could to myself to smooth them out? And another question is that it would cost me about $775 to get just those heads not including gaskets and whatnot, do yall think its worth it? i got the truck from a buddy and i have about $500 in it. New lifters gaskets and such.

Remanned are factory castings with new "guts"....so its basically like rebuilding yours.

Personally? Id just make sure it stays cool and run what you got untill it presents a problem...if it ever does.

Ive never had one crack.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Remanned are factory castings with new "guts"....so its basically like rebuilding yours.

Personally? Id just make sure it stays cool and run what you got untill it presents a problem...if it ever does.

Ive never had one crack.

You better be knocking on wood lol

It could be said that after 40 years most of the ones that are going to crack have cracked. A bad design defect generally won't wait that long to surface.

 

[Terbo]

But you see that is the thing, it overheats very quickly, it already is a problem lol. The coolant is running into the oil and when i had the engine apart i noticed someone welded one of the heads and i dropped a head aswell when the valve spring hit me in the face, concrete floor. Whoever did that original "fix" didn't fix it at all.

 

[franklin2]

Okay thanks for the info. i found two on ebay from separate sellers, both say they are reman. Do you guys think remans would work well? also do you think my block surface could be warped? and if so is there anything that i could to myself to smooth them out? And another question is that it would cost me about $775 to get just those heads not including gaskets and whatnot, do yall think its worth it? i got the truck from a buddy and i have about $500 in it. New lifters gaskets and such.

You need to make a judgement call. You know the engine better than anyone if you have been driving it awhile.

How noisy is it?

How much oil does it use?

Have you ever drained and flushed the coolant? If you did, was it rusty?

How many oil leaks do you have?

Answers to the questions above can help determine how much you need to do. In my case, when I got my engine the coolant system was so clogged with rust, it would not even come out of the radiator. I kept flushing it and flushing it. When I finally got it cleaned up, one of the freeze plugs started leaking. Barely got a rubber style plug in there, and then another started leaking.

I then had one of the rubber plugs pop out on the road. It was pretty obvious when it happened and I pulled over to the side and cut it off. It did not seem like it really overheated, it did not use a drop of oil, and had lots of power. So I thought it was worth spending some time and money on it.

I pulled the engine, glad I did, there is a freeze plug between the engine and the transmission that you can't see, and it was seeping. I was going to reuse the heads, and while I was cleaning them up with brake cleaner, everything turned that brown color except this strange black line. You could see it on top of the head where the valve cover would go. A long black line. I cleaned it again and again, and it always came back. So I figured it must have been a crack.

So I went on ebay and got the updated heads. They want your heads back, so I assume they take all the used valves and pieces, and installed them in this new casting, and then sell them as updated heads. They have been on there over 10 years with no problems.

I took a peek at the bearings, they looked great. Oil pump looked good too. I just put it back together with the new heads and a full gasket set. The full gasket set is cheaper than buying them individually. Put a new timing chain set in it. It's been a good engine.

 

[Shran]

^what he said. I would never put a used 2.9 or 4.0 head back on an engine without having it checked out first. You are time & money ahead to just buy a new pair rather than take a gamble. Finding a good complete 2.9 with good heads from a wrecked truck is a one in a million chance these days, finding someone who will sell the heads off that is one in a billion.

Is it worth the cost though - hard to say - if the truck is in nice shape then it probably is, very hard to find a nice Ranger these days for less than $4-5000. So if you have some money into repairs, it's still cheaper than buying a nice one that needs no work. That's what I did with my '94, had a bad engine but in otherwise excellent shape and had very low miles. $2500 was a lot of money for a truck that doesn't run but it cost me very little to fix it and now I have a nice truck that'll last me many years.

 

[Terbo]

You need to make a judgement call. You know the engine better than anyone if you have been driving it awhile.

How noisy is it?

How much oil does it use?

Have you ever drained and flushed the coolant? If you did, was it rusty?

How many oil leaks do you have?

Answers to the questions above can help determine how much you need to do. In my case, when I got my engine the coolant system was so clogged with rust, it would not even come out of the radiator. I kept flushing it and flushing it. When I finally got it cleaned up, one of the freeze plugs started leaking. Barely got a rubber style plug in there, and then another started leaking.

I then had one of the rubber plugs pop out on the road. It was pretty obvious when it happened and I pulled over to the side and cut it off. It did not seem like it really overheated, it did not use a drop of oil, and had lots of power. So I thought it was worth spending some time and money on it.

I pulled the engine, glad I did, there is a freeze plug between the engine and the transmission that you can't see, and it was seeping. I was going to reuse the heads, and while I was cleaning them up with brake cleaner, everything turned that brown color except this strange black line. You could see it on top of the head where the valve cover would go. A long black line. I cleaned it again and again, and it always came back. So I figured it must have been a crack.

So I went on ebay and got the updated heads. They want your heads back, so I assume they take all the used valves and pieces, and installed them in this new casting, and then sell them as updated heads. They have been on there over 10 years with no problems.

I took a peek at the bearings, they looked great. Oil pump looked good too. I just put it back together with the new heads and a full gasket set. The full gasket set is cheaper than buying them individually. Put a new timing chain set in it. It's been a good engine.

Well for starters, I haven't been able to drive it enough since i got it to see how much oil it uses. I just had the motor out and entirely apart. I dont recall if the coolant was rusty before i believe it was all in the oil like it is now, you can see it on the dipstick and my oil level is about twice what it should be. Also the leaks i dont see any just a little seepage at the drain plug.

Someone had the truck before me and they did some rank stuff to it, truck is real clean but has a salvage title for some reason, one of the valve guides has been jacked by a doofus who got hold of a grinder lol not sure what he was thinking, another fella tried welding one of the heads but i dont think he did a good job and i think thats why he ditched it. Here are some pics of the evidence i found.