Possible problems with a 2.9 (which one though)

[Blueroo]

I might be getting my buddy's 87 Bronco II Eddie Bauer. It of course has the 2.9L V6. And it has problems.

Here's what I know...when it was parked 6 years ago it was supposedly due to not a cracked head, but a cracked block. I have yet to see the vehicle so I'm not sure which one it is specfically. The motor was great until his dad took it a local service station to have the oil changed. The kid who did the oil change had no clue what he was doing and thought doing a full oil change on a vehicle meant to take 5qts of oil with a fresh filter entailed adding six quarts to the motor, not draining the old stuff and not changing the filter. Amazingly the seals weren't blown out. Shortly thereafter it wouldn't go past 15mph. A cracked head was the suspected culprit. So the 88 B2 Eddie Bauer in the yard donated a head. Then it developed a severe overheating problem. Instead of the normal warm up cycle of going up till the t-stat opened then dropping down, it'd pretty much overheat right away. Any guesses on what the problem is with it?

I'm getting it for $100. It's fully loaded...Eddie Bauer Package, power lumbar seats, power windows, power locks, full tinted windows, running boards, visor, front brush guard, full size chrome mirrors, "holed" aluminum wheels, electronic shift on the fly 4 wheel, pretty much you name it chances are it has it.

I was thinking about repairing the motor, restoring the body (as far as I know the interior is still in really good shape) and then reselling it.

I'm looking at around $500 to replace all the rubbers/gaskets/lines (pretty much all the gaskets in the motor will need replaced) and repaint the entire truck. This is without having to do major engine repair work....I was told provided it's not in a high stress area a crack in the block could be repaired with JB Weld.

With that information in mind, would I be better off simply parting it out?

 

[IMenriched]

seem that some more assment needs to done. doesn't appear that your ready to sink goobs of money into it.

But maybe find a another engine that is running and do a swap out.

1st, compression check done yet?
will it run?

 

[abrush]

The easiest route would be to install a different motor. It would make a perfect canidate for a 4.0L, V6 swap. I would definetly do a compression test first though. You will get a clearer idea of the problem then.

I would sure hate to be the kid that changed the oil!!

 

[Blueroo]

The kid that changed the oil got off free. It wasn't till the B2 was home that they found out the exact problem. Plus it doesn't surprise me from this particular service station.

A buddy of mine used to work there. He got fired due to the fact he gave a "failed inspection" to the owner's friend's brand new BMW X5. The X5 owner had decided to do some serious offroading and caused very serious damage to the underside. The X5 owner talked to his buddy at the service station and the service station owner promised the X5 owner that he would have a tech pass it no matter what.

My buddy ended up being the tech. His boss came to him and said "I don't care how you do it, but make sure this X5 passes. If you have to lie on the report sheet, just lie." Initially he was going to pass it until he put it on the lift and saw the damage. He told me there was no way to stretch the truth that far on the report. He got fired for it.

I know at least 5 other people who had their vehicles damaged there, the place won't pay a dime.

 

[IMenriched]

The kid that changed the oil got off free. It wasn't till the B2 was home that they found out the exact problem. Plus it doesn't surprise me from this particular service station.

A buddy of mine used to work there. He got fired due to the fact he gave a "failed inspection" to the owner's friend's brand new BMW X5. The X5 owner had decided to do some serious offroading and caused very serious damage to the underside. The X5 owner talked to his buddy at the service station and the service station owner promised the X5 owner that he would have a tech pass it no matter what.

My buddy ended up being the tech. His boss came to him and said "I don't care how you do it, but make sure this X5 passes. If you have to lie on the report sheet, just lie." Initially he was going to pass it until he put it on the lift and saw the damage. He told me there was no way to stretch the truth that far on the report. He got fired for it.

I know at least 5 other people who had their vehicles damaged there, the place won't pay a dime.

That too bad...for your situation and for the shop that won't own up to poor work done. Integrity is all we ever really have

 

[Blueroo]

Depending on the condition of the motor, I may part it out after I take the front seats and the tow hitch.