tmr416's '99 XLT 4.0L 4x4 Build

[tmr416]

Continued with engine teardown this weekend. Got it stripped down to a short block now: everything off, heads, oil pan etc. etc.

The motor looks... okay? It's really dirty. Inside's got some varnishing cus it was running lean. Still way too dirty to tell about cracks etc. but by and large, it all looks fine. Just looks like a 245,000 motor!

Gonna call the machine shop this week and see about getting it in there for rebuild.

Next up is dropping the rear axle. Then, it's feeling like we're taking steps toward cleaning this truck up, prepping for painting the frame and undercarriage and starting to collect parts to rebuild it!

 

[SenorNoob]

That actually looks pretty clean except for intake/exhaust ports. Crappy air filter and PCV valve with frequent oil changes?

 

[tmr416]

That actually looks pretty clean except for intake/exhaust ports. Crappy air filter and PCV valve with frequent oil changes?

Your guess is better than mine, lol. But thanks, yeah, I'm pleased with how it looks inside. No sludge. Just that buildup on the ports. Inside the oil pan and crank case looked good too.

I think I'll want to buy some better heads anyways just to protect from cracking in the future, especially if I'd be paying anyways to have these current ones rebuilt? Got any recommendations?

Plus, I' still not even sure the heads aren't cracked... no obvious cracking but they're still so dirty it's hard to see.

I'll take some more photos but the cross-hatching in the cylinders was still clear as day. So that seemed like a good sign to me.

 

[SenorNoob]

I wasn't aware there are better heads for the 4.0. I thought was just the 2.9? I know the brand for 2.9 was world products. Apparently they were discontinued in 2011...

cross-hatching in the cylinders was still clear as day

Doesn't get any better than that.

 

[tmr416]

I've been too lazy to take photos but still wanted to post an update.

I've been cleaning parts, making sure everything's organized, and identifying what I need to order and replace. Valve covers, lower intake, the whole front end (suspension, brake parts, etc.), and the oil pan.

Today, I removed the rear axle, hauled it outside, washed it down then got it inside and removed the cover. Gears looked good and I also realized I think I have a limited slip. Will take some photos of it, but it jogged my memory that the guy I bought it from in 2018 told me that he'd put new gears in the diff, but he must have also said he put the L/S in, too. I guess I forgot.

I'm getting closer to having the whole thing pulled apart. I figure, now that I'm in this deep, I'd like to try and remove the bed. Then, I think I'll remove all the body mounts and see if I can safely jack up the cab a little bit and separate it from the frame. That way, I can deep clean the frame, wire wheel it down and get to painting.

I can start to order gears and begin reaching out places who'll do diff rebuilds for me. Then, I'll wire wheel and paint my rear axle.

The list is starting to look like:
- wire wheel and paint the frame
- wire wheel and paint all the parts that I'm going to re-use
- wire wheel and paint the rear axle
- order gears and re-gear front and rear diffs
- order new body mounts
- order new rear leaf springs and install
- install front suspension

Once I get into that chunk of stuff up there, I'll be in good shape with having a rolling chassis again. Then, I need to focus on the power and drive train. My transmission started making noises and grinding a little bit right before I got this thing lifted up and torn apart. So, I'll need to investigate that and talk to some transmission shops about it. Might be worth it to find a a junkyard M50D.

I have my appointment scheduled for the 19th to drop my short block and heads for cleaning, inspection and rebuild. I think I'm going to order the Clearwater Cylinder Heads.

 

[tmr416]

The short block is ready to go to the machine shop!

I've spent a bunch of time cleaning and organizing parts. Sold my old 33x10.5R15 KO2's to someone. Cleared a work table and got my top end all laid out and organized. Rearranged things in my shop so that it wasn't just corners full of piles of parts.

I was feeling overwhelmed when I started thinking about what order I should do everything. Now it's all just kinda flowing. I'll continue tearing the truck down bit by bit til I'm in a place to put it back together from new body mounts up. I'm going to need to see if my transmission's damaged.

I ordered some wheels, will order tires next month after a couple more pay checks. I ordered brakes, suspension bushings, UCA's, and tie rod ends. Just gonna start stocking parts til I'm ready to reassemble after I paint the frame. It's gonna be awesome when it's a roller again!

Limited slip

Short block

Parts parts parts

Top end table and axles

 

[tmr416]

Finally got the rear end tore down, minus dropping the gas tank. Took the bed off and took a wire wheel to the frame and got it primed and painted.

Motor's still at the machine shop. Got the transmission and t case separated. Gears look okay inside the transmission. No obvious damage. So I'm not sure what the issue was. Unless it was a clutch issue. Think I'll take the trans to a shop to have it looked at.

Ordering parts. Goal is to get this thing to be a roller after the frame's all painted up. My hope is that seeing it start to take that shape will be a huge motivating factor.

Oh, and my wheels came! I am an On X Offroad member so I get discounts with certain companies like Method so I got 5 wheels for the price of 4. They were pricey but they're the bead grips. I live in Washington and plan to do a bunch of snow wheeling and I'll be able to run super low pressures like 5 PSI and feel more confident I won't slip a bead.

Before prep and paint

After