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- Joined
- Sep 21, 2007
- Messages
- 1,737
- City
- Wa, Bremerton 98310
- Vehicle Year
- 1987
- Total Lift
- Ranger 5" (1½" Hiryder/3" body), BII 4" Procomp
- Total Drop
- Ranger 5sp, BII A4LD
- Tire Size
- Ranger 32"/4:10LS, BII 33"/3:73LS
- My credo
- Deengineer until it is how Blue Oval should have sold it!!
Top end
"dangerRANGER89".
I will attempt to answer your question.
A top end rebuild on a Ford 2.9 liter 60 degree V-6 can be very affordable, that does, however, depend on a person’s definition of “Top End”. So let’s identify the top end as the heads, complete valve train (including the cam, bearings, lifters, push rods, rockers, rocker arms, rocker shafts and associated hardware), timing chain and gears, intakes, fuel rail and injectors.
Here is what I do for a top end. First disassemble and inspect parts for ware and tolerance/clearances. The areas I’m concerned with in the 2.9 are the heads for cracks, the valves for tolerance, the complete rocker system/pushrods and lifters. So far with a halfway decent set of tools and time, I have spent nothing. I expect at a minimum to resurface the heads (mill .003-.005”), replace the rocker shafts springs with aluminum spacers, taper their passages and replace any worn hardware and a minimum of a “performance” 3 angle valve job. If the engine has more than 80,000 miles on it I would replace the timing chain set, the cam bearings and lifters (at a minimum). Where I would go a little extra is to replace the oil pump and pickup, the water pump and incorporate and electric fan.
If I do all the work, except the machining, here is what I expect to spend:
1. #Replacement head bolts $80
2. # (OPTIONAL) Replacement Head gasket $30
3. # (OPTIONAL) Replacement intake gaskets $25
4. # (OPTIONAL) Replacement Valve cover gasket $25
5. #Replacement Valve seals $4
6. # (OPTIONAL) Replacement Exhaust manifold gasket $25
7. (MAY BE OPTIONAL) Replacement Exhaust manifold hardware, Stage 8 locking $50
8. (OPTIONAL) Replacement Intake manifold hardware $10
9. (PRUDENT) Replacement fuel system gaskets $6
10. *Cost of milling the head $70
11. *Cost of 3 angle performance valve job $140
12. *Cost of a set of Aluminum spacers $60
13. *Cost of machine shop reworking the oil passage system $30
14. (PRUDENT) Timing chain set (chain, gears and guides) $75
15. (PRUDENT) Cam bearings $30
16. (OPTIONAL) Cam regrind for torque, the single smartest component evolved $80
17. (OPTIONAL) Lifters $50
18. (OPTIONAL/PRUDENT) Oil pump, Melling $75
19. (OPTIONAL/PRUDENT) Oil pump pick-up, OEM $25
20. (OPTIONAL/PRUDENT) Water pump $35
21. (OPTIONAL) Electric engine fan $80-175
I made a couple of notations. The first is the # symbol, all of these gaskets and seals can be purchased in a kit; I have found that the kits don’t usually contain the brand or type of gasket I want so I buy them all separate. Next is the * symbol, a deal can be struck on the package of work depending on your machinist; my machinist charges a flat rate of $70/hr but will work a package deal precluding deal breaker developments.
In summary I expect to spend $284 for necessities and a Cam regrind, all new gaskets are about $180 (last time I priced them), I have needed to replace the fasteners every time I pulled an exhaust manifold from one of these and I have had 100% as advertised experience with Stage 8 locking exhaust fasteners=$50, sometimes the intake hardware makes it and sometimes it doesn’t $10, I am going to have the heads resurfaced the oil passage work is a bonus, the performance valve job is smart and the Aluminum spacers is the cherry on a well thought out TOP END.
In the end it is all about synergy, the more balance put into the build the better the outcome can be. The single most important aspect of the top end build is proper cam selection, everything else is in support of the cam doing its job as well as desired. What brand oil pump, brand of oil (or type), whether or not to use an electric fan/headers or improve the valve trains ability to roll with less resistance or at a higher lift value are all things the operator needs to decide in advance.
A well thought out Top End rebuild can be as simple as a clean/inspect or adding several aftermarket components that are long time WEAK LINKS. The stock heads have coolant wall issues and flow inefficiently. If you just want it to work right, do the bare minimum and enjoy the trusty performance of the known working system. There is much more performance to be had, starting with the cam, port/polish job, valve job, mild valve train work and the seals and gaskets that we all know work (vs. the lesser quality type that a person could need to replace all too soon).
I was reading this morning about the new Duratec and Cyclone engines Ford is putting in everything. They are making tons of power and torque with claims of 30% and 20% better fuel economy for the I-4 (inline 4 cylinders) and V-6’s prospectively; yet still only getting 16/26 mpg in the trucks and cars alike.
"dangerRANGER89".
I will attempt to answer your question.
A top end rebuild on a Ford 2.9 liter 60 degree V-6 can be very affordable, that does, however, depend on a person’s definition of “Top End”. So let’s identify the top end as the heads, complete valve train (including the cam, bearings, lifters, push rods, rockers, rocker arms, rocker shafts and associated hardware), timing chain and gears, intakes, fuel rail and injectors.
Here is what I do for a top end. First disassemble and inspect parts for ware and tolerance/clearances. The areas I’m concerned with in the 2.9 are the heads for cracks, the valves for tolerance, the complete rocker system/pushrods and lifters. So far with a halfway decent set of tools and time, I have spent nothing. I expect at a minimum to resurface the heads (mill .003-.005”), replace the rocker shafts springs with aluminum spacers, taper their passages and replace any worn hardware and a minimum of a “performance” 3 angle valve job. If the engine has more than 80,000 miles on it I would replace the timing chain set, the cam bearings and lifters (at a minimum). Where I would go a little extra is to replace the oil pump and pickup, the water pump and incorporate and electric fan.
If I do all the work, except the machining, here is what I expect to spend:
1. #Replacement head bolts $80
2. # (OPTIONAL) Replacement Head gasket $30
3. # (OPTIONAL) Replacement intake gaskets $25
4. # (OPTIONAL) Replacement Valve cover gasket $25
5. #Replacement Valve seals $4
6. # (OPTIONAL) Replacement Exhaust manifold gasket $25
7. (MAY BE OPTIONAL) Replacement Exhaust manifold hardware, Stage 8 locking $50
8. (OPTIONAL) Replacement Intake manifold hardware $10
9. (PRUDENT) Replacement fuel system gaskets $6
10. *Cost of milling the head $70
11. *Cost of 3 angle performance valve job $140
12. *Cost of a set of Aluminum spacers $60
13. *Cost of machine shop reworking the oil passage system $30
14. (PRUDENT) Timing chain set (chain, gears and guides) $75
15. (PRUDENT) Cam bearings $30
16. (OPTIONAL) Cam regrind for torque, the single smartest component evolved $80
17. (OPTIONAL) Lifters $50
18. (OPTIONAL/PRUDENT) Oil pump, Melling $75
19. (OPTIONAL/PRUDENT) Oil pump pick-up, OEM $25
20. (OPTIONAL/PRUDENT) Water pump $35
21. (OPTIONAL) Electric engine fan $80-175
I made a couple of notations. The first is the # symbol, all of these gaskets and seals can be purchased in a kit; I have found that the kits don’t usually contain the brand or type of gasket I want so I buy them all separate. Next is the * symbol, a deal can be struck on the package of work depending on your machinist; my machinist charges a flat rate of $70/hr but will work a package deal precluding deal breaker developments.
In summary I expect to spend $284 for necessities and a Cam regrind, all new gaskets are about $180 (last time I priced them), I have needed to replace the fasteners every time I pulled an exhaust manifold from one of these and I have had 100% as advertised experience with Stage 8 locking exhaust fasteners=$50, sometimes the intake hardware makes it and sometimes it doesn’t $10, I am going to have the heads resurfaced the oil passage work is a bonus, the performance valve job is smart and the Aluminum spacers is the cherry on a well thought out TOP END.
In the end it is all about synergy, the more balance put into the build the better the outcome can be. The single most important aspect of the top end build is proper cam selection, everything else is in support of the cam doing its job as well as desired. What brand oil pump, brand of oil (or type), whether or not to use an electric fan/headers or improve the valve trains ability to roll with less resistance or at a higher lift value are all things the operator needs to decide in advance.
A well thought out Top End rebuild can be as simple as a clean/inspect or adding several aftermarket components that are long time WEAK LINKS. The stock heads have coolant wall issues and flow inefficiently. If you just want it to work right, do the bare minimum and enjoy the trusty performance of the known working system. There is much more performance to be had, starting with the cam, port/polish job, valve job, mild valve train work and the seals and gaskets that we all know work (vs. the lesser quality type that a person could need to replace all too soon).
I was reading this morning about the new Duratec and Cyclone engines Ford is putting in everything. They are making tons of power and torque with claims of 30% and 20% better fuel economy for the I-4 (inline 4 cylinders) and V-6’s prospectively; yet still only getting 16/26 mpg in the trucks and cars alike.
