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Pistons?

Pistons?

Vikingone

Senior Jeeper
Posts
594
Thanks
6
Location
Lake Worth FL
Vehicle(s)
85' CJ7, 4.2 Liter, swapped in T18
So so far today I get the head off the block. Took a look at the pistons. As stated in other posts the motor was supposedly rebuilt by the previous owner. It looks pretty obvious cylinder six had a head gasket leak. Pretty shiny. What are your thoughts on the other pistons? You think they look relatively new? Felt the cylinder wall and it does have a small lip. And I see cross hatching in the cylinder. 3301269f4ebb6054c37c87b7bb4ca921.webp
8c87a0801e95d231d634566be0fadd54.jpg
c8fbe2c7cba9a05d9a214ced4908dfd9.jpg

I did screw up though. When taking the pushrods out I set the two for cylinder 6 to make something to keep everything in order. WELL I forgot which hole I pulled those two pushrods out of. I’m concerned about that. Also took a photo of the inside of the head. Should I be concerned with that rust. I might add this is my first engine rebuild.
ccbc0a285ea5f8298dceadc1898a892e.jpg



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Also noticed that the rocker bridges are tweaked
243f34a5525d572017c40e86030cce4b.jpg

And lastly. Any tips on getting the lifters out. I have a strong magnet and even though the lifter is coming up it just won’t let go. Thanks in advance for any info.


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How many miles are supposed to be on this engine?
 
How many miles are supposed to be on this engine?

Did you witness this engine run?

Judging by that rust on the piston and the fact you can't get those lifters out, it seems like it sat for a long time.

As far as getting the lifters out, if you can't pop them out after taking the cam out, you could use a pair of pliers or a vise grip to pull them out after getting them started. They should come out fairly easily though...which is why I'm thinking this thing sat for a long time.
 
Did you witness this engine run?



Judging by that rust on the piston and the fact you can't get those lifters out, it seems like it sat for a long time.



As far as getting the lifters out, if you can't pop them out after taking the cam out, you could use a pair of pliers or a vise grip to pull them out after getting them started. They should come out fairly easily though...which is why I'm thinking this thing sat for a long time.



Not sure how many miles are on the rebuild. I did drive it but only a few miles. I ended up getting the lifters out. Just a little finagling with a magnet.


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Did you witness this engine run?

Judging by that rust on the piston and the fact you can't get those lifters out, it seems like it sat for a long time.

As far as getting the lifters out, if you can't pop them out after taking the cam out, you could use a pair of pliers or a vise grip to pull them out after getting them started. They should come out fairly easily though...which is why I'm thinking this thing sat for a long time.

Need to correct myself...for some reason I thought I was looking at a piston. I'm an idiot... biggrin.gif

Rust and scale is to be expected in the water jacket like that.

But again, that's why you need to expect to go all in. If it were me, I'd take it to a machine shop to get blasted, cleaned, prepped, and painted...or paint myself. If you do it right, a rebuilt engine can last a very long time.

I highly recommend watching this engine rebuilding series on youtube from Pete's Garage. The engine he's working on is a 351w, but all the same principles apply to your build.

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Need to correct myself...for some reason I thought I was looking at a piston. I'm an idiot... biggrin.gif



Rust and scale is to be expected in the water jacket like that.



But again, that's why you need to expect to go all in. If it were me, I'd take it to a machine shop to get blasted, cleaned, prepped, and painted...or paint myself. If you do it right, a rebuilt engine can last a very long time.



I highly recommend watching this engine rebuilding series on youtube from Pete's Garage. The engine he's working on is a 351w, but all the same principles apply to your build.



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Thanks man. I’ll definitely watch and I’m gonna bring it to a machine shop. Do it right.....do it once.


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Rust and scale is to be expected in the water jacket like that.

But again, that's why you need to expect to go all in. If it were me, I'd take it to a machine shop to get blasted, cleaned, prepped, and painted...or paint myself. If you do it right, a rebuilt engine can last a very long time.

Good advice, I will add while at the shop have the block magnafluxed, these blocks are sometimes known to have cracks in the water jacket. Also have the the cylinder bores checked for taper specially if it had ridges at the top.
 
Good advice, I will add while at the shop have the block magnafluxed, these blocks are sometimes known to have cracks in the water jacket. Also have the the cylinder bores checked for taper specially if it had ridges at the top.

That video I shared will talk about everything you'll want the machine shop to do.

Here's the quick list:

clean, magnaflux, replace freeze plugs, line bore (or at least check if it needs it) for crank and cam, check head deck and resurface if necessary, check lifter holes for roundness and bore if needed (rare, but can happen), check cylinders for roundness, bore cylinders if needed, hone cylinders, and if you want them to...paint.

There are 18 videos in that series, and I recommend you watch them all...even if you're used to rebuilding engines. I've done a few, and watch them regularly and read the manual before and during the process. It's all about planning.

Quick example of why planning is so important: Head deck can really screw you up if you don't plan it correctly. If the deck isn't flat or out of square and it needs to be resurfaced, you just made the cylinder shorter and increased compression...you'd need to compensate for different pistons if you had to deck it down pretty far.

There's nothing wrong with taking it apart right now and inspecting everything yourself, but do yourself a favor and watch those videos and read through the service manual you're ordering before you piece the engine back together.
 
That video I shared will talk about everything you'll want the machine shop to do.

Here's the quick list:

clean, magnaflux, replace freeze plugs, line bore (or at least check if it needs it) for crank and cam, check head deck and resurface if necessary, check lifter holes for roundness and bore if needed (rare, but can happen), check cylinders for roundness, bore cylinders if needed, hone cylinders, and if you want them to.

Good advice, I been doing engines a long time and always am learning. I'm going to check them out. It never ceases to amaze me what is on the internet.
I have encountered machine shops when asked what all they do for block prep only do half of that list or less. It's always good to ask questions and tell them what you want done. A good machine shop is getting harder and harder to find these days. I can remember most auto part stores had a machine shop in the back. Now your lucky if can find a parts guy who knows anything about cars or trucks without looking it up. Damn I'm getting old..
 
I'm finding that the list of things to do to your block is getting more and more expensive...all tied to lack of good shops. Not sure if it's because they get enough business or what.

The place I go to has no less than 3 guys over 65 doing 90% of the work.


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