Hello all... New to the forums here and was wanting to ask a couple of good questions.

1 - Rebuild 2.9 V-6 Good idea or bad?
2 - Is there a better tranny to pair up with the 2.9 for the occasional off-roader? Or is it better to rebuild the A4LD I'm sure I have?
3 - Being the occasional off-roader (maybe 2 times a month), What would be good for suspension? Just put some Mono Tube Shocks and new Bushings and Body Mounts? The suspension is bad in the truck and needs to be completely redone.
4 - And the last is can I get all this done with a budget of $2,500.00 or less?

I would like to have this truck looking good stock and eventually buy another BII to make a good 4x4 outta it.I know its alot of questions and I appreciate any answers. So let me know what ya'll think or some suggestions. Ty

-Will-

 

I have researched alot and what I can come up with for the engine is that I will re-work it (Ford 2.9 177 V6 1988-1990 Engine Kit

This kit contains all of the following items:

Pistons, Rings, Rod Bearings, Main Bearings, Cam Bearings, Gasket Set, Camshaft, Lifters, Timing Set, Oil Pump, and Freeze Plugs.

These items are all brand-new, quality, stock replacement parts manufactured to OEM specifications.) And as far as the tranny goes I will put in a FM145 to join with my BW 1350M. Also the suspension I figure I will go with Bilstein front and back Heavy duty ride Mono tube gas pressurized shock. And I need front springs so I will just get a new pair of stock springs. I know I can tear it down and keep track of everything and where it goes. And I'm going to send the block to get cleaned and checked for cracks.My only question now is how hard would it be to rebuild the engine? Any comments or advice welcomed. Ty

-Will-

 

Why would you put money into an FM Mitsubishi transmission? For off-road use? I would go with the TK 5 or M5OD Mazda transmissions. Of course, you'd probably find more FM transmissions in the junkyards than the others - and might have to rebuild the one you do find. Honestly, with a little investment, you can have the A4LD rebuilt RIGHT and take the measures to keep it cool with an external transmission cooler in conjunction with the in-radiator cooler and not have to worry so much about it. Keep in mind, if you go bigger with tires, you will also want to re-gear your axles and possibly upgrade at least the front to a D35 and possibly get an Explorer (or Ranger) 8.8 for the rear if you go larger than 33-35" tires.

You can get new body mounts if yours are bad. The rest of the bushings can be replaced as well. If you're planning on running larger tires, you'll probably want to get a decent lift kit. James Duff Enterprises makes probably one of the best kits out there and they also have all the parts you need for your bushings and body mounts, etc. Spend the extra money on the stage 3 kit(s) for the suspension. Add-a-leafs or blocks for the rear are a bad idea, especially if you already have sagging/weak rear leaf springs. You may want to replace the leaf spring and shackle bushings in the process and figure out what size greasable bolts you need. I forget who makes them, but they have them listed on just about every site (including JC Whitney) for Jeeps. Yes, it IS okay to use Jeep parts on your Ford

On your engine rebuild, plan on spending the extra $6-700 on WP replacement heads. Unless you feel you can get by with reconditioned stock ones. If you take option #2, you will want to beef up your cooling system and run a 180 degree thermostat. There are a lot of things that can be done to your BII to make it a pretty reliable and capable off-road vehicle and you don't necessarily have to spend a whole lot of money.

 

I forgot to ask... why are you considering rebuilding the engine? Do you have exhaust smoke? Is the valvetrain noisy? It's probably money you don't need to spend right away, unless it is absolutely necessary....

 

Don't rebuild a 2.9. U can get a 4.0 for a reasonable price from the junkyard. Its 50 extra hp, same mileage, run bigger tires and just an all around better engine. Find a junk explorer w a 4.0, M5OD, harness and computer. Its the most cost efficient upgrade to a tired ol 2.9.

 

The 4.0 is better choice, but 50hp better, no......
2.9 140hp @ 3,800rpms
4.0 160hp @ 3,400rpms(OHV not SOHC)
I too would rather go with a 4.0, since you already support EFI, the mods to make it work are fairly minimal and the end product more satisfying.

 

I'm hesitant to be _for_ a 4.0 swap. People ask why. My answer: Why spend the time and money on something that has the inherited problem of cracking heads for 20hp? I know of one owner of a 4.0-powered BII that has put 2 or 3 sets of heads on his engine in the last 2 or 3 years. Nobody makes a 'better' replacement head for the 4.0 OHV, not even Ford, like they do for the 2.9. I've beat on my 2.9 since I bought it and have yet to blow a gasket or crack a head - even when it's run hot. Big tires? There's a solution for that. There's a guy on here I think that is still running his stock 28 and 7.5 axles with 35s... and I believe he's still running his 2.9, even. Yes, you can probably sink a lot of $$$ into a 2.9 to make it comparable to a 4.0, but you can also sink a lot of money into a 4.0 depending on how you treat it. *shrug*

 

Sry for the late reply. I think I should have mentioned how I was wanting the truck to be first, dont know what I was thinkin Anyways... I would like to keep it a stock 88 due to it being my first vehicle and still is after 3 years of hard work and fun. I have done nothing to it really but change the ocassional seal or gasket and other minor things. So that being said I would like to have this truck be as Original as possible. Heres what I want to do... Keep the 2.9 engine and re-do it with new heads from World Heads and new gaskets and seals from Fel-Pro also a good engine re-build kit to get the rest (dont know what a good kit would be though). I would also like to have the tranny to be worked on and running good (transmission is a FM145) and then have the BW 1350M working good as well. As far as axles go IDK what kinda axles would be good for that truck (I would like a strait bolt on if possible but I can make it work if not) and put in the 3.75 gears that I have had sitting around in a box that came with the truck. The suspension needs to be done as well and I am going to have to do that first. I have neglected it for the entire 3 years that I have had it So yea... I'm looking for help on finding a good re-build kit that has the rest of what I need and a good kit to re-build the tranny and BW, as well as a good pair of axles. Again I do apreciate any advice and comments. Ty

-Will-

 

ohhh... and the truck does have a little smoke coming from the valve cover but i will replace that with a new seal. I have heard that Fel-Pro akes good seals, so that is what I will be getting for that. And the muffler has to be changed due to my older sis thinking she could drive a stick and running into a neighbors ditch.

 

How many verifyable miles does your BII have on it? Have you done a compression / leak-down test on the engine? Have you checked the oil pressure cold and hot with a gauge? I personally wouldn't invest in rebuilding until it's actually time, and even then, I would suggest getting a rebuilt short block to put the WP heads on unless you want to do a rebuild yourself with the help of a reputable local machine shop. Those kinds of parts I would go with NAPA over most other parts stores. They usually carry the quality stuff in their rebuild kits.

Driveline.com has all the rebuild parts and kits you'd need for both the transmission and t-case, if I am not mistaken. If you have gears that came with your truck for the OEM axles, you could probably install them (if they are lower gears than what you have in there now) - but keep in mind, 3.73s aren't good for much over 31" tires. After that, you'll have to consider regearing to 4.10s or 4.56s. All I can say is good luck getting the parts for the stock 28TTB and 7.5. A lot of folks swap in the 35TTB and 8.8 out of a '91-'94 Explorer or a 4.0-powered Ranger (I forget the cutoff year, I want to say somewhere between '96 an '98). You can also get the pieces and parts to swap in a 4.0 clutch. The only downside is you have to use the 4.0 starter and do some wiring 'changes', but, from what I've read it is well worth it.

If you have a reasonable and good exhaust shop in your area, you can have them do up a 2.25" or 2.5" exhaust from the cat back, and you can find a better cat on Summit's website. I've also seen some decent dual exhausts done using a single inlet/dual outlet Flowmaster.

Back to your 'starting point': James Duff is one of the better suspension kits out there, Skyjacker is probably a close second. There are others out there, if you have the money. All depends on what you want to do with your BII and how much you want to spend. Sounds like you have the infamous leaking 2.9 valve cover gaskets. I put the Fel-pro Perma Dry rubber replacements on mine, and they have held up fairly well. I have to re-seat them again when I get back home - apparently the bolts have loosened or there's an issue with the valve covers themselves.

Anyhow, hope this is some good food for thought. Cheers!