Rebuild kit needed for 2.9L V6, Where/Who

My '91 Ranger extended cab 4x4 packed it in at 235,000 miles due to
what I think is a cracked ring. I bought a Saturn 2001 SL1 since I
really need to make it to work every night. Boy do I miss my truck!

The Saturn gets about double the gas mileage which will help make the
payments but it is not a truck. I can't do Home Depot with this
thing.

I checked around for long blocks and they are in the ~ 1700 - 2000
dollar range and since, I now have transportation, I figure a rebuild
that I do myself would be a good idea. I have time now to do a
restoration on the truck since it won't be my primary transport.

Who makes a reasonably priced rebuild kit? I have a feeling that I
will need pistons. Cam and lifters also.

I've been googling around but not doing so good. Sometimes getting
the key words to separate the wheat from the chaff is a bit less than
intuitive.

Thanks in advance for pointers,

Wes

ps cross posted to rec.autos.4x4 and rec.autos.makers.ford.explorer
since they seem to be relevant to the question.

--
Reply to:
Whiskey Echo Sierra Sierra AT Gee Tee EYE EYE dot COM
Lycos address is a spam trap.

The heads will be your biggest problem. I could not find one used set in
Texas that wasn't cracked. There is a company that makes new castings, but I
don't recall the name. The bottom line is, you won't find a used head that
isn't cracked. If you buy a rebuild, only buy from the Ford house. They have
them, but they have probably been welded. You might luck out on the heads if
the vehicle was mainly driven in cooler climates. Went through all of this
once; it wasn't fun.
Ron

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> My '91 Ranger extended cab 4x4 packed it in at 235,000 miles due to
> what I think is a cracked ring. I bought a Saturn 2001 SL1 since I
> really need to make it to work every night. Boy do I miss my truck!
>
> The Saturn gets about double the gas mileage which will help make the
> payments but it is not a truck. I can't do Home Depot with this
> thing.
>
> I checked around for long blocks and they are in the ~ 1700 - 2000
> dollar range and since, I now have transportation, I figure a rebuild
> that I do myself would be a good idea. I have time now to do a
> restoration on the truck since it won't be my primary transport.
>
> Who makes a reasonably priced rebuild kit? I have a feeling that I
> will need pistons. Cam and lifters also.
>
> I've been googling around but not doing so good. Sometimes getting
> the key words to separate the wheat from the chaff is a bit less than
> intuitive.
>
> Thanks in advance for pointers,
>
> Wes
>
> ps cross posted to rec.autos.4x4 and rec.autos.makers.ford.explorer
> since they seem to be relevant to the question.
>
> --
> Reply to:
> Whiskey Echo Sierra Sierra AT Gee Tee EYE EYE dot COM
> Lycos address is a spam trap.

"R&B" <[email protected]> wrote:

>The heads will be your biggest problem. I could not find one used set in
>Texas that wasn't cracked. There is a company that makes new castings, but I
>don't recall the name. The bottom line is, you won't find a used head that
>isn't cracked. If you buy a rebuild, only buy from the Ford house. They have
>them, but they have probably been welded. You might luck out on the heads if
>the vehicle was mainly driven in cooler climates. Went through all of this
>once; it wasn't fun.
>Ron

This is a northern michigan truck. Only was in southwest texas once
and that was in april

Heads must be a real issue on this engine, compared to other v6's
there seems to be a 500 dollar premium for a longblock. Heads must be
the reason.

Wes

--
Reply to:
Whiskey Echo Sierra Sierra AT Gee Tee EYE EYE dot COM
Lycos address is a spam trap.