Cylinder heads off the engine

The driver's side cylinder head and gasket. Other than being carboned up, things actually look pretty good.

The driver's side piston bank. As with the head, the pistons look to be in good shape other than the carbon. I will end up cleaning as much carbon as I can off the piston tops to ascertain the condition of the head itself. All pistons on the driver's side looked good after this.

The passenger's side cylinder head. I tried to get the gasket in the picture, but I guess I didn't do a very good job. :) As with the driver's side, everything looks good.

The passenger's side piston bank. The pistons look to be in good condition, but a thorough cleaning with a parts brush and a few cans of PB Blaster proved that the forward-most piston top on this side has some gouge marks. I think a glow plug tip broke off in this cylinder at some point, and either my uncle (or his step-father, who bought the truck new) didn't realize it or tried to get the tip to exit through the exhaust valve. If I were rebuilding the engine, I wouldn't hesitate to replace this piston, but I don't think there's any structural damage. The compression check I performed in January showd this cylinder as having 500 psi, so it's more a matter of being ugly than anything else.

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Main Page

Introduction to the project

Before the project begins

Removing external parts and accessories

Removing cylinder heads

Heads, gaskets, and the block after head removal

Removing timing gear cover and camshaft

Cleaning the piston tops

Cleaning the ins and outs of the engine

Final engine block cleaning with compresed air

Oil cooler disassembled

Parts ready for painting

Final painting preparation

Parts after painting

Installing BajaGringo drains

Installing the camshaft

Re-installing the camshaft

Assembling and testing the oil cooler

First steps of modifications for the turbocharger

Comparing the stock head bolts to ARP studs (lengthy!)

Installing the cylinder heads

Installing the head studs

Installing the valvetrain

Installing the intake manifold and injector pump

Assembling and installing the turbocharger

Last touches on engine assembly

Installing radiator

The Finished Project