Alright, I've been probing around and looking for deals.



Here's my spreadsheet so far. Now, this isn't a game of get it the cheapest. I'm more than willing to spend extra money to get a better quality part. Especially when it comes to precision things like main/rod bearings, etc.

Chart
Red = Higher than average for equal quality parts (Mostly AB)
Pinkish = Things I have already purchased
Yellowish = D&D (Aluminumv8.com) kit that comes with cam, lifters, cam bearings, timing chain kit, assembly lube.
Blue = D&D (Aluminumv8.com) kit that contains Federal Mogul rod and main bearings
Green = Parts that I am considering buying immediately that meet my quality/price criteria.

Notes: It bothers me that a lot of websites attempt to obfuscate the brand name of their parts. This seems to be an only Land Rover problem, as other vehicles I have had in the past have not had this part. I assume that is do to the non-competitive nature of these parts. This also reflects in the higher than normal price.

Some websites, specifically Lucky8 are broken for lack of a better term. I found it easier to search by part number than use their website.

For example, if I go to Google and type in 'site:lucky8llc.com err5924' I find the listing on their website for the camshaft I want, but it may not show up on their website if I drill down through their menu's. I suppose that this is because this is their new site, but other sites are like this too.

I'm still taking recommendations on sites/people to price match with, so feel free to comment.

 

When I rebuilt mine I bought everything I could through amazon, best prices with free shipping

 

Xathor that is an astonishingly well researched chart.

I buy some from amazon (when I need it fast, like this weekend). But Lucky 8 always treats forum members right for price and shipping, so when I am not dealing with an emergency I call them. I only call AB when it is late in the day and I have to get it overnight (extreme emergency--throttle cable broken at the firewall and out of town). Rovahfarm seems to have alot of odd parts at the ready, like brass diff plugs and the like.

 

I found my new favorite website 'lrdirect.com'



After searching and searching Google for part numbers, looking at random odd-ball websites with some outrageous prices, I found this website on like page 4 of my Google searches. Who goes that far?

Obviously LR prices in the UK are going to be much, much cheaper. I figured they'd ream me on the shipping. Turns out shipping was $79 for FedEx Air.

Instead of picking what the supplier had with unknown manufacturer, this website actually gave options on almost every part. I went with Bearmach, as I have seen the LRTV guy use their parts pretty extensively. I held off on Rod and Main bearings, as I haven't received my parts back from the machine shop.

 

Also, I messaged the LRTV guy about some things and he whipped up this nice video for me!

 

Thanks. It's a brand new website and we are still working out the flaws.

If you need prices quoted and want specific brands/quality, email me a list and Ill be more than happy to crush anyone's prices as we always do.

 

Always teething issues with new stuff.

Like I said, my only complaint is a lot of websites obscure the brand name of parts.

I haven't bought main or rod bearings yet, what brand(s) do you carry?

Honestly, I probably would have gone with Lucky8 or RovahFarm for most items but I am penny pinching to buy a ring.

I did buy my headgasket kit and head bolts from you!

-Nick

Edit: Also you should look at getting rid of GoDaddy, mainly their DNS. Move to something like CloudFlare and you're website will be waaaay more responsive.

 

Just an update. I got all of the parts in from LRdirect. Ordered on the 15th, package came on the 17th.

I ordered everything except rod and main bearings, as I am still waiting for the machine shop to get back to me about having the crank turned or polished.

In the mean time I have been working on this fixing all kinds of electrical issues.



Didn't want anyone to think I have abandoned this project. Machine shop said that I should hear from them Monday.

 

...and an update!

So picked up my heads from the machine shop and they weren't nearly as clean as I had imagined they would be. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of experiance with having other people do things for me, so my standards and expectations are probably much higher. I expected to receive parts that were absolutely spotless.

I think I mentioned before that I had some issues with the mineral spirits and compressed air method, mainly my supply of compressed air was lacking. I fixed that issue.



Lowes had a good sale on this 4 scfm 8 gallon compressor for $99, with my 10% veterans discount it came out to a pretty damn good deal.

I still haven't received the block or crank back from the machine shop, so I am limited to what I can do. I'm almost 100% certain I am going to re-use the pistons, because they look pretty decent. I need to clean them up really well and measure them, so I went to my trusty method of cleaning really dirty ****.



For $20-something bucks you can pick up a gallon of Chem-dip. If you want something hella clean, this stuff works amazing. Two pistons can fit in the bucket at a time. I had started this project earlier, then took a nap on the couch for a few hours. The first two pistons came out pretty well. The second set I let sit in the chem-dip for about 30 minutes and they were about 80% as clean as the ones that had sat in the solution for a while. Taking a brass bristle brush to the heavy deposits speeds this process up considerably.



Here's a before and after comparison.



That's the first piston that sat in the solution for a while. I took the mineral spirits and compressed air to blow any sediment out of all the corners then blew it dry with compressed air. I'm going to take the rings off and clean the ringlands really well.



I had gotten my parts from LRdirect several days ago, but I have been working on the electrical on this FJ40 for a while and driving it around a bit. Fun truck, its only problem is that it isn't a Land Rover. I took it for a rather long drive yesterday and ended up over-heating in front of the Toyota plant near my house. I spent an hour chilling out next to a corn field waiting for the engine to cool. It got up to around 220-225F and took ..for..****ing..ever... for that giant iron block iron head motor to get back down to 180F. I flushed the coolant out and it looked like Flint Michigan tap water.

I know that the Disco is a tough one to get all the air pockets out of the engine, so I ordered a vacuum kit that should be here tomorrow. It's by far the easiest way to ensure there is no air in the coolant system.



Turns out I ordered 16 piston rings, which is probably good since they can be broken upon installation. If I have any left over when I am done, they will be for sale.

I still need to order an oil pump.

 

Oh, also forgot. Check out the B stamped on the piston. I wonder if those aren't the factory pistons.