Given that the sensor is just a plate welded into place, and both GEMS and thor plates are available, It is not worth trying to figure out what is what when it comes to your block.

It does seem that the rot REALLY set in with the 03/04 engines as regards the loose liners.
I'd agree that a block from 94-2000 that looked to still be riding its original head studs, and wasn't overheating, would be the best call.

 

Thanks! It's from a 2000 RR but is a HRC2411 block. Not the LCF000250 that's in my 03.

Also thanks for the PDF. I will put it to good use. I have a milling machine and will drill the tiny holes for the safety wires.

Even though it doesn't look like any liners have moved and none of the liner tops are hammered, I still might as well pin them while I have it all torn down.

I appreciate the help.

 

Good Call.

Not sure what you mean about drilling the holes for the wire - just buy the ones already drilled. Socket caps are crazy hard to drill small holes in. Much easier to buy the (drilled) longer ones (90117A200 from mcmaster) and shorten them to suit.

But setting the block on your mill will allow you to drill, tap and spot-face the casting... That will make for a much better job.

 

Just noticed your parts list screws are already drilled for safety wire.

Yea I can put the block on the mill to drill and tap.

I plan to carry the block to a machine shop to have line bored, decked, cam bearing installed and pressure tested and after that I will pin all of the liners before I rebuild.

thanks for the input.

It's a 4.0 block, would you put a 4.6 crank and rods in or stay with the 4.0? I really don't need much power but since I have it down, I do have a line on several 4.6 crank assemblies.

 

Personally, If you could get the 4.6 stuff on the cheap, I would do it.
Best thing you could do to the engine, as you have a mill, is to get the ports opened up under the valve seats, and at the interface of the intake gasket on the heads and the intake. Oh, and open the intake up to the gasket line.
The heads on these engines are not exactly great - the valves and ports are very small for the size of engine, so anything you can do to open up the breathing is worth doing.
Also make sure to do a dry build and check your vertical gasket alignment (as you will likely have a decked block and heads).

 

ok and then if it’s not right I will have to have the bottom of the intake surfaced I'm guessing or maybe some of the gasket area on the intake shaved just enough to lower it? hopefully that will all line up since it will be hard to get that just right.

The heads I have haven’t been run hot, so maybe just a light skim on those and hopefully the same for the block surface.

One 4.6 crank assy is not too cheap at $350 for crank and rods and additional for matching flywheel and balancer from same engine plus shipping across the country. will add up to more than I want to pay. I would just stick with the 4.0 crank assy.

The other is $150 for crank, rods, balancer and flywheel or $300 for the complete 4.6 engine from an 03 with probably a slipped liner and more than likely blown head gaskets as it was junked for some reason. and I don’t know if it has coolant sitting in the oil pan so not sure how that one will be. I will need to drive a couple of hours and pull it out but, if I go that route I will have all of the extra parts. I could probably sell the extra parts and get a good part of my $300 back and have a free crank and rods and any other parts I want to keep.

Still not sure, may go look it over. They've already sold some of the parts off of the truck so going to see what's left. Maybe I can buy the whole truck for $500 and just drag it on my trailer. but with scrap metal prices up they may not go for that. also not sure of the condition of the trans and no way to know about that. If it was an 04 with CDL I would be there already.

 

I found this in a thread on this forum on a 4.0 to 4.6. build up.

"I spoke extensively with J.E.Robinson and Mark at D&D Fab. They both said that if you want a 4.6L without all the faults, you gotta go with a 99-00 P38. Their experience is without question and since they have no incentive to mislead in this particular area, I tend to trust their judgment."

I take everything I read with a grain of salt since there is so much contradictory information on almost every topic to do with these trucks. and naturally while skewing information I would find and quote information that supports my position. My block is from an 00 P38 but is a 4.0 and date code is 4-9-99. I've also read pretty much just the opposite about 99 and 00 blocks.

I guess its as has been said, don't focus so much on the date of the block but focus more on the condition of the block keeping in mind that 03 and 04 blocks being the worst. (paraphrased)

 

I don't believe anything is fundamentally wrong with a 2004 block that hasn't been overheated, apart from the silly liner issue... Pin the liners, or pull them and fit flanged liners, and the issue is pretty much done. Now the 2003 blocks with the badly machined front cover dowels - yes - that is jacked up and the reason I sourced a different block for my '03.
I also wouldn't worry about the colors of the paint on the blocks - folks have been turbocharging and boosting RV8's for donkeys years; the weakness is everything else lol. Find a good one, and use it. Find a bad one, and turn it into $$$ at the yard, hang it from a tree for the kids to play on, or make it into a table.

I'm surprised folks are asking that much for 4.6 parts - or perhaps I shouldn't be... For that price, I'd expect them to be cleaned, inspected as being "at size" (ie not needing a regrind, and ideally a guarantee that if they come up bad on a magnaflux, I get my money back. You also don't need the matching flexplate - I'd get the crank crack checked, balanced, and polished before fitting.

 

My 03 engine was past the bad VIN and didn't have the bad dowel alignment problem so far I've been lucky I guess. I did have a tick, but after I put in the 180 thermostat I hasn't shown itself again. I pressure tested the block and checked out. It has close to 150K now so we'll see how it holds up. may have to pin #7 on it with it in the truck if it starts ticking again. The # 7 sleeve was the only one that looked odd. The first 7 years it never had a hiccup until a few months back it blew a headgasket inside on #7 but didn't run hot as I was only a mile from the house. Had to do headgaskets, oil pump, timing set. so far so good on that.

yea that's way more than I would pay. I would pay 300 for the whole 4.6 engine if it's not any parts missing. I'll have to see. First I'm gonna take this block to the machine shop to have it checked out.

 

So I pulled the cam today and front cam bearing in my block has the cutouts like in this picture. Do rover bearings have that in the front bearing? or are mine aftermarket bearings? This picture looks like it's only in the front bearing. I only looked at my front bearing was in a hurry and had to run. It has the swirl pattern. If rover bearings don't have the swirls then these have been changed. which would mean I probably would not change them again.