Hello,
I have been absent from this board for a while since I sold (and now regret) my 04 D2 which had a crack behind a liner leaking coolant into the sump. Otherwise it was in great shape and low mileage. I am looking to get another D2 for a project off road rig. Since the engine is the weakest point I want to rebuild one with top hat liners to resolve block cracking issue.
- it seems using top hats with an o ring should resolve any coolant mixture or loss issues. Has anyone here experienced a failure with a top hat engine?
- I would also like to get suggestions on how to proceed with the engine build out. Getting a shop to install the liners and I build the engine or going with an Atlantic British or Turner short block which seems to be a safer bet but does cost extra $$.

For the build looking at 03 or 04 D2 with an ARB front bumper and winch, Baja roof rack and a terrafirma lift to start. I have the means to do all the work myself. Budget if a little fluid but want to stick to around $10-15k.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

@zski128 Start with a short block 4.0 out of Ranger Rover Classic, better block all round. Then rebuild it to 4.6 or 4.0 specs.

 

swap terrafirma shocks for Fox and possibly look for a different front bumper than the ARB if it's an offroad only vehicle. They are heavy and don't have a great approach angle.

 

Find a machine shop that can install the liners before you buy them.
A member here has a set of o-ring liners for sale, and I was going to buy them for my 04 engine rebuild...but neither him nor I could find a machine shop to mill the block deck for them.
I'm currently putting my 4.6 guts in an early 4.0 block now.
The blocks are the same(crank and rods are only difference).
The LR 4.0's and P38 4.6(in RR only) were better castings than the 03/04 LR blocks.

 

J White in Framingham or JE Robison in Springfield are probably good bets for getting the work done you're looking for - I'd be surprised if they couldn't do it.

If it were me, I'd be looking in the South or Southwest for a donor frame that won't have any rust. I will probably need to deal with a pretty bad rot problem this year before my inspection expires in September. I have a weird habit of looking under the rear bumper of the D2s that I see on the street and pretty much all of them in our area are suffering.

 

I actually had some work done with J Whites before. Great guys! Since this is a project truck I want to do most of the work myself. More fun and rewarding. I have been seeing that most D2s around here have frame issues. Really kicking myself for selling my old one. It was in perfect shape.

 

Agreed on the blocks. Anyone have a recommendation on a machine shop? Don’t mind shipping if the work is done properly.

 

I would not even bother with the liners, just get a 4.0 block. I have two 00's with over 220k on them, no issues.

 

You get the same effect as top hat liners if you simply use all metal headgaskets instead of composite, with the bonus that you can slap them on yourself.

These are best paired with ARP studs instead of OEM stetch to fit head bolts.

 

Not really. I am concerned with the cracking that can develop behind the liner which will allow coolant either into the combustion chamber or down into the oil sump. This happened on my last D2. I planned on using studs this time as I understand they exert less stress on the block. I can roll the dice and just use the engine as is. If this does happen again I can go the top hat route. My concern is if I am deep on the trail someplace I don’t want to get stranded.....yes I know how that sounds driving an old D2