I was able to flatten a head for a I5 Volvo engine by moving it back and forth on a pane of glass with sandpaper glued on. It worked pretty well. Would something similar work with a landrover head. It is made of aluminum, correct?

 

Upon closer inspection, one piston seems to be damaged pretty bad but the others seem visually fine. Should I get a new piston from ebay for $60, new from atlantic british for $90, or used piston that includes connecting rod for $70? Would a used one be better since it more closely matches the existing cylinders? Could the connecting rod also be somehow damaged and need replacement?

 

I watched a video of a guy truing his aluminum head on a plate of glass. If I have the time, next time I need to do it I want to try that.

 

You guys must not value your time at the same level I do mine, or maybe my machine shop is dramatically cheaper? I would get the rod and piston assembly. You would need a press to disassemble yours and re-assemble, or have a machine shop do it. If it is in good shape and to spec then no reason it would not work fine.

 

I’m paying well over CAD$ 200 for 2 heads. Certainly not worth messing with yourself if it’s a customer vehicle, but might be worth my time on my own.

 

If I replace the piston rings, will I need to hone the cylinders? If so, how would I do so without taking the block to a shop?

 

No offense but based on the questions I think this is a job that may be a bit over your head. Either find a used engine to swap in, rebuild yours properly, or buy a rebuilt one from Atlantic or TWS. I would be shocked if you took yours apart and the crank didn’t need reconditioning, or new cam bearings installed. You’ll need new rod and head bolts and of course every gasket and seal. If you purchase a new piston you are better off having an engine shop press it on the rod.

 

I get where you are coming from, but this is something I always wanted to try myself, and you got to start somewhere, right? I have done a lot of car repairs before not knowing much about how to do it, asking "dumb" questions on forums and was always successful, so I think I can do it... Only problem is there are no machine shops near me because I live in the middle of nowhere. Based on what others said it seems this is possible to do this without a engine/machine shop.

I am assuming the crank is good because the 4.6 engine ran fine before the "incident", and my goal is to turn the used 4.0L engine into a 4.6. As for the cylinder honing, I know it is standard practice after replacing piston rings, but some old forum posts advised against it for these engines.

 

I think some of the auto parts stores have a hone you can use with a drill, you don't really need to hone it just maybe break the glaze which is just only 4-5 passes up and down the cylinder. Lubricate the cylinder walls with motor oil - after honing clean the cylinder walls with acetone to dissolve the oil and then some hot soapy water to clean the cylinder walls and them some WD40 to prevent rust before assembly. The Rave says honing is not required but I like to do it and my rebuilds always work great. BTW the Rave generally has very good instructions on rebuilds.

 

I agree. Go for it, you gotta start somewhere as you say.