Engine builder / assistance - DFW - 1FZ (2 Viewers)

[Flank]

So, I've been absentee from club events for, well... Ever... due to running our company and working too many hours. Still have my 95 80 series and about 6 months ago had a pretty decent head gasket failure. Long story short, my 17 year old daughter totaled my work truck and my cruiser became my trailer puller for about a month until I found a 5.7L sequoia 4wd that I adore. About week after getting my sequoia the cruiser started rough, but drove fine. Then my wife said it stalled on her. I started it and massive white smoke out the pooper. So it's parked.

I have two 1FZ engines: the one in it with about 200K miles and a top end rebuild by Robby in it's past, and my original that has 192K on it when I retired it with a #6 misfile that I suspected was a beginning of a head gasket.

Probably going to pull it from the truck (gulp -big one for me) but have never gone past an EGR system rebuild involving removing the intake manifolds before.

I am confident tearing the engines down, sourcing parts, cleaning, etc, but lack the confidence to put them together and test tolerances of pistons, rings, honing the cylinders, etc... Wondering if any cruiser friendlies in the area that could help with re-assembly? Selling the cruiser is not an option, I'll probably be buried in it. The fact that my wife agrees its not an option is a huge cultural victory in the Marten family.

 

[Michael Hanson]

I have to put a head gasket in my 1992.

 

[jaredg]

Did you start rebuilding this?

 

[Flank]

Not yet, have not started tearing it down yet. I've been shelled at work, and will have to amass parts prior to starting. Still trying to decide if I want to do it on the car, or remove the beast. Or build my spare on the stand and swap em. But the one in the car is a younger engine.

 

[mdawg]

FWIW... for the head gasket job, I pulled the head on my 80 series with the engine still in the vehicle and sent it to EnginesXtreme in Lewisville for a valve job. I'm not sure that they work on a lot of Toyotas but they did a great job on mine. You definitely have to be flexible for that kind of job, though; lots of time in the engine bay (I removed the hood) and under the engine. It probably is less physical work to pull the whole engine.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

I removed head only. 99% of the time the block has original factory hone marks. I left it alone. Got a head job done and put it back in. Mine was a preventative maintenance job.

These guys did an awesome job:

El Pino Engine Repair & Cylinder Head Shop in Garland.

I took them OEM valve guides and stem seals. Used original cam shims and valves. They reground the valves.

If you have coolant in your cylinders and you let it sit. It will likely rust where you have to replace the whole engine.

 

[jaredg]

Not yet, have not started tearing it down yet. I've been shelled at work, and will have to amass parts prior to starting. Still trying to decide if I want to do it on the car, or remove the beast. Or build my spare on the stand and swap em. But the one in the car is a younger engine.

If you are just doing the headgasket it's easy enough to do in the truck. I wouldn't bother pulling the engine, it's not worth the extra labor. I have used Wells Racing for a bunch of engine work and they are fantastic.

 

[Panzer]

I am surprised a top end overhaul isn’t more common. Its done all the time on piston engine airplanes.

 

[DrDuc]

If you are just doing the headgasket it's easy enough to do in the truck. I wouldn't bother pulling the engine, it's not worth the extra labor. I have used Wells Racing for a bunch of engine work and they are fantastic.

I did mine in the truck with the help of a master mechanic friend of mine. I didn’t experience it as “easy enough.” If I had to do it again, I think that I would pull the engine from the truck and have far easier access to everything that needs to be addressed along with all of the, as long as I’m in here,” jobs.