hahaha. Practice in your neighborhood at around 3 in the morning. Best way to make friends!

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GOLDIE
1999 2.5L XLT
Herculiner | Kobalt tool box | K&N Filter | 6k HID's | 31's BFG | Eagle Alloy 186s | 102'' Whip | Cobra 19 DX IV | Fabtech 3.5 Spindles | Pro Comp AAL kit | 15% Tint | Mustang Dome

LOL Yea.

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Mods: Xcal 2, K&N Drop-In, Line-X, DSG Heads/Corners, 6000k Hi/Low HID's, 6K HID Fogs, Foglight Mod, Throttle Cable Mod, 6.5" Digital Designs, Rockford P400.4, 2 Sundown SA-15's, MB Quart DSC 2000.1d, Cranked T-Bars, 285/75/R16 Nitto Terra Grapplers

Haven't updated this in a while. I picked up a set of LX bumpers a few weeks ago and was just about ready to starting getting things ready for paint when I had a head gasket blow out on me on my way to work. Luckily I was right in front of the shop and was able to coast it into the lot and ended up towing it home later that day. I made the decision to just tackle the job myself and learn something in the process.

Towing it home:


Tearing it down:






And as she sits now, bare block, and an oily mess:

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Mods: Xcal 2, K&N Drop-In, Line-X, DSG Heads/Corners, 6000k Hi/Low HID's, 6K HID Fogs, Foglight Mod, Throttle Cable Mod, 6.5" Digital Designs, Rockford P400.4, 2 Sundown SA-15's, MB Quart DSC 2000.1d, Cranked T-Bars, 285/75/R16 Nitto Terra Grapplers

Just a little update. Heads are getting dropped off tomorrow to be freshened up and should be done by Friday. I'll be pulling everything off the car that I'm going to be powder coating this weekend and hopefully making my order for my gaskets and bolts and whatnot. Hoping to have this thing done in the next 2 weeks. Not too bad considering I only get time to work on it on the weekends.

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Mods: Xcal 2, K&N Drop-In, Line-X, DSG Heads/Corners, 6000k Hi/Low HID's, 6K HID Fogs, Foglight Mod, Throttle Cable Mod, 6.5" Digital Designs, Rockford P400.4, 2 Sundown SA-15's, MB Quart DSC 2000.1d, Cranked T-Bars, 285/75/R16 Nitto Terra Grapplers

Got the heads back. They'll be getting painted today. Also cleaned up my intake. I think I'm just going leave it unpainted.

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Mods: Xcal 2, K&N Drop-In, Line-X, DSG Heads/Corners, 6000k Hi/Low HID's, 6K HID Fogs, Foglight Mod, Throttle Cable Mod, 6.5" Digital Designs, Rockford P400.4, 2 Sundown SA-15's, MB Quart DSC 2000.1d, Cranked T-Bars, 285/75/R16 Nitto Terra Grapplers

Finally ordered all my gaskets and everything from Summit today. Also went and picked up a new T-Stat and ACT sensor. I also gave the heads a coat of paint today. I'll be sand blasting the VC's and some other things this week also. If everything comes in this week/weekend I'll be putting everything back together hopefully.

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Mods: Xcal 2, K&N Drop-In, Line-X, DSG Heads/Corners, 6000k Hi/Low HID's, 6K HID Fogs, Foglight Mod, Throttle Cable Mod, 6.5" Digital Designs, Rockford P400.4, 2 Sundown SA-15's, MB Quart DSC 2000.1d, Cranked T-Bars, 285/75/R16 Nitto Terra Grapplers

Well since Summit sent me two of the same head gaskets(can't use a left side one, on the right side), I went ahead and started working on cleaning up my valve covers. I sand blasted them last week, then painted them last night, then sanded them this morning. Started out with 100 grit, then hit them with 220, then finished it off with a red Scotch Brite pad.

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Mods: Xcal 2, K&N Drop-In, Line-X, DSG Heads/Corners, 6000k Hi/Low HID's, 6K HID Fogs, Foglight Mod, Throttle Cable Mod, 6.5" Digital Designs, Rockford P400.4, 2 Sundown SA-15's, MB Quart DSC 2000.1d, Cranked T-Bars, 285/75/R16 Nitto Terra Grapplers

Last night I put the passenger side head on and got everything torqued down. After doing some more reading today I realized I had the head gasket on that side installed wrong. So today I tore that side all apart again and now she's starting to look like a motor again. Managed to lose one of my intake bolts so it's not torqued down right now. Here's how it all sits right now though.

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Mods: Xcal 2, K&N Drop-In, Line-X, DSG Heads/Corners, 6000k Hi/Low HID's, 6K HID Fogs, Foglight Mod, Throttle Cable Mod, 6.5" Digital Designs, Rockford P400.4, 2 Sundown SA-15's, MB Quart DSC 2000.1d, Cranked T-Bars, 285/75/R16 Nitto Terra Grapplers

Cool car man!! Can't wait to see that thing with some fresh paint and rims! If I owned a car like that I'd lose my license

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White '99 Ranger 4x4, 3.0, 5 spd. Torsion bar lift, 32x11.50 BFG All Terrains on Ion Alloy 15x8 rims, Custom Magnaflow turnout exhaust, K&N drop-in air filter, Cobra Super 19 mini CB, Sony Audio system and custom white dash trim, Air horns, throttle cable mod, airbox mod, manual hubs mod, 200k miles & PAID FOR
Rangers > Jeeps!

Haha thanks man. Yea, I can't wait to get it painted either. As soon as I get it back together and find a new front bumper she'll be ready to paint.

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Mods: Xcal 2, K&N Drop-In, Line-X, DSG Heads/Corners, 6000k Hi/Low HID's, 6K HID Fogs, Foglight Mod, Throttle Cable Mod, 6.5" Digital Designs, Rockford P400.4, 2 Sundown SA-15's, MB Quart DSC 2000.1d, Cranked T-Bars, 285/75/R16 Nitto Terra Grapplers

Around noon I had it to this stage:


Then I made a run to get some oil and anti-freeze and went back to work:


It took me about an hour to get that distributor in there. PITA! Need to get a throttle body gasket, install that, bolt up the alternator, and double check everything and it'll be ready to run! I also hooked up my Maximum Motorsports steering shaft and rerouted my clutch cable. So glad I rerouted that cable too because it made it so much softer.

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Mods: Xcal 2, K&N Drop-In, Line-X, DSG Heads/Corners, 6000k Hi/Low HID's, 6K HID Fogs, Foglight Mod, Throttle Cable Mod, 6.5" Digital Designs, Rockford P400.4, 2 Sundown SA-15's, MB Quart DSC 2000.1d, Cranked T-Bars, 285/75/R16 Nitto Terra Grapplers

Started it up today. I have a few small leaks like the fuel pressure gauge, small valve cover leak, and a small exhaust leak. I need to set the lash on the rockers and add about another quart of oil in it and then it should be good to go. I'd like to take it somewhere and have it actually tuned though so that I know it's reliable. Other than some chattery valves, it's running fine. Starts up and idles great so far.

Proof that she does still move:


And the finished motor(for now):


I need to set the lash on the rockers so I'll be tearing it down again next weekend probably. Who knows, might start on it tomorrow if it's not 100* again. Kinda sucks that I have to tear into it again but that's what I get for not doing things the first time. I'm thinking about painting the intake to match the valve covers. Maybe...I don't really know yet. Kind of like it how it is.

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Mods: Xcal 2, K&N Drop-In, Line-X, DSG Heads/Corners, 6000k Hi/Low HID's, 6K HID Fogs, Foglight Mod, Throttle Cable Mod, 6.5" Digital Designs, Rockford P400.4, 2 Sundown SA-15's, MB Quart DSC 2000.1d, Cranked T-Bars, 285/75/R16 Nitto Terra Grapplers