To buy or rebuild.

[krbrooking]

Well I am not sure how much longer my rd2.8 is going to last in my gu, so I now have to make a decision on wether to buy a whole "new" one or get a recon 4.2td and go down that path. I know I want a 4.2td but can't afford/justify the price of getting a gu. I am not sure if I want to go down the buy a gq 4.2 path as I have been burnt with a few second hand cars and that is the same reason I am not sure about buying a used 3L gu as I can't afford the 4.2. So I am leaning more towards the recon way as then I at least know the motor is in good nik and I know my car is pretty reasonable besides a few cosmetic things, but I was not expecting the price of some of the quotes I have received.

I eventually want to get a camper so I do need something with a bit of torque to handle towing it around, along with being able to tackle the more technical tracks and rock climbs but still have really good road manners as I spend 80% on road as it is my dayly. So I am not sure which way to go ATM.

What do you all suggest doing, without turning it into a gu/gq bash.:1087:

[MudRunnerTD]

There is a TD42 engine on FB at the moment, I think he also just listed it on eBay for $2500, rebuilt with receipts 10000kms ago.

Worth a look

[Sir Roofy]

there is a td42 engine on fb at the moment, i think he also just listed it on ebay for $2500, rebuilt with receipts 10000kms ago.

Worth a look

kev that would be worth looking at a bigger motor and a good price

[threedogs]

4.2 TD GU got a nice ring to I eh

[BigRAWesty]

What about a conversion?? Is that a possibility??

[Stropp]

definitely the 4.2 mate

[threedogs]

is it possible to re build what you have and enhance it some how,
I seem to re call some one recently did just that and were more than happy.

[nissannewby]

A recon will be your best bet, probably the most cost effective. There are modifications you can do to the 2.8 to make them pull a little better but they still aren't a 4.2.

A 4.2 conversion could get costly as you will need the gearbox as well, accessories etc etc. If you want to keep costs reasonable then a gq4.2 would be a good option as gu 4.2 want rediculous coin. (Although I have one advertised, which will get a price drop soon)

How much are the quotes you got? If you don't mind me asking.

[krbrooking]

@Mudrunner
Thanks mate I will definitely look at that. Do you mind to put up the fb link as I don't have fb and it will give it to my wife.
@TD:
Yeh your not wrong bout the ring to it, and have rebuilt the engine once before and I don't have a lot of faith in the 2.8's especially putting more pressure on it.
@ Westy:
That is one of the options I have listed and is more than likely going to be the way I go or buying a gq 4.2. Sorry the header should prob be to buy or to convert.
@NB:

Yeh I have only received one quote for 18g + for a 4.2 conversion. Don't get me wrong after seeing what gets done I can understand. What have you got for sale and do you mind pm'ing me the price.

I will only be looking to do any of the this around April/may ish unless the wright thing comes up as the bank balance needs to build up a bit before I can do anything. I am just doing the research at the moment, I should prob have stated that in the first post.


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[Bloodyaussie]

Gq gq gq gq gq gq gq gq gq gq gq gq!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[krbrooking]

Gq gq gq gq gq gq gq gq gq gq gq gq!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What you selling yours??????


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[rkinsey]

KR,

Im in the same boat and have looked at 4.2TD conversion but I just cant justify the cost of it all as I need to also do suspension and brakes etc.

I have called quite a few wreckers and have been quoted $3000.00 to $4500.00 for a second hand motor exchange! (Bet they dont sell to many of them....) I'd pay a $1000.00 but not what they are asking. Bloody rip offs.

I have been quoted $12,500.00 to have my RD28T GQ motor rebuilt down to $6500.00 with new injectors and a reconn'ed fuel pump. ($4200.00 just to have the motor done. I have the contact details for this guy and he is in Sydney. Nice bloke to talk to.) Installation is a bit more I think.

For me this would be the quickest way of getting the GQ back on the road.

My next option, and one I will probably go with, is to strip the motor and rebuild it myself over time (I bought a Ford Explorer for $1800.00 as my daily to get me around) This will take a lot longer but I have always wanted to do up a car and here is my opportunity to do so.

Hope I have given you some ideas as to your situation.

Cheers,

Rob

[Wine_maker]

Agree with nissannewby and rkinsey.
When I rebuilt mine 2.8, cost was only 1300$ with fuel pump maintenance, new spraying nozzle, piston rings, etc.

TD42 is great, but are you sure that current rd28t power is not enough for your current needs and you strongly need 4.2?

[mudski]

Well kev if you can wait until my td42t build is done, might be a while, you've seen how my ZD30 goes. I will be flogging it of cheap I reckon. Its pulling my camper at 1.4t quite good but the hills is where it struggles. Would do for any deisel though I would think.
Although a GQ is cheaper. Do you really want to go backwards in tech and design?
P.s I am in no way trying to piss on the GQ's. I know they are a good car. Just seems pointless to go back just for an engine.
Do what I did. Look for a td42t that needs a rebuild and slowly build it.

[krbrooking]

@rkinskey & winemaker
The only thing with that is that I have already rebuilt the motor with a new head. Not only that, I don't believe that the 2.8's can handle pulling around the extra weight on an ongoing basis especially once you have put more stress on the motor by upgrading the power. The other thing is that if I am going to spend around the 10k mark to rebuild my motor again I would rather spend the extra 8k or so and do the 4.2 and know I will be happy with the result, I know it is a fair bit more and I will have to save more but I think in the long run I will be happier. Having said that I am still open to the thought of if the right buy comes up I will definitely think about it.

@mudski
Are you just doing a motor swap or have you bought a whole new 4.2 and rebuilding that??? And if I remember correctly yours is an auto and I am not a huge fan of an auto.

I know it seems like I am being picky but I am sick of buying second hand cars and having to rebuild them a year or so later, I am not for one second saying that there is a chance of that happening me buying a car off someone here and it being a dud but at the same time the cars in my price range will have at least 250k on the clock if not more. At least with a full rebuild I know everything is new.

[mudski]

Kev mines a manual bud. Just doing a motor swap too. Rebuilding the motor first then ill do the swap.

[threedogs]

@ Mudski are you de burring and enamelling the block????
Should balance and blueprint it while its apart

[mudski]

Not blue printing john I'll just balance the crank, rods and pistons.
And wth is deburring and enameling do?

[nissannewby]

@ Mudski are you de burring and enamelling the block????
Should balance and blueprint it while its apart

Sorry bud but do you know what your talking about?

Balancing is very good mark, get your crank assembly balanced with the balancer and flywheel, clutch etc. Also make sure the balance the rods end for end too.

[nissannewby]

@rkinskey & winemaker
The only thing with that is that I have already rebuilt the motor with a new head. Not only that, I don't believe that the 2.8's can handle pulling around the extra weight on an ongoing basis especially once you have put more stress on the motor by upgrading the power. The other thing is that if I am going to spend around the 10k mark to rebuild my motor again I would rather spend the extra 8k or so and do the 4.2 and know I will be happy with the result, I know it is a fair bit more and I will have to save more but I think in the long run I will be happier. Having said that I am still open to the thought of if the right buy comes up I will definitely think about it.

@mudski
Are you just doing a motor swap or have you bought a whole new 4.2 and rebuilding that??? And if I remember correctly yours is an auto and I am not a huge fan of an auto.

I know it seems like I am being picky but I am sick of buying second hand cars and having to rebuild them a year or so later, I am not for one second saying that there is a chance of that happening me buying a car off someone here and it being a dud but at the same time the cars in my price range will have at least 250k on the clock if not more. At least with a full rebuild I know everything is new.

Stop being so picky or up your budget. It might be better in the long run to save your dollars and get a nice 4.2 wagon.

[Ben-e-boy]

Isnt blue printing just records of every measurement, weight, tolerances etc, if it is a slow build why not record every little detail.

If for some reason you change mechanic or something and something goes wrong and needs major surgery, ( for a non build quality related reason) at least you could give the new engine builder a specific set of specs to build your engine to

[krbrooking]

Sorry Mark for some reason I thought it was auto. How much work are you going to have to do to get the 4.2 to fit and if you don't mind how much are you looking at spending.

@nissannewby

I think that is what I am going to have to do so I can afford to get the motor of my choice.

[nissannewby]

Marks conversion is a little easier as the 4.2 and 3.0 use the same box, clutch etc. diff ratios in his are closer suited to a 4.2 on 33's.

[mudski]

Kev. TBH I don't know how much this will cost in the end mate. As its a slow build, I will do bit by bit as the fund allow for it. I'm guessing it will still cost close to the 10k mark. Guessing.
I haven't even started on my TD42 yet as my gaming pc shat a video card and that cost $800 to replace. So I have to wait a bit for the funds to come back up.
So I hope the TD42 guys don't mind me scratching their brains soon.

[threedogs]

Surprised you have never heard of de burring and enamelling the block.
it aids in oil return to the oil pump,
And yes I do know what I'm talking about.
This was done on my mates 335RwKw Patrol
This has been around for ages, look it up if not familiar with it

@ Mudski would ceramic coating the piston tops help your engine rebuild

[Ben-e-boy]

I dont know anything about deburring engine blocks, I havnt heard of it.

If there are burrs wouldnt that be related to a questionable build or tooling quality, and for some reason they are still there after they leave the factory?
Can some one explain this please

[nissannewby]

Surprised you have never heard of de burring and enamelling the block.
it aids in oil return to the oil pump,
And yes I do know what I'm talking about.
This was done on my mates 335RwKw Patrol
This has been around for ages, look it up if not familiar with it

@ Mudski would ceramic coating the piston tops help your engine rebuild

I am familiar with de burring, but enamelling is not a term I'm familiar with? Enamel is a paint I know that much :). As for doing them in a TD42 it's not required.

Ceramic coating is good and has some nice benefits. You can get piston crowns, valves, exhaust manifolds etc etc done. Also Teflon coating the skirts of the piston is a good idea if you have sent them away for ceramic coating. The ceramic coating helps with keeping the heat in the combustion gas so you don't loose it's heat to your piston, head etc. This is beneficial on turbo diesel (diesels don't burn as hot as petrols) as retaining the heat in the gas allows your turbo to work better :).

[threedogs]

basically smoothing as much OE faults in the casting where they flash .{over pour}
a lot of high HP motor have this done, the enamel is not paint but enamel like pots and pan,
this will help along with de burring. Like a port and polish for the block, takes ages .
I'd would be burring Mudski block as time isn't a factor on the rebuild.

Bit off OE topic though

Edit it was done to a very highly strung 4.8 turbo petrol

[nissannewby]

basically smoothing as much OE faults in the casting where they flash .{over pour}
a lot of high HP motor have this done, the enamel is not paint but enamel like pots and pan,
this will help along with de burring. Like a port and polish for the block, takes ages .
I'd would be burring Mudski block as time isn't a factor on the rebuild.

Bit off OE topic though

Edit it was done to a very highly strung 4.8 turbo petrol

Still there is absolutely no gain to be had in marks application. Yes there might be very minor gains in a race application where the engine is beyond 4000rpm most of its life. At td42 only revs to 4500 so deburring etc is just extra work for nothing really.

It was common practice back in the day on race engines due to poor oil quality and castings, cast iron blocks are more porous than alloy blocks. Oil and castings have come along way since then in quality. Many newer engine blocks will not require it due to most of them being alloy and mostly being cnc'ed so no casting defects.

At a very minimum when doing a rebuild I would be balancing.

[krbrooking]

Ok to get back on topic. I believe I have solved my over heating prob (touching wood!!!) so my car might last a bit longer than I thought. So I think I am going to be doing what Mark is doing and buying an engine and gearbox and slowly rebuild it when I can afford it. So I will let everyone know when I am ready to try and get hold of the bits I need and what is the best to get and where from. Thanks for everyone's advice so far. Once I have started I will prob start a build thread to make it easier to follow.

[mudski]

Yeah sorry Kev for the thread crap. I did forget about your model using different brakes and driveline to the zd30 and TD42's. So if your going to do a build on a new motor other than what you have, you may need to do the rest aswell, which may cost a lot. See if healy still had whats left of his GU. the motor and gearbox was fine. Might get the whole lot cheap enough and swap it all into your truck.