Tims gold GU + RD28 TI Engine build thread

[Tim RD28GU]

Hi all,
I introduced myself earlier today and made mention of my engine build so here are a few pics.
Just some back ground on myself and the truck first.
I am a trade qualified fitter & turner and have been in the industry more or less for the last 10 years. I have been playing with cars, bikes, boats and almost anything with an engine for longer than that. I like to play a bit on the edge when it comes to performance builds and hate it when someone tells me I cant build something or do something because it would of been done already if it was worth doing.
anyway the GU I bought standard around 12months ago with a blown turbo but otherwise in OK condition.
Trailered it home and put a 2nd hand genuine turbo on it. I had the truck on the road with rego and insurance for under 5k and it stayed that way for a few months before I started with the normal dual battery, exhaust, bulbar, winch stuff.
It did however develop an issue with the fuel delivery system that was causing bad power loss in certain circumstances. after replacing the MAF, CAS and No1 injector the problem still remained. So I brought a mechanical pump off the GQ version RD28 and threw the electronic IP in the bin. I did however use the plunger and rotor head plus few other components off the electronic pump to upgrade the mechanical unit to 11mm. Since putting this on the truck performs way better and use comparable amount of diesel as before. I also put a W2A intercooler setup on the truck plus a heap of gauges.
Now the reason we are all here...……. it did what all good RD28s do and started to use water ( that's a harsh statement but it is a common thing). Instead of pulling the engine and doing a rebuild that would result in the truck being off the road for a few months I decided to buy a 2nd hand engine and do the build on that.
Now being that I want this Patrol to take myself and the family around the country and not have to worry about the engine I decided on a full top to bottom build and not just throw it in and hope for the best. When I striped the 2nd engine down it was found to have cracked head also and that added to the build cost but in this game you have to pay to play if you want it right.
All I have for the moment is the pics of the build from a few hours work today, I will try to add more as I complete the engine and through out the install.
For those interested the cost so far sits around $3500 excluding the purchase of the engine. That's parts and machine work on the block plus a brand new head.
Photos to come
Cheers
Tim

[Tim RD28GU]

So the insert image icon wont let me upload photos from my computer, It comes up and i can browse for the image but there is no "apply or OK" tab to actually upload the image?????
Am i doing something wrong?

[0-TJ-0]

So the insert image icon wont let me upload photos from my computer, It comes up and i can browse for the image but there is no "apply or OK" tab to actually upload the image?????
Am i doing something wrong?

"upload files" directly under the file path box

[Tim RD28GU]

Ah ok got it sorry on my screen it looked like that as a description not a button to click on.

[Tim RD28GU]

80121
Bench full of parts to start with

[Tim RD28GU]

8012380122
Dont know how well the porting shows up on the camera. Just a very basic port match and casting clean up, most of the work was done around the valve seat and valve stem portion of the ports. Worth mention that from factory the port design and casting is not to bad at all. That would be a big reason why the can get to the 5200rpm redline.

[Tim RD28GU]

80124
It is nice working with brand new casting

[Tim RD28GU]

80125
New pistons on the rods, new gudgen pins and bushes used also.

[Tim RD28GU]

80126
Laying the crank in for a dry run to check bearing clearance

[Tim RD28GU]

8012780128
I prefer Plasta Gauge to using micrometers for this job but thats just me.

[Tim RD28GU]

80129
crank i and all torqued to spec, i used the assembly grease that came with the kit from Diesel Care i found it to be better then some of the other I have used. Hard to go past good old fresh engine oil if you do not have the "proper" stuff.

[Tim RD28GU]

If you have a look at the end of the lobe s on No1 and No6 rod journal you can see the holes where they have cross drilled the oil passages for the main bearings. From factory they use small alloy plugs to block them after drilling and that is fine but after years in the engine the passage in front of that plug catches muck from the oil and sludge bits that you can only clean by removing the alloy plugs. Once you have uses a small bottle brush to scrub the passage way you tap it with 1/4 UNF and run a grub screw back down to close off the oil gallery. If this isn't done the sludge plugs can become dislodged with normal cleaning of the crank and block passage ways on fire up.
Its a small detail but can have a big consequence if not done.

[Tim RD28GU]

80130
these small boots came with the rebuild kit, It is very easy to mark the crank journal with the rod bolt as you install the piston. Another fantastic option for this is 2 old spark plug boots.
(yes i know there are no rings on it yet)

[Tim RD28GU]

80131
Had to do a dummy fit to measure the piston protrusion so i can get the correct thickness head gasket.
the RD28 have 3 different thickness available, you can also option the new pistons with a 0.006" shorter piston to allow for the block being decked ( this is what i had to do here as my block had some bad water tracking marks from a failed head gasket ). Keep in mind that most VRS kits will come with the thickest gasket unless you tell them different and this will reduce compression if what you actually need is the thinnest. I need the middle thickness

[Tim RD28GU]

After that i just measured the crank end float and put the rings on the pistons ready for tomorrow ( forgot my piston ring compressor today).

[Wine_maker]

Awesome work mate! :smiley_thumbs_up:

[Tim RD28GU]

Cheers bud, takes time but well worth it in the end

[Tim RD28GU]

Bit more work this morning
80134

[Tim RD28GU]

80137all the big end clearances were good and the side play was spot on.
8013680135
Have to wait till the head gasket comes in before i can do much more. Next will probably be the oil pump and rear main seal housing plate then i can put the oil pick up tube on and the sump.

[0-TJ-0]

Always wanted to do an engine rebuild myself.. I started an ls2 a few years ago but ran out of time and money. Hopefully now I never have the need 😅

[Tim RD28GU]

Running the mighty TD42 i think you will be safe.
I had a TD42 in my old GQ patrol and that was a tank of an engine, was noisy and lacked a bit of power but the low down torque was good in the bush.
I think i should be able to pull 100RWKW and around the 400NM out of this build just e higher in the rev range then the TD.
anyone want to make a guess on power and torque figures for when i run it up on the dyno
Full rebuild
W2A intercooler
3" exhaust
11mm mechanical pump (boost compensated)
rebuilt and high flowed turbo standard housing on standard GU manifold
2.5" inlet pipes from air box with no MAF
mild head port
around 20lb boost
I would be interested to see what peoples estimate are.

[Tim RD28GU]

8013880139
this is the cooler setup, all 2.5" pipes

[Tim RD28GU]

80140
And this why we clean and inspect parts before we install. That is a crack that goes all the way through the water pump/injection pump bracket. If I hadn't noticed it (be hard not to) and just put it on that would of leaked coolant.
oh well off to go and spend more money

[Tim RD28GU]

Hard to see but it is all the way through
80141

[Tim RD28GU]

this is the part, If anyone happens to know where i could get one for a reasonable price around Port Stevens, Maitland, Newcastle area please PM me.
I could try to weld it up but i prefer to replace it. 80142

[Tim RD28GU]

8014580146
heads on and staring to look like an engine again

[Tim RD28GU]

80147
This is a very common issue with the RD and RB engines. the oil pump drive flats wear to the point the pump can loose drive if it gets to bad. 2 causes for this are that when the cranks are made they have to much clearance between the flats on the crank and the mating flats in the oil pump so there is a high degree of point loading instead of driving off the entire flat. the other issues is that section of the crank is not hardened.

80148
its not the end of the world though. i just set it up in the mil and machined two new flats with much tighter tolerance to the oil pump drive, it did have to buy a new pump and housing as the old one was heavily worn like the crank.

[Tim RD28GU]

I also managed to find a 2nd hand water pump housing locally for $50 so massive win there.

[Tim RD28GU]

8015280151
Not a massive amount of wwork on the engine today just fitted the oil pump, rear main seal housing and the sump

[Tim RD28GU]

Couple of quick shots of the patrol
801558015480153
80156 Fridge and drawer setup is basic but works ok for now

[Tim RD28GU]

80157
This is my pillar gauge setup
top is EGT, Boost and cranking baterry voltage
bottom is engine water temp, oil pressure and 2nd battery volts. the silver button swaps the engine water temp to a 2nd sender that show the water temp of the W2A intercooler.
the tire pressure monitor is an $80 unit off ebay but seems to be going good so far.

[Tim RD28GU]

80158
80159
I started making a roof consul a few weeks ago. I put it up to test fit and just didn't pull it back down LOL, Its on the list to come down and get some more work done after the engine goes in.

[BigRedY61]

Thanks for the great infor mate, just curious to know where you bought the second engine from, i am currently looking for one but i cannot seem to find any good ones. And also, how is the car performing now?