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Lincoln Aviator 4.6 swap into 99GT

If you had a bigger garage, you would just fill it up. Everytime I clean out a barn, my dad fills it back up. At least I have gotten rid of the pile of old farm equipment.
 
If you had a bigger garage, you would just fill it up. Everytime I clean out a barn, my dad fills it back up. At least I have gotten rid of the pile of old farm equipment.
good point

Have you verified a timing issue yet? Is the any timing marks to verify?
It's definitely a timing issue. I can take the chain off the driver's side by hand. The slack adjuster is broken as seen in the pics. You can see on the other side how it's supposed to look. The hydraulic unit that applies pressure has pushed thru the adjuster. The aduster is also walking off it's pivot.
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just need to get the exhaust manifold off so we can pull the head. ran out of time before my son had to go to work. It's his GF's B-day tomorrow so won't get any work out of him tomorrow!
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As much as the whole deal sucks, its a relief to find the cause. Hopefully you'll have to go no further than pulling the one head. Of all of the broken timing chain/belt jobs I've done, none have had damaged pistons.
 
As much as the whole deal sucks, its a relief to find the cause. Hopefully you'll have to go no further than pulling the one head. Of all of the broken timing chain/belt jobs I've done, none have had damaged pistons.
yeah we were not finding anything wrong but it wouldn't run! The one time we did get it to run it was very short duration. I didn't hear any knocking like rods or mains. It ran long enough to blow rich fuel smoke out of the exhaust but that was probably because it was running on four cylinders!
I am going to try and get the head off tomorrow. I hope the pistons are okay but he only paid $800 for the whole truck. I don't know a lot about these mod motors but I think we could put the top end on his 2 valve short block if need be.
 
Good news/bad news. Good new is the pistons have kiss marks but no major damage. The cylinder walls still have visible cross-hatch and no ridge. I think the short block will not need to be pulled apart. Bad news, looks like the exhaust valve kissed the pistons too. I can't tell if they are bent. They appear to be seated but will need to be removed and checked. The intakes are clearly bent!
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With the head upside down, pour a little water around the valve and see if it holds the water or if it leaks past the valve. Cheap and quick way to see if the valve is seated.
 
thanks. the valve spring compressor for these heads is $160+. My conventional one will not work. I was gonna pull them and put them in my lathe and check with my dial indicator.
I might just take it to the shop that did the machine work on the 2.3 Bobcat motor...
 
I know how you are, Craig, and get that you enjoy doing all this with your kid but 4.6 mod motors are like a dime a dozen these days. Might it make more sense to just pick up a different engine? I'm sure it could found for less than the cost of parts and whatever to fix this one. If you were going to do a complete rebuild I get it but...
 
I know how you are, Craig, and get that you enjoy doing all this with your kid but 4.6 mod motors are like a dime a dozen these days. Might it make more sense to just pick up a different engine? I'm sure it could found for less than the cost of parts and whatever to fix this one. If you were going to do a complete rebuild I get it but...
You are correct in that the 2 valve 4.6 you could get for free almost but the four cam is a different story. The reason he bought the Aviator is because it uses the same aluminum block, heads and cams as the Cobra and Mach 1. The only difference is the crank and pistons which are forged in the Cobra engines and the 5 speed Mach 1's (auto equipped Mach 1's used the identical long block). The intake is different too but the Aviator intake is suppose to make more torque and HP so it's worth more than the Mach 1 or naturally aspirated Cobra intake to some gearheads. He will sell/swap his for a Mach 1 intake (which he needs to use the shaker set-up he already has). The naturally aspirated Cobra intake is the same as the Mach 1 except for soem bosses cast in for the shaker brackets to bolt onto. Mach 1 engines go for about $1500 to $2000. 96-02 Cobra engines are around $3000 and up and the supercharged Cobra engines are near unobtainable. The heads evolved over the years and the 05 Aviator has the best heads.
Much like most of us, we do some modifications just because we want to and not because it's practical. I would buy some Trickflow heads for the 2V and some cams and build the 2V. They can be made to make as much HP as the 4 cam but he loves the way they look. Also the 2V has a cast iron block. The 4V engines are a better looking engine. They are HUGE! The valve covers remind me a little of a Boss 429 or the old 427 Cammer. But he has a vision and like you picked up on, I try to use these as teaching opportunities. Not only building the engine/car but managing his budget.
 
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he got the whole Aviator for $800 and could potentially sell off a lot of it on Craigslist or eBay. The trans alone is worth several hundred. Even without the engine it should be worth a couple hundred in scrap. So he will end up with the engine and some essential wiring needed for the swap for very small investment. If he is patient and sells off fendoers. doors, wheels, seats, etc. the engine might end up being free or he could even make money.
 
he got the whole Aviator for $800 and could potentially sell off a lot of it on Craigslist or eBay. The trans alone is worth several hundred. Even without the engine it should be worth a couple hundred in scrap. So he will end up with the engine and some essential wiring needed for the swap for very small investment. If he is patient and sells off fendoers. doors, wheels, seats, etc. the engine might end up being free or he could even make money.
That's what I have been doing with a Volvo I bought last year. I wanted the wheels off it and some misc parts. Pulled off what I needed and have been parting out the rest. So far I've sold about off about $4500 worth of parts and still have the complete interior to go yet. He could use it to fund his project and then some.
 
That's what I have been doing with a Volvo I bought last year. I wanted the wheels off it and some misc parts. Pulled off what I needed and have been parting out the rest. So far I've sold about off about $4500 worth of parts and still have the complete interior to go yet. He could use it to fund his project and then some.
Wow. That's pretty impressive. I assume you are in the black on it at this point?
 
Oh yes. I paid $1500 for it. I kept the wheels and tires, headlights, some misc pieces I needed. I figure I can get about another grand out if it yet, then the shell goes to scrap yard.
 
That's pretty cool!!! I hope my son can do the same thing. He has been checking Craigslist for parts and they go for quite a bit if you find them. This thing has a great body. The interior is good too. I think he will at least get his money back.
 
dropped the head off at the machine shop today. they said it probably could just have the valves and seals replaced and lapped in but they would let me know. I told them to go ahead and do valve job. We will bring the other head in the spring when we rebuild it
 
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While we were at the shop to drop off the head, we found a pair of trickflow heads sitting on the shelf. I didn't think I would ever see those without buying them, makes me wonder what could have been! All is well, though, as in the pictures my dad has posted we can see that the shortblock is in good shape, and after getting the valves reworked and a brand new timing set + tensioners/guides, we are hoping that the Aviator will run. We could still have some vacuum leaks but we can confirm that it is not a bad gasket as we will be replacing them all on the rebuild process here in a few weeks. Can't wait to bolt this thing into my Mustang :cool:GnvsQgj.jpg
 
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Ready to start parting that thing out yet? I need a passenger side tail light. My mother backed her aviator into my fathers explorer....
 
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