What exactly would it be that I am kissing goodbye? I am hoping you are only talking about the head gasket and cylinder heads, right?

 

Do the head gaskets and pray. You really should have done the oil test but it's too late now.

 

Hydra...you must be a GOD.....took off the cylinder heads today, and, whatya know, but there is a hole on the end of the piston, and it has done some damage to the cylinder wall. So, now, it looks like I'm looking for a new engine. Any ideas where I can start my search? I am completely open to suggestions. I'm bummed cause I was really looking to porting/polishing the heads and getting better performance and fuel mileage, but that looks in question now. What to do, what to do?

 

Are there any significant differences between the 1998-2003 5.9L engines? Since I am looking for a new engine, do I need to stick with only looking up a 1999 replacement, or do I have the luxury of including up to a 2003 year?

 

i know some of the R/Ts had a different tune, so i would assume they are a little different, but other than that they are the same afaik (the different tune addes 5 or 10 hp and a couple ft-lbs of torque and required premium gas)

 

Thanks...I don't think I want to mess with the R/T at all in that case. I was gonna look for a 5.9L with the fewest miles if anything, and figured I would have better luck with a slight newer year engine than only the 99's. I just got a call from the guys who were gonna do my cylinder head rebuild & port/polish job, which was gonna cost about $800+ ($250 per cylinder head & $300 for the port/polish + gaskets), and said he could rebuild my engine, bore out the cylinders 30 over, put in new pistons, timing chain, blah, blah, blah, for a total cost of $2800.00, which is essentially $2K. Does this seem reasonable for such a job, which he said I would simply have to remove the rest of the engine, bring it down, they would put it all back together, and I would just have to drop her back in. He also mentioned that since my block has been through a bunch of heat cycles, it is actually better to start with than a "new" engine that hasn't been through that, yet? Any thoughts on that one, too?

 

Try and rebuild what you have already, then you know what you got! A 30 over bore is what I have and the only thing else I would do is either P&P the heads or Cam the motor but not both.

You could find a different motor (Magnum) 5.9L and simply swap em. Just get one with low mileage and check the oil for fragments before you purchase it. The 5.9L (well 360) has been around since 1962 so it is really a bullet proof motor.

R/T engines are the same engine.

 

I am definately going to P&P the heads, without question. The guy who was going to do my heads is also the one who recommended the engine rebuild. I like what he has come up with so far, so I'm probably gonna stick with what he has suggested. I have a very close friend who used to sell rebuilt engines and he mentioned to me that the Magnum heads were very, very prone to cracking, and wouldn't recommend using them again, but to buy a set of "new casting" aftermarket heads instead. The engine builder said there was a very good reason (something to do with a point near the valve seat area that is kinda "peaked" that creates a lot of heat concentrated in that particular area, so he just grinds it down and blends with the surrounding area so it won't attract the heat and make the head crack) why the Magnum heads cracked so easily, but with the slight modification, that won't be an issue any longer. So, with the heads and complete engine rebuild, I'm looking at about $2800, plus about $1400 to have my mechanic finishing taking out and installing the rebuilt motor. Seems a little pricey, but I live in California, so maybe that is reasonable?

 

Looks like I'm gonna buy a new radiator as well, since the old one has a little rust buildup, that I do not want anywhere near all the new stuff. Any suggestions for something that might be better than OEM? This is my daily driver, and I don't plan on doing anything off road, so whatever keeps the coolant cool is what is most important to me. Any particular place to order from would also be great info. Hoping to get this thing back together in the next week or so.....

 

The OEM aluminum radiators are good enough.

The issue with the heads is between the exhaust and intake valves it is prone to cracking. You will want to run a 180 Thremostat in you new motor. The issue is the excessive heat (195 new motors) and the fact that the motor was engineered in 1962 and at that time the regular engine temp was 180 F and the heads dn't like the 15 degrees on a daily basis.

Get a new water pump and some REALLY good head gaskets.