The V8 Owners Forum -

Way back when Lund was trading, I bought an engine from him - a 4.6 top hatted block and big valve heads with an LE1 cam running a dizzy and “old” oil pump to replace my ailing 3.9 in my 1992 RRC.

To be honest, all has been well with the engine ( apart from a nagging rear crank seal leak) for over 50,000 miles.
It’s not been fabulously smooth, but it’s been nice and powerful, and I’ve been very happy.
I thought I had missed a bullet ( I’ve met a lot of people who got caught when he disappeared).

BUT....

I’m stripping it down, to convert it to fit in my GEMS Defender which has a knocking bottom end.
I’ve pulled it apart to inspect and clean up ( and to change the cam to a GEMS one, and lo and behold, it’s not got top hats!

( profanities excluded )...

Dammit - the cheating bugger!

So - I now have the dilemma, do I risk using the block as-is or fit liners?

There is no sign of liners dropping, and the innards are in good condition.
Pistons and bores in good order,
The cam followers and cam are showing some signs of wear starting, but this is normal for the 60k miles from experience x and I have to change the cam anyway.

But darn it!

Ah well....

Mine 'went' at about 105K miles!, so there's no way of predicting it.
I've always gone top-hats as a matter of course when building one of those as it's easier to do it then than have to remove the engine some time later when it's not convenient!

Chris.

The liners will last as long as there is no heating episode. If it has lasted 50,000 I would stay with it but I would make sure I have a low coolant alarm fitted in the new arrangement.

You cannot afford any sort of "getting hot" episode.

Garry

Mine went without any overheating episode...

Chris.

And most dont.