Re: Build approval someone please!
Reply #28 –
Why do you keep asking about if you can use the pistons? Its already been covered in this thread that people use the Explorer 5.0 motors all the time straight out of salvage yards without any changes other than to swap on the foxbody oil pan/pickup tube, timing cover/harmonic balancer/driven accessories, motor mounts, and conventional TFI distributor if using EFI.
In the past, before I bought a salvage yard motor, I pulled and inspected all spark plugs, pulled the oil dipstick to see if it was varnished/stained from poor oil change intervals, and tried to have a look at the vehicles radiator to check for coolant breakdown/crud, another sign of poor maintanence. Maybe popped a valve cover off also.
If all that looked good, I had a reasonably good chance of having a runner that I could use as is with a new oil pump, roller timing chain, new roller lifters, and a used HO cam or aftermarket cam if using better than gt40 heads, and some common sense inspection,cleaning, and upgraded the head bolts to ARPs with Fel pro blue stripe headgaskets.
If you didnt check any of that stuff prior to purchase, you're now just depending entirely on luck or taking their word for it that it ran okay before they pulled it.
I aplologize if my questions are redundant I’m a complete novelist when it comes to engine building I never removed a motor or any of the stuff I’m about to do. I’m done some research, but I’m still learning as I go, I do appreciate the feedback though. I didn’t ask the person who sold me the motor any questions about it, nor did I inspect the explorer the motor came from. I pretty much took this person’s word. I have been working with this person on parts for a year now though.