@221K, some new pistons, Edelbrock aluminum head, and fuel rail w/pressure gauge. Ready for another 300k+

Basic hone with new standard hypereutectic pistons and thin rings

32 lbs lighter than the factory head

Very noticeable improvement in throttle response and low end acceleration

 

In pursuit of getting my jeep to actually take me somewhere:

swapped out destroyed piston
new rod and main bearings
RMS

today’s progress:
put oil pump back in
oil pan gasket
Oil pan

conclusion:
-if I hadn’t dropped my front axle I would have never gotten the pan back in
-the fear of actually getting the jeep to START leaking is real, didn’t leak earlier, maybe lll pay for this later
-didn’t get a new oil pump, maybe I’ll pay for this too later

 

Wonderful! What do you think about Edelbrock's head - worth the money?

 

I managed to snag it when it dropped to $1740 briefly in December; I knew it had been $1933 for quite a while (like it is now) and just checked Summit on a whim and saw the price drop and grabbed it right before the price went up again. Free shipping and no sales tax since I had it shipped to family in Oregon. And given that Clearwater's QC has been questionable recently, I didn't mind the extra 1k knowing that I was paying for a premium part that wasn't going to require sending it back and playing the run around while also dealing with the core charge and return. I know there's custom shops like Russ that will do custom head work and such, but this was just a peace of mind upgrade 'while I was in there' to do the pistons since this thing has been overheated at least twice that I know of, and I'm not doing a min-max build for raw horsepower or anything. I don't have many bills and don't plan on spending much on any other luxuries in this current economy in the near future anyway, so it was just a nice x-mas present to myself.

I do also have a Banks header with 2.5" exhaust and a 62mm bored throttle body to help with the intake and exhaust profile of the head. But with all of that running together, it's definitely a lot snappier and more perceivable than I was expecting as all of the cylinders tested within spec for compression before swapping the pistons. Edelbrock claims 20-25 HP gain, and I'm guessing it would probably take at least 15 to feel any sort of difference on the butt dyno, so it's probably in the neighborhood. Its design characteristics will also provide benefits if I ever want to move it over to a stroker setup, but honestly I think just an upgraded camshaft would probably be enough for me at this point. Another bonus, as the enlarged pushrod ports allow for removal and installation of the cam lifters without having to remove the head.

 

My brake booster has been on the outs for some time now, and I have been gathering parts to go to the dual diaphragm booster. Happened that when I was at the pick and pull to get a post 96 center console, I also snagged a inner fender window washer reservoir. I got that installed so now at least I will have room for the booster.

 

Guessing you are going to replace the washer pumps.
When I did mine I did not replace the big rubber O-Rings and it hasn't become an issue for a long time so far.
Really don't like cheaping out but.....
When I was done before I buttoned everything up I doused those pumps really good with Fluid Film.
Not sure if it is helping but figure it wouldn't do any harm so.....

 

I did remove the pumps and freshened the o rings (they were still very supple). I also sprayed all down with homemade fluid film, habit any time I remove wheel liners.