Change Valves or Redeck Head

[darkiller_666]

Well i had a head decked hot tanked ported and polished, then broke a timing belt. Got another head form a local shop, and after trying 2 head gaskets come to the conclusion the head is warped. I just by chance ran across the heads old owner, seeming how i bought it from a shop where the guy told me it was good. The previous owner told me he had run it for upwards of 30 minutes with a blown HG to get the car off the highway and home, and that it warped the head. That's why it was at the shop. I bought it fro the guy straight up with no receipt so i'm gonna have to bite this bullet. Would it better/cheaper to deck the old warped head, or replace valves on my head. My original head has 105k miles driven pretty nicely. Before the Tb broke the seals didn't leak at all and it flowed really nice. It also looks visually cleaner. The other head was driven by a 16 year old with a 50 trim and i know he drove the crap outta it. Since day one of having it my compression numbers were low. Im pretty sure the valve stems are leaking. And visually its caked in carbon build up and looks overall in poor shape. Money is more of an issue over performance, this is my only car and i just had a new born. Please give me some ideas or direction........

P.S. in less then one months of driving time.
Replaced blown HG
Machined Head
TB Broke bent valves
Random head
Broke CPS while changing head
Bad compression with used Head Studs and new HG
HG again with new studs and took my time patiently
Bad compression ^^^^^^

 

[DevilsAWD]

Well i had a head decked hot tanked ported and polished, then broke a timing belt. Got another head form a local shop, and after trying 2 head gaskets come to the conclusion the head is warped. I just by chance ran across the heads old owner, seeming how i bought it from a shop where the guy told me it was good. The previous owner told me he had run it for upwards of 30 minutes with a blown HG to get the car off the highway and home, and that it warped the head. That's why it was at the shop. I bought it fro the guy straight up with no receipt so i'm gonna have to bite this bullet. Would it better/cheaper to deck the old warped head, or replace valves on my head. My original head has 105k miles driven pretty nicely. Before the Tb broke the seals didn't leak at all and it flowed really nice. It also looks visually cleaner. The other head was driven by a 16 year old with a 50 trim and i know he drove the crap outta it. Since day one of having it my compression numbers were low. Im pretty sure the valve stems are leaking. And visually its caked in carbon build up and looks overall in poor shape. Money is more of an issue over performance, this is my only car and i just had a new born. Please give me some ideas or direction........

P.S. in less then one months of driving time.
Replaced blown HG
Machined Head
TB Broke bent valves
Random head
Broke CPS while changing head
Bad compression with used Head Studs and new HG
HG again with new studs and took my time patiently
Bad compression ^^^^^^

personally? I would say it's time for an upgrade!

new performance head, timing belt, and adjustable cam gears... if not some 272's and other goods.

Course I have a serious problem with "whileintheritis"

-Devs

 

[darkiller_666]

Money is more of an issue over performance, this is my only car and i just had a new born. Please give me some ideas or direction........

^^^^^
Im running very low goals. I need a realiable DD not a fully built beast! How much does changing valves/decking heads cost for you guys? Would it be cheaper if i bought all the parts and gave the shop my head and parts to put together?

And my Timing belt is brand new...

 

[toofast82]

If your original heads just need a few valves, I would go that route.
Have the shop repair it,pressure test it, resurface it, etc.
I usually pay around $300 for full rebuild local to me and head comes back looking brand new!

 

[AWD_Hybrid]

+1 service your old head.
Between all the valves you have, there must be 16 good ones.
Maybe exh guides time, lapped valves, light skim off the head.
Cheers !

 

[darkiller_666]

I just talked to a local machine shop, they want 3 dollars a valve to switch my good valves into my good head. My good head is already decked and cleaned with less then 50 miles on it, i shouldn't need a resurface or anything like that? Before i take the valves in to get put in my head, should i clean them? sand them? soak them in see foam?

 

[darkiller_666]

If i decide to go with ARP's and a MLS/Cometic head gasket is there something i should make sure the shop does during the resurfacing? I think ive read you have to do something different?

 

[AWD_Hybrid]

$3 to swap valves doesn't sound like any grinding paste job let alone
a milled valve lapping job < at least $100 job. Most used heads I've
checked show more slop in the exh valve guides. If yours have slop,
they won't seal good. It'll cost you about $200 min to fix your old head.
Copper spray both sides of the cometic hg & wet torque the arp nuts.
Cheers !

 

[darkiller_666]

He wants 35 to deck the warped head. If i decide to reuse my old head should i do anything to clean the old valves before i re use them?

 

[AWD_Hybrid]

If your old head that broke a tb didn't let go at high revs & the pistons
only had smallish marks on them, your valves mightn't be bad. Get a
hammer & push down on the valve stems & take notice if they all go
in/out evenly (none being stiffer than any other) Also poor kerosene
into the ports & see if any leak. If so far it's looking good, reuse it
with copper spray & wet torque arps to 10lb over std. You can wire
brush the flats on the valves if they are coated bad. No garantee the
guides are good tho. This is only checking that the stems aren't bent
& the valves aren't leaking. The head shop is pricing, not advising you.
They will take your money & say thanks bud. Don't cut corners I say !
Cheers !

 

[darkiller_666]

Actually the TB broke at 35 mph in 4th gear. Unfortunately the valves are noticeably bent when looking at them through the exhaust manifold holes. It did not hurt the pistons at all. I have new rings and a fresh hone. I am wondering if there is a ton of excess coolant in one of my cylinders will it cause the rings to go bad or the cylinder walls? I am really leaning towards taking all the valves out of the head with bent valves. After doing that ill think about weather its something i can do myself or if ill take it to the shop with good valves and my good head. Im also hoping i can convince my neighbors buddy, who build race engines for the local races and derbies, to let me pay him to guide me through the valve job. He said he has all the tools and machines in his garage. Id like to learn how to do this anyways.

 

[darkiller_666]

Can someone give me a quick explanation on milled valve lapping job

 

[cheap90gsx]

If there's coolant/ water in you cylinder it will rust the walls and is hard to get off.

 

[darkiller_666]

How long would it be considered ok to let coolant sit in there? Im hoping no more then 2 more days for a total of 4 days. Im not sure if there is coolant or not but it was smoking like crazy. Drove for less then 4 minutes. Idled for about 20 seconds while smoking. Turned car off and sat and waited for intersection to clear. Started it and drove approximately 25 feet. There it sits now.