I really don't want to get my heads rebuilt

5.0Torx · Jan 22, 2009

All this 'while youre in there' stuff is killing me.

A have a mostly stock 93 LX 5.0

Bought a 99 exploder engine out of the junkyard. unknown mileage. I poured water down each of the passages and only a small trickle came from 2 of the intake valves. The other 14 valves did not leak at all.

Common sense and alot of books suggest taking it to a machine shop, but the one i talked to in my town wants $285 to do valve seats, guides, $3 / freeze plug, and clean them up. That seems like an awful lot to me considering i paid $350 for the engine. I have the money to do so, but i just dont want to part with $300.

Also, it seems stupid to put brand new heads on a 118k mile shortblock. I mean, i might even be pulling the engine so i can clean it up and make it easier to install the GT40Ps and explorer intake, while im in there i might as well do any one of a thousand different extremely expensive, time intensive things.

Should I pay the machine shop, try to find others, or just throw the heads on?

Rick James · Jan 22, 2009

You can roll the dice or if you have the money throw some nice aluminum heads.If not i would rather pay a few bucks now, than get it running and have to pull them off again.You can also get another estimate but the price doesnt sound too bad,just make sure its a reputable shop,whoever does it if you do it.

bentley429 · Jan 22, 2009

Did you check the springs or anything? Personally I would throw them on. Junker engine so who cares. Just clean it up good maybe through a coat of paint on it all new gaskets and run the thing.

dmc919 · Jan 22, 2009

the maching shop i use in florida charges 50 per head for the valve job, magnaflux, new freeze plugs, cleaning. then 30 per head if they need to be milled flat.

Gearbanger 101 · Jan 22, 2009

You could always pull the valves to see what they're like and give them a quick clean up and re-lap while you're in there. New rubber valve seals are cheap too. You shouldn't need guides with that kind of mileage and removing the frost plugs isn’t necessary at all. Even if the valves are pitted a little, a quick lapping might just recondition them enough for you to get buy until you're tired of the "P" castings and want to make some real power with a set of aluminum heads.

...or you could just run a can or two of seafoam through the engine after you've installed it and throw caution to the wind. It may be what the doctor ordered, it may do nothing.

5.0Torx · Jan 22, 2009

Gearbanger 101 said:
You could always pull the valves to see what they're like and give them a quick clean up and re-lap while you're in there. New rubber valve seals are cheap too. You shouldn't need guides with that kind of mileage and removing the frost plugs isn’t necessary at all. Even if the valves are pitted a little, a quick lapping might just recondition them enough for you to get buy until you're tired of the "P" castings and want to make some real power with a set of aluminum heads.

...or you could just run a can or two of seafoam through the engine after you've installed it and throw caution to the wind. It may be what the doctor ordered, it may do nothing.

I pulled the springs because i got the trick flow springs for xmas (yay!). valves are currently out and didnt seem to be in bad condition but im hardly an expert. The valve guides seem ok too, but this is the first engine ive ever torn down this far, so i am a noob.

Could someone explain what "lapping" the valves / valve seats means? My moms boyfriend mentioned some tool you could buy that you spin in the valveseat to clean the crud off of the mating surface. When i tore the head apart, i marked which valve goes in which chamber, so i know i can put a valve in its original home.

Getting by until an entirely new engine is what im all about. Im a college student. Once i get a real job ill have more expendable income than i do now. Then i can build a bonerific Boss 302 or something. If i had $50 / head, i'd do it in a heartbeat. But $300 on $350 heads seems a little silly to me.

83T-top · Jan 22, 2009

TALK ABOUT COINCIDENCE, I WATCHED HORSE POWER T.V. THIS WEEKEND AND THEY BOUGHT A LS SERIES 6.0L ENGINE OUT OF A CHEVY TRUCK, IT WASN'T THE LS1 OR LS2 I THINK THEY SAID LIKE IT WAS LIKE AN LS6.

BASICALLY THEY WANTED TO STAY AWAY FROM THE LS1 AND LS2 SERIES TO SAVE MONEY, THEY BOUGHT THE MOTOR FROM A SALVAGE YARD, STILL COSTED THEM $1200 BUCKS.

THEY WERE PUTTING THIS MOTOR IN A LATE 90'S CAMARO. TO GET TO MY POINT THEY DISASSEMBLED THE ENGINE, EVERYTHING WAS STILL IN GOOD SHAPE SO THEY JUST HONED THE BLOCK AND GAVE EVERYTHING A REAL GOOD CLEANING.

WHILE CLEANING THE HEADS THE GUY PUT THE SOLVENT INTO THE PORTS TO TEST THE SAME THING YOU DID AND ON 1 OR 2 OF THE VALVES DID THE SAME THING IT TRICKLED THROUGH THE VALVE.

THEY SAID BASICALLY THAT AS LONG AS IT JUST TRICKLED OUT IT WAS O.K. THEY PUT THEM RIGHT ON.

IM NOT SAYIN ALL THESE GUYS ON THESE SHOWS KNOW EVERYTHING, BUT I FIGURED I'D THROW IT OUT CAUSE THAT'S THE FIRST THING I THOUGHT OF WHEN I READ YOUR POST.

ryan218 · Jan 22, 2009

holy cap loc man. i saw that one too. it still seems like you have a 50/50 shot at it. i wouldnt want to do the heads twice thats for sure. contact a few more shops and see what estimates they give you.

pm dmc919 even if you had to ship them out to the shop there you would still save money. try contacting rick of RHN? he may be able to help you out.

5.0Torx · Jan 22, 2009

yeah, i too was watching something on the horsepower "powerblock" series where they tore down the V6 from a nissan pathfinder. Its actually what gave me the idea to pour water into the ports to check for leaks.

so, what is lapping?

Foxfan88 · Jan 23, 2009

your better off pouring acetone or laquer thinner in the ports. its surface tension is less than that of waters and could reveal come leaks that water couldnt.

if you plan on keeping the heads on permenatly then get the checked and fixed up. if going to upgrade later, just throw them on.

personally i would just get a set of aftermarket heads, 9 times out of 10 aftermarket heads are going to spank factory castings. even in unported form.

I really don't want to get my heads rebuilt

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