Date:         Tue, 27 Feb 2001 12:42:11 -0700
Reply-To:     Blake Thornton <thornton@MATH.UTAH.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Blake Thornton <thornton@MATH.UTAH.EDU>
Subject:      New heads?
Comments: To: dts@xmission.com, wolzphoto@worldnet.att.net
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Vanagon list, Karl, Damian,

Well, I took my heads to my mechanic to get a valve job and clean up
job.  He said that one of them should not be reused:
- the pitting on both of them was quite bad
- on the one head, the spark plug threads had been redone once and didn't look very good.

My mechanic found a used head that he had laying around that he thought
could be cleaned up (it looked bad to me, but I don't have any
experience here).  He wants to charge me $100 for it.  I will have to
pay more to get it cleaned up and get a valve job on it.  (so, maybe $175
in all, but it depends on what the machine shop says)

So what do you think:

1) New head or used?  I can get a new head with valves for $360 after tax
from marnal (someone on the list discussed doing a bulk buy of these a
month ago or so.  They even have a distributor here in town so it would be
easy)

And, if I get the new head, am I better off putting in different valves
(someone mentioned this as well)

2) should I go with the used head and have the machine shop clean it up
for me and give it a valve job?  So, this would probably cost $175 in all
instead of $360 for a new head.

Mechanic thinks the other head can be cleaned up quite well.  So, that too
is another debate.  Should I pay him $60 to clean it and JB weld it or
should I do it?  I'm thinking that it is probably quite easy, so I'll save
the $60 there.

Help!  I need some support on this issue.

Blake,
SLC, UT
84 vanagon