Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:41:53 -0500
Reply-To: Max Wellhouse <dimwittedmoose@CFU.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Max Wellhouse <dimwittedmoose@CFU.NET>
Subject: Re: cylinder heads for my 84 westy
In-Reply-To: <c31.341cbeee.3580fdf8@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
If you can be a wekek or two patient, I'll have a good set of used
heads I'd let go for $150. That would give you some financial room
to do a valve job if you wanted. I feel for you as I've been there
and done that.
DM&FS
At 05:07 AM 6/11/2008, Frank Condelli wrote:
>In a message dated 10/06/2008 10:10:46 P.M. Central Standard Time,
>LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:
>
>I just pulled the heads off of my 84 westy (first time to pull heads off any
> car)
>I did it with the engine still in,
>the piston sleeves would not come off so i pulled them out, 2 with each head.
>Once i beat the sleeves off with a wooden block and a hammer, i noticed a
>hair line cracks between all 4 sets of valves.
>
>sooooo... the question is,
>where do i get new or rebuilt heads for the lowest price.
>cause this sucks and i don't have much money.
>let me know,
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Shawn, the heads may be good, the best way to find out is to get them to a
>machine shop and have them leak tested. If the cracks are leaking they will
>declare them scrap. If the valves are leaking they will reseat or replace
>them. I have new AMC heads listed on my _Vanagon Items Forsale_
>(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/sales.htm) webpage > Cylinder head,
>1.9/2.1, AMC, 1001, 025
>101 065 - $475.00. If your gonna keep that engine and that van
>for any good
>length of time I would highly recommend you install two new AMC heads -
>UNLESS - the bottom end is near the end of it's life. NOW - how
>you gonna get
>the cylinders back on the pistons without breaking the rings ? I just know
>your gonna ask that question next. That is tricky to do with the
>engine still
>in the van. The right way is to remove the piston pins which entails
>removing lots of cooling tubes and the waterpump as the pistons are
>first inserted
>into the barrels then attached to the rods. Doing that under the van is not
>easy. The other way is to find or make some sort of ring compressor that
>will compress the rings to get the barrels on then be able to extract the
>compressor - GOOD LUCK ! AND, are you gonna replace the rings
>while your at it ?
>Then you need to hone the cylinders. Have you checked the cylinders to see
>if they are within spec or have become oval as 75% of the ones I have checked
>? If they are oval then trying to get new rings to seat will not work very
>well. You'd be better off using the old rings or getting a set of new
>pistons and cylinders - now your into the big bucks !
>
>Cheers,
>
>Frank Condelli
>Almonte, Ontario, Canada
>'87 Westy & Lionel Trains (_Collection for sale_
>(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/trainsal.htm) )
>_Frank Condelli & Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html)
>- Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
>_Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust Systems_
>(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/exhaust.htm)
>_BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm) a VW Camper
>camping event, Almonte, ON, June 12 ~ 15, 2008
| 
