Head Removal, Inspection, and Replacement (not a lobotomy..)

[wings_n_fins]

Hi all,

I'm rebuilding my 1600cc in my '73 Thing, and upon inspecting the cylinder heads I found these cracks. There are six of them, two on one head and four on the other, almost all identical. They're right next to the uppermost, outermost studs. They're only about an inch long, and don't extend past the small piece of metal that's on either side of the stud and nut.

1.) Are these cracks reason enough for head replacement or reconditioning? (and which one would be more reasonable?)

2.) If need be, where should I turn to to get my heads reconditioned? (I live on Guam and own one of only about five old Vee-Dub's on island, so there's no VW-specific shop here.)

This is my first rebuild, and I'm going through the procedures in the Tom Wilson VW Engine rebuilding book step-by=step; my questions may seem naive or just plain dumb, but please, go easy on me!

Dave

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DAVE
'73 Thing
'07 Harley Sportster
'09 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

[Towel Rail]

Kind of a weird place for them to crack. What do they look like on the inside?

[suntour]

Personally I would just toss them and get a new set. Type I heads are relatively cheap and available from many reputable dealers. Repairing those might cost more that just getting a brand new set.

I would suggest starting with the classified here on the Samba for a new set of stock dual ports heads. I just saw an ad for $99 per new stock head. Shipping to Guam might be really expensive unless you have an APO address.

On a side note, I wish I knew we had a forum member from Guam. I just finished work on a presentation for the Guam Waterworks Authority and needed a LOT of high-res photo’s.
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Order of the Voodoo Spoon

[wings_n_fins]

As far as I can tell the rest of the head looks fine, Towel Rail; there's a not inconsiderable amount of carbon buildup, dirty oil, and grime, but no dings, dents, or other boo-boos.

And Suntour, I'll check the classifieds on here for those heads; I'd only looked on JC Whitney and the ad's in Hot VW's Magazine, and the prices there were a bit high. A hundred bucks is a fraction of what those other places were asking.

About the sidenote: what was the presentation on GWA for? If you have any other ongoing or upcoming projects that you'd like help from me with, don't hesitate to shoot me a message. Hafa Adai, mang!

Dave
_________________
DAVE
'73 Thing
'07 Harley Sportster
'09 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited