Dead Engine ~ Advice Please

[Lanval]

OK,

I talked with my guy this morning, got a price for rebuild.

My question ~ given that money is an issue, would it be generally acceptable to go with reman heads from Busdepot ($189 per) and the Mahle pistons from Brazil? Anyone have experience with those?

Those two choices would get me a rebuilt engine in the $2K range, which I can live with. I've been pretty satisfied with the stuff I've gotten from Busdepot, so I'm willing to try the heads, in order to save cash. But I'd be curious to hear what people think about reman vs. new?

FYI, the old heads have been "shaved" ~ though I don't know exactly what that means. The shop said that it'll reduce cooling efficiency. Also the valve seats on one head are bad.

Best,

Lanval

[Captain Pike]

Will they warranty the heads for sucked seats? If so in the shops I worked in those # sound fair. Engine 1 year with proof of oil change.
Air boxes tend to burn up the Ps and Ls so go Mahle there.
_________________
LEARN TO SELF RESCUE
59 Panel bus, 1966 Single cab. 73' 181. 73 Westy. 91' H6 Vanagon 3.3L.
....Bad Sneakers....

[Randy in Maine]

Suggestion:

Call Bus Depot and ask Ron how the heads are really "improved". Perhaps they are done correctly, I don't know.

Otherwise I would send off the heads you have to Adrian at Headflowmasters and for about $650 he can probably fix them. Old ad below and I don't think they have a website anymore.

[Lanval]

Bill W, are you asking about Busdepot warranty? I don't know, but I assume they would. As for the shop, I've no idea.

The shop offered to just put the engine back together with new main bearing and seals, so I could sell it or drive it till it eats itself. But they won't back that build, as far as warranty, and no surprise there.

Randy, I got the impression that because the heads are "shaved" they're not really worth reworking. Some shops say that kind of stuff because they don't like dealing with the hassle, I suspect, but that is almost certainly not the case here.

I'm just wondering if the extra $500 for new heads is worth it. It is possible that the shop won't want to warranty work done with reman heads. I'd be cautious about that if it were my biz, 'cause then you're banking on someone else having done a good job, and that just doesn't happen as often as it should.

Best,

Lanval

[Captain Pike]

My $$$$ ____$500 more for new heads is totally worth it.
_________________
LEARN TO SELF RESCUE
59 Panel bus, 1966 Single cab. 73' 181. 73 Westy. 91' H6 Vanagon 3.3L.
....Bad Sneakers....

[Randy in Maine]

For my money I would also buy new heads also and have those improved by Adrian or Hoffman.

Call Bus Depot and ask them what the poop is on those and let us know what they say.

Are you saying that your heads were flycut?

[Lanval]

Randy,

Hate to say it, but I don't know what 'flycut' means either. So I asked today, what he meant when he said 'shaved';

When looking at the side of the head which meets the case, you are looking at 2 round holes, with the valve in the middle of the holes. Around the holes, there is a raised rim or lip, about 1/8 in or so(?). On both heads, this rim had been shaved away; on one head, partially ~ the head had the rim from 3 O'clock to 9 O'clock. On the other head, the rim was completely gone.

I was told this raised rim helps the head dissipate heat better.

As a follow up, I've decided to have them rebuild the engine using all new stuff. Might as well do it right, if doing it at all.

Rebuilding it myself, though possible, is not a good use of my time, as opposed to writing a dissertation (much larger investment of time & money).

Rebuilding with reman/cheapie stuff seems like false economy.

With the engine done properly, I always have the option of swapping my rebuilt into a different body, should I find one that I like better than my current. And I could sell it (since it's a now working westy) for the cost of the rebuild or more possibly.

I'll keep you guys posted. Also, I'm going to go take some pix of the heads and other stuff, before I get to wrapped up in other stuff.

Best,

Lanval

[Wildthings]

Probably best to have the heads cut so that the head volume is the same for all. After cutting you will want your mechanic to use shims under the jugs to adjust the deck height. This is necessary to make up for the material removed from the heads. You don't want the pistons to slap the head after all. If the two heads have been cut differently it is harder for the mechanic to get the compression the same in all the cylinders. A tight deck of around .040 will usually give the best results.

[Lanval]

Too much work probably. One of the heads is also punked up around the valves (are those the valve seats? Sorry, don't have my Bentley, and this is the first time I've been inside an engine), and they heads don't match. One is missing the rims completely, the other has the bottom half of the rim, but not the top.

I'm going to get new heads. Simple, easy, last a good long time.

Best,

Lanval

[Randy in Maine]

Suggestion:

Send a PM off to Al Brase "69doublecab" and ask him how much work it would be to install a baywindow 4th gear on your transmission. He is a smart guy and knows plenty of vanagon transmission stuff. If anyone would know it would be him.

I don't know if it costs a lot to do it, but if everything (like the engine) is out, now would be the time to do it.

I think it would gear you down a bit and would take some of the load (ie cylinder head temps) off your rebuilt engine. Temps are what kills most of us and it shows up in the heads.

Just my 2 cents.