Stovebolt.com Forums The Shop Area The Engine Shop Got a call from the machine shop UPDATE

Jon G Not gonna throw anything but have to downplay guide knurling,it just wears out too soon. In the case for our old castings looks like bronze walls are the safest and very durable. However iron guides have kept these engines alive until old geezers like us could take over, right ?? So I'm not afraid to take the chance and drive in new iron guides. I pressed in a set a while back,lot better to use a big hammer and driver to fit. they're running using fresh 350 exhaust valves hard seats ,hard button on the stem in the 235 1948 splash oiler. Gonna go get ready to haul and spread white rock now !!

JW51 Where did you see bronze guides ?? I would like to have a set of those,anytime you see bronze it is usually something durable !!

It sounds like your 848 head is pretty close to being a boat anchor. Drop me a PM and I'll respond with a phone number. There's a few tricks involved in increasing the compression of the early head to make it pretty much equivalent to an 848, but it's best discussed in a 2-way conversation, not with a keyboard. That's what the hotrodders did before 848's became generally available in salvage yard
.
Anybody with a lathe and a micrometer can make his own bronze valve guides, but why bother? Thin wall bronze guide liners are cheap, plentiful, and easy to install. I'll be doing that to a 216 head in the next few days.
Jerry

My neighbor Jethro (only an hour and a half down the road), horse traded me an unmolested 848 head off of a '57 235.
It is at the machine shop now to be cleaned up and magna-fluxed, and to check the valve guides, valves, and seat conditions.

That's great. Now you can stop worrying about the truck and go relax in the Cee-ment pond!

Popped in at the machine shop today to hopefully pick up my rebuilt head. It was not done. They had not even ordered the parts yet. He printed out and handed me a quote for the job. $845.30. He said that it needs all new valves, seats, and valve guides.
My chin hit the counter and I just stared at the quote. He said, "You can take your time and think about it."
I think that he gave me a, "We don't want to work on this head price."
What say you?

I think that he doesn't want to do it. Of course the last time I had valve work done was on my Model A when I was in college. I drove to the machine shop, removed the head, watched while he repaired the seats and replaced the valves (I had bought some cheapo offshore ones that burnt out in short order), paid him maybe $50, replaced the head and drove back to my dorm. So I really don't know what the going rate is.

Yep, my chin hit my desktop and I agree with you. This is the same shop that worked on it before? Kind of lost for words, there. Didn't Jerry say he had a head?

Sound a bit steep to me. Definitely an “I don’t want to work on your head price”.

"$845.30. He said that it needs all new valves, seats, and valve guides."

Carl,

Does that include prepping/machining and reassembly of the head?

What are your options?