Port design is what he meant I'm sure.
516 head question
- Thread starter qkcuda
- Start date
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Yup. That dropped floor, the bowls are huge and no matter what you do, you can end up with the valve job looking just like that.
And there isn’t much you can do about it. It is what it is.
Cartel
Well-Known Member
so the valve job is no good?
right. so on Monday, how do I approach this guy?
He said $1500 and he does valves, seats, new guides and springs.
I bought the valves, springs and retainers and brought him my heads and intake and said with the money you save with the parts, I'll still give you $1500 still but port match the intake and blend the bowls, TAKE YOUR TIME. I also said just use umbrella seals, I dont want positive seals.
Now I'm looking at my heads and a bit upset he ignored my requests and didnt factor in my parts I paid for in the $1500 quote.
Its hard to talk to this guy as it is because he in a 1 man band and has blocks stacked and stuff everywhere as he is very busy and I dont want to take up his time or upset him. Now I'm kinda pissed.
I'm sick of people not doing what they say and them wanting money for sh*t they didnt do.
I asked him if he port matched the intake and he said "ya a little bit".
I didnt look while at the shop because I didnt think he was gonna lie to my face.
This kinda of thing just makes me sick to my stomach. I almost want to never wrench on another motor ever again.
I hate this kind of thing
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I'd ask him when he's going to finish the work and ask nicely. If he's smart he'll get your drift.
I don’t see anything wrong with the valve job.
Setting exhaust seats in those heads almost never looks “clean”. It’s the nature of the port and original Chrysler machining.
As for the rest of it…I can’t say. There wasn’t any bowl work on the exhaust port, but IMO there shouldn’t be. It’s too big already.
I don’t think I saw a picture of the intake bowls.
Unless the gasket match is way off, I almost never do it. You can put a “bulge” in the intake tract right there.
Edit: I’m not sure why the love for umbrella seals. They are pretty much obsolete.
In fact, if you told me I would have to use umbrella seals I’d have given you your parts back and sent you down the road.
I refuse to use obsolete stuff like that.
It can be done in any high school auto shop. ha ha
I'd be very, very disappointed shelling out $1500 after supplying valves, springs and retainers.
That's shoddy work at best, like I said I expect better from a high school kid.
The price is what it is. I’d like to see what he did to the intake manifold though.
PRH
Well-Known Member
$1500……Canadian, right?
Not apples to apples with the US dollar these days.
Did you get an itemized bill showing what you paid for?
At my shop, that job would have been solidly over $1500(US dollars) if I were supplying the parts.
The exchange today is .69, so if I charged $1700 US complete(not including tax), that’s $2463 Canadian.
Not apples to apples with the US dollar these days.
Did you get an itemized bill showing what you paid for?
At my shop, that job would have been solidly over $1500(US dollars) if I were supplying the parts.
The exchange today is .69, so if I charged $1700 US complete(not including tax), that’s $2463 Canadian.
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PRH
Well-Known Member
I just ran some numbers……..
To do a basic “reconditioning” on a set of BBM heads……and this price would be for heads that would be in such good condition they kind of don’t even need to be done(valves don’t need replacing, guides are still good), but it does include new stock replacement HP springs and the installation of hardened ex seats.
-Disassemble & pressure wash
-bead blast & pressure wash again
-recondition valves
-install exhaust seats
-Machine & finish grind seats(valve job)
-flat mill up to .020”
-Clean all parts
-r&r expansion plugs
-final pressure wash
-assemble heads & set spring heights
—————
$830
$190 -ex seats, springs, seals, exp. plugs
—————
$1020 total($1478 Canadian)
Add-ons would be 16 new guide liners($200), and machine for Viton seals($50).($250 = $362 Canadian)
It’s very very rare that factory heads don’t need new valves & guides, and almost everything gets the Viton seal upgrade.
When people call inquiring about refurbishing their factory heads, I tell them it’s very easy to spend $1500-2000+ on them, depending on what they’re looking for.
For the numbers to better represent cartels job…..
Start with that $1020 number, take off the valve reconditioning and the new stock springs…….then add in the new guides and machining for the seals…….and you end up at $1090 US($1579 Canadian).
To do a basic “reconditioning” on a set of BBM heads……and this price would be for heads that would be in such good condition they kind of don’t even need to be done(valves don’t need replacing, guides are still good), but it does include new stock replacement HP springs and the installation of hardened ex seats.
-Disassemble & pressure wash
-bead blast & pressure wash again
-recondition valves
-install exhaust seats
-Machine & finish grind seats(valve job)
-flat mill up to .020”
-Clean all parts
-r&r expansion plugs
-final pressure wash
-assemble heads & set spring heights
—————
$830
$190 -ex seats, springs, seals, exp. plugs
—————
$1020 total($1478 Canadian)
Add-ons would be 16 new guide liners($200), and machine for Viton seals($50).($250 = $362 Canadian)
It’s very very rare that factory heads don’t need new valves & guides, and almost everything gets the Viton seal upgrade.
When people call inquiring about refurbishing their factory heads, I tell them it’s very easy to spend $1500-2000+ on them, depending on what they’re looking for.
For the numbers to better represent cartels job…..
Start with that $1020 number, take off the valve reconditioning and the new stock springs…….then add in the new guides and machining for the seals…….and you end up at $1090 US($1579 Canadian).
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Cartel
Well-Known Member
Thanks for taking the time to post all that.
I went in and he said he has a shop hand now that did the work and he must have forgot. Later he said the gasket matched up fine.
He said if I'm not happy to bring them back but I'm not going to. I know how some people get, next thing you know its worse than before or sabotaged. I not saying thats gonna happen but I'm gonna walk away.
They didnt touch the intake except where they damaged it. it was mint, now its got a couple mars on it. The mating surface of the intake is unchanged thats the way I got it.
I'm not bringing the stuff back.
as for the umbrella seals, lots of engines didnt even have seals on the exhaust and I seen guys say they stuck a valve with positive seals. umbrellas should be plenty and for sure should be worry free
Also the heads got these chips taken out and deep marks, I asked him if they clamp the heads in this area and he said no.
I just dont want to risk further damage. I feel bad enough as it is.
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Umbrella seals should have went out with the rumble seat.
As I say, it’s not 1954 any more. A positive seal is a MUST on the intake side. If you are worried about the exhaust side, just pull the little spring off of the seal and stick it on.
Like I said earlier I would never send a head out the door without positive seals on it. That’s *** backwards.
Those marks on your cylinder heads were NOT done by the machine shop. That looks like factory casting **** to me.
So far, all you are doing is bad mouthing a shop for no reason. He didn’t overcharge you from the looks of it.
He didn’t **** up the installation of the hard seats I your heads either.
He also said he would make it right if he missed something and YOU still are bashing this guy.
Maybe the issue is you and you don’t know what you are talking about?
It sickens me to see this type of **** go down. It’s tough to make a buck as an engine builder. You trashing him for nothing is not a good thing.
You at least owe him an apology.
Edit: when I hear things like “I’m not going back there because of revenge” or the famous “if they fucked it up once, I’m not letting them try it again” it tells me much more about the customer than the shop.
Cartel
Well-Known Member
well I got nothing to worry about then. I didnt mention the seals to him.
At the end of the day its just a car part. When I hear of people getting the wrong leg amputated , I dont feel so bad about a engine.
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I thought you were better than mediocrity.
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