Machine shop wows.

[special-K]

Around here a complete head rebuild on pair of small block heads that needed valves,seats,and guides ran about $300 25 years ago.To me that price sounds about right for the Bay Area. It needed planing and all. $150 sounds crazy cheap.

[Spoof]

This board is the home of $200 powder coated frames, $100 sandblasted cabs and swb, big blocks for 5K. I'm expecting to hear some people only pay a nickel per gallon for gas Everything costs $500!

[LandonL]

I did buy the valves on mine separate so they weren't necessarily included in the cost. $150 was just his charge on labor, no parts included.

[Hubscrub]

that ol 250 should last you for a long time in my op. the inlines are one of the most reliable motors ever. I had some 350 heads completely redone this year and it was around $275 and i thought that was high but you got to look at the areas, i live in one of the cheapest cost of living areas in the country but we don't make as much either

[treveiger]

Not to steal the thread or anything. How much would a set of new heads cost? What would be better machining them out or buying new?

[oldblue1968chevy]

lol hub

you can get summit vortec heads for $650, thats what I did..

[mcbassin]

I run a Machine Shop not engine shop but aerospace and I can tell straight out it is very expensive to get anything made. There is a lot more that goes into it than just the guys hourly wage. Our rates average around $100 an hour. so go figure. If you think you got your moneys worth that is all that matters.

I can remember when my engine guy could hot vat, line bore, .030 over, and install cam bearings and valve job for around $300 on a SBC. That was back in the late 80s and early 90s I'd bet the same job is around $500-700. Good luck!

[BadaSs_Cal]

Thanks guys this makes me feel a whole lot better about the whole thing. Like I told the wife last night, I could of took the easy way out and went with a crate V8.. But imagine when I pop the hood and all the old timers start grinning ear to ear. Even my machinist was excited when I told him it was an inline I was bringing in. ( but maybe thats because he knew it was a gold mine... lol) Well as soon as I get it back I post up some pictures.

[Lee H]

For all new parts, valves, springs, guides, keepers, seats, and machine work that's a good price. New guides and seats and the machine work to install those are driving that cost. Can't compare labor and facility costs here in Cali with other parts of the country.

Now if you want to save a little money, ask for the difference if you decide not to do the hardened seats. If your engine is going to be treated decently and not hotrodded a lot or used for towing you can get by without harded seats. If I where on a tight budget I would not hesitate to opt out of cutting those heads to install hardened seats. That being said, I always opt for hardened seats as I drive my toys like they were stolen.

[steelscout]

Prices may vary to each region of the shop, supply and demand stuff, just saying.
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[Dieselwrencher]

Man, $500 is a great deal! The last common rail head I had crack checked, surfaced, new guides, and new valves with lapping them in was $800. Now add the cost of new valve springs and my time to assemble and clean it. Quality machine work is expensive and hard to get done anymore.

[dubds10]

When I saw $500 I thought that was cheap lol If you guys are getting heads completely redone for anything less than $500 you're just robbing the machinist. I know guys up here who do full porting/polishing etc etc and you're looking at $1000's for these heads.

For $500 I wouldn't be complaining at all