Captainkirk's Duster project

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i'd check back thursday so if it's not touched they can't fob you off for another week as you can rant at them to do it the next day (friday). if you call friday and it's not touched they'll say ''we'll get to it next week''......... again. just a thought.
neil.
 
mygasser said:
i'd check back thursday so if it's not touched they can't fob you off for another week as you can rant at them to do it the next day (friday). if you call friday and it's not touched they'll say ''we'll get to it next week''......... again. just a thought.
neil.
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Good thinking! I'll do just that...
 
So, finally...the wheels begin to grind, albeit slowly. My call to machinist netted a positive response as they said my heads are next in line for teardown and quote and I should be getting a phone call either tomorrow or Thursday with an estimate. At that point I can make the decision to do these heads, or default to a set of Eddies. Might not sound like much, but it's uplifting to me, for sure! It's also time to start shopping around for a HVLP paint gun to shoot the engine bay area with.
 
Are you wanting a cheap gun to shoot the engine compartment or a good gun that will do the whole car?

Big difference, just to shoot he engine bay and do door jams etc the cheap purple harbor freight $15 one will work fine.

For a nice overall gun I have a LPH400 Awata, not cheap, but the paint jumps on a vehicle with no effort, worth the money, but they are around $500, but the paint lays down so nice.
 
sireland67 said:
Are you wanting a cheap gun to shoot the engine compartment or a good gun that will do the whole car?

Big difference, just to shoot he engine bay and do door jams etc the cheap purple harbor freight $15 one will work fine.

For a nice overall gun I have a LPH400 Awata, not cheap, but the paint jumps on a vehicle with no effort, worth the money, but they are around $500, but the paint lays down so nice.
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I haven't thought far enough ahead for the external paint yet. I'm hoping to be able to pay somebody to paint the car this time around, but available cash will dictate that down the line. But the engine bay needs to get shot before the motor goes in, so HF will probably have to do.
 
Captainkirk said:
I haven't thought far enough ahead for the external paint yet. I'm hoping to be able to pay somebody to paint the car this time around, but available cash will dictate that down the line. But the engine bay needs to get shot before the motor goes in, so HF will probably have to do.
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Go for it, any cheap gun will work, but you have to use it a few times to get used to the adjustments etc.
This is my engine compartment I painted with a very old Stewart-Warner gun, it was around 30 years old, but I could have got the same results from about any paint gun, as long as the the tip is around a 1.3. The larger the tip, the more orange peel you will have.
Prep is the key to making body work look nice.


opBPFj.jpg
 
So...
After a year of them having my heads I finally was able to corner them into giving me a ballpark quote...and the news is not good.
Actually, it's just as I figured. A year ago, no less.
The cost to recondition the heads with guide inserts, seals, new springs and keepers, 2.02 intakes and hardened exhaust seats is a stone's throw from the cost of a new set of Eddies. Not to mention whatever I owe them for teardown and inspection.
I guess I don't have to ask what most of you would do. Aluminum heads generally make more power, come with 2.02's and hardened exhaust seats from the factory along with 171cc intake runners and hi-perf valve springs good for up to .575 lift. And they weigh 25# less apiece. People have relocated their batteries to the trunk for less weight. 50# is nothing to sneeze at. Plus, I get to keep the original heads as spares.
Am I missing something here or is this pretty much a no-brainer?
As you can tell, this project is pretty much stalled, so buying the new heads is not an urgent matter except that prices are likely to go up and availability down.
 
do you have any trade/high school auto class schools in the area that might take that on as a project? glad to hear your project is still there and you are also!
 
abdywgn said:
do you have any trade/high school auto class schools in the area that might take that on as a project? glad to hear your project is still there and you are also!
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Thanks! Project ain't going anywhere. But then, that's part of the problem.:D
Guess I'm just getting tired of all the horsing around. I'm feeling ready to just flip the switch and have a shiny new set of heads show up on the door step. If it took these guys a year to do a quote, how much time for the real work?
 
i'd be sorely tempted to go aluminum if the iron head rebuild was much more than half the cost of them to be honest. better performance, less weight etc etc....... but all that you already know so you've pretty much convinced yourself it seems. we don't need convincing, lol.
neil.
 
Captainkirk said:
So...
After a year of them having my heads I finally was able to corner them into giving me a ballpark quote...and the news is not good.
Actually, it's just as I figured. A year ago, no less.
The cost to recondition the heads with guide inserts, seals, new springs and keepers, 2.02 intakes and hardened exhaust seats is a stone's throw from the cost of a new set of Eddies. Not to mention whatever I owe them for teardown and inspection.
I guess I don't have to ask what most of you would do. Aluminum heads generally make more power, come with 2.02's and hardened exhaust seats from the factory along with 171cc intake runners and hi-perf valve springs good for up to .575 lift. And they weigh 25# less apiece. People have relocated their batteries to the trunk for less weight. 50# is nothing to sneeze at. Plus, I get to keep the original heads as spares.
Am I missing something here or is this pretty much a no-brainer?
As you can tell, this project is pretty much stalled, so buying the new heads is not an urgent matter except that prices are likely to go up and availability down.
Click to expand...
Or you could have shipped them to a decent machinist, and had them back 6 months ago at half the price of edelbrock junk heads.
 
Captainkirk said:
So...
After a year of them having my heads I finally was able to corner them into giving me a ballpark quote...and the news is not good.
Actually, it's just as I figured. A year ago, no less.
The cost to recondition the heads with guide inserts, seals, new springs and keepers, 2.02 intakes and hardened exhaust seats is a stone's throw from the cost of a new set of Eddies. Not to mention whatever I owe them for teardown and inspection.
I guess I don't have to ask what most of you would do. Aluminum heads generally make more power, come with 2.02's and hardened exhaust seats from the factory along with 171cc intake runners and hi-perf valve springs good for up to .575 lift. And they weigh 25# less apiece. People have relocated their batteries to the trunk for less weight. 50# is nothing to sneeze at. Plus, I get to keep the original heads as spares.
Am I missing something here or is this pretty much a no-brainer?
As you can tell, this project is pretty much stalled, so buying the new heads is not an urgent matter except that prices are likely to go up and availability down.
Click to expand...

Well that does suck , I had my x heads reconditioned , but kept my original intake valves since they were good but replaced exhaust valves $101.50 springs $99.70 an seals an guides , brass plugs valve job, mill work and more to get what was needed done an yeah its expensive , mine was $787.77 for parts labor everything ,, but I wanted x heads just because I like them , no other reason . So new heads are the easy route but have no feedback on eddy heads but arent they a little over $900 apiece ? Even if I had replaced all valves I was only looking at maybe $1100 on the high side ,,, unless I am wrong on the price of new eddy heads and I could be ? , your shop is quoting a high price to me , I think your in Ill. I used Smith automotive Machine Shop in Frankfort Ky , did my block work an heads and has done few other blocks an machine work for me on other projects and has done great work an I think affordable , takes a few months if he has a heavy work load but you have seen my build an my engine is done as far as machine work ,,even my 340 block , labor , parts an decked the block an boring out much more when boring he aligned bored every piston to its placement in block an was only was $731.93 , even with new pistons an rebuild kit an new cam and found a deal on a steel crank , my engine build came in way under what I had planned and my heads an block were ruff , I dont think I have $3500 in the engine so far and now just need the smaller things
 
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Captainkirk said:
Thanks! Project ain't going anywhere. But then, that's part of the problem.:D
Guess I'm just getting tired of all the horsing around. I'm feeling ready to just flip the switch and have a shiny new set of heads show up on the door step. If it took these guys a year to do a quote, how much time for the real work?
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Well even though it stalled, I'm just happy you're back posting again. This is the restoration i'm most involved in.:D
I'd just find a used set of heads on here or ebay or something. Just to keep the project rolling along.
 
shittyslant6 said:
Well even though it stalled, I'm just happy you're back posting again. This is the restoration i'm most involved in.:D
I'd just find a used set of heads on here or ebay or something. Just to keep the project rolling along.
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Believe it or not, the heads aren't what's holding me up. From assembling the engine; yes...to some degree. (I could always buy the cam and assemble the short block). But what I really need to do is paint/powder coat the suspension, throw in new rubber bits and get it off jack stands and paint the engine bay. All warm-weather activities, but spring is poking it's head around the corner. If I could get it rolling again, that will be a huge motivator and a feather in my cap.
 
Captainkirk said:
Believe it or not, the heads aren't what's holding me up. From assembling the engine; yes...to some degree. (I could always buy the cam and assemble the short block). But what I really need to do is paint/powder coat the suspension, throw in new rubber bits and get it off jack stands and paint the engine bay. All warm-weather activities, but spring is poking it's head around the corner. If I could get it rolling again, that will be a huge motivator and a feather in my cap.
Click to expand...
I am hoping for the same soon , get engine bay an suspension installed are next on the list for warm weather , hope you get it done
 
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