I am repalcing the heads on my 2004 Vulcan

I have come to the conclusion that I have a burnt exhaust valve. I bought the truck in august of 2013 and have been driving it since. I will get a misfire at idle. I am past the DX stage and I am just going to swap heads. thus this thread. A local machine shop will rebuild them for about $275 each. I did some searching and found some companies and called and talked to them.

http://www.shop.headsonly.com/main.sc They will sell me 2 rebuilt heads for $175 each plus $20=$370 They give you 30 days to send the old heads back without charging you.

I also called and talked to this company https://www.cificinc.net/index.php/ They cost $137 per head. so for 2 heads= $274 includes shipping. These heads are new so a core is not required.

Dover USA has them for $125 each plus $30 shipping they charge a $100 core fee that you get back. so $280 total. They also will sell new bolts for $14 a side and a gasket set for $60.

The guy at headsonly said I could reuse the bolts. The guy at Doverusa said I should buy new bolts. http://www.doverusa.com/

rockauto has remanufactured ones for $167 each.

Thoughts?

Head bolts are TTY, Torque to Yield, They are not under any circumstance re-usable.

Head gaskets, I have tried the gambit on my truck, from copper, copper silicone coated, Ford stock etc, The best I have found is FelPro MLS # 9902 & 9903, they hold up better than anything I have found, & I abuse them at 18psi of boost on my 3.0.

JP02XLT

JP02XLT said:

Head bolts are TTY, Torque to Yield, They are not under any circumstance re-usable.

Head gaskets, I have tried the gambit on my truck, from copper, copper silicone coated, Ford stock etc, The best I have found is FelPro MLS # 9902 & 9903, they hold up better than anything I have found, & I abuse them at 18psi of boost on my 3.0.

JP02XLT

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Thanks for the info. If anyone has an opinion on what heads to buy please let me know.

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I would tend to go with a local shop to reman your heads. I just feel you'll get better service and possible warranty doing this local. Mass produced heads don't give me a good feeling.

I'd shop around locally a bit more. I had my heads milled with a 5 angle valve job and back cuts on the intake valves by a local performance shop for $320. I did all of the assembly/disassembly though. Still, $550 for a stock rebuild on 2 heads seems pretty high.

Rearanger said:

I would tend to go with a local shop to reman your heads. I just feel you'll get better service and possible warranty doing this local. Mass produced heads don't give me a good feeling.

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stmitch said:

I'd shop around locally a bit more. I had my heads milled with a 5 angle valve job and back cuts on the intake valves by a local performance shop for $320. I did all of the assembly/disassembly though. Still, $550 for a stock rebuild on 2 heads seems pretty high.

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I will double check with the guy on the price. maybe it was $225-$250. I know I went to 3 shops in total. One guy did not even want to bother doing it. The other guy stuck to mostly rebuilding boat motors because there was more money in it. He want more than $300 a head. I did call about 7 or 8 shops in total. I am even having a hard time finding anyone to do the work for a reasonable price. I think the lowest labor quote I got was $800 and he did not even want to really do it. They are making way to much replacing brakes and mufflers. etc

I agree that going to a local shop is best, but If I get the parts ahead of time I might be a to get it all back together faster.

If you want to just drive your truck to a shop, and have them remove the heads, rebuild the heads, and reinstall the heads, $550 is a pretty good price.

I was thinking you'd be doing most of the labor, and the shop would only be handling the head rebuild.

Either way, follow JP02xlts instructions and make sure the head bolts/gaskets are replaced.

stmitch said:

If you want to just drive your truck to a shop, and have them remove the heads, rebuild the heads, and reinstall the heads, $550 is a pretty good price.

I was thinking you'd be doing most of the labor, and the shop would only be handling the head rebuild.

Either way, follow JP02xlts instructions and make sure the head bolts/gaskets are replaced.

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Sorry for the confusion. The best price i got from a local machine shop to rebuild both heads is about $500. The best price i got from a mechanic just in labor to remove and replace both heads is $800. For a total of about $1,300.

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Ok. My first post stands in that case. I wouldn't be afraid of ordering heads online though, if that's the best price you can find. I've read posts about aftermarket 3.0 castings being a little thicker and stronger than stock in some cases.

Try these guys, http://doverheads.com/ford.html, I spoke with them on a set of heads but wound up getting a set on a replacement motor (no need to go into that story)

I had read good reviews on them, please do your own homework before you decide. I believe they have complete replacements for $185 each.

JP02XLT

Just FYI, when I was looking into having heads installed I was quoted about $850 in labor as well, not counting the price of rebuilding the heads. It was about as costly to have the whole engine replaced with a salvaged one, IIRC.

I purchased JY heads that weren't rebuilt but in working order for about $220 (for the pair). I don't suggest dropping in JY heads unless you are unsure of the condition of the lower engine. It's something I regret but it was the right move at the time.

JP02XLT said:

Head bolts are TTY, Torque to Yield, They are not under any circumstance re-usable.

Head gaskets, I have tried the gambit on my truck, from copper, copper silicone coated, Ford stock etc, The best I have found is FelPro MLS # 9902 & 9903, they hold up better than anything I have found, & I abuse them at 18psi of boost on my 3.0.

JP02XLT

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JP. About how long does it take you to swap heads on your 3.0. Not including rebuilding the heads, just the swap?

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JP02XLT said:

Try these guys, http://doverheads.com/ford.html, I spoke with them on a set of heads but wound up getting a set on a replacement motor (no need to go into that story)

I had read good reviews on them, please do your own homework before you decide. I believe they have complete replacements for $185 each.

JP02XLT

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Are they the same as Doverusa? I linked them in my first post. They have rebuilt heads for $125 each.

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Chris_North said:

Just FYI, when I was looking into having heads installed I was quoted about $850 in labor as well, not counting the price of rebuilding the heads. It was about as costly to have the whole engine replaced with a salvaged one, IIRC.

I purchased JY heads that weren't rebuilt but in working order for about $220 (for the pair). I don't suggest dropping in JY heads unless you are unsure of the condition of the lower engine. It's something I regret but it was the right move at the time.

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You can buy new and rebuilt heads now for $125 each. I definitely would not use JY heads.

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Dover Heads USA is in GA, the other one is in SC, Not the same place, as far as how long it takes, this is not an easy job and your going to need a good torque wrench for sure.

There is a ton to tear off, and everything has to come off the motor, all the accessories in the front as they bolt to the heads.

The AC can be laid back over the passenger fender without being discharged if you take the radiator and the condenser out then get help laying the entire AC system over the fender. Its a little tricky but with the right twist of the compressor and condenser, it will lay right out of the way.

The PS unit can be laid over on the frame & sway bar on its side to get it out of the way. the bolts on the PS mount are a pain in the butt, there is also one on the side of block near the front

Not knowing your mechanical experience, this is a large job, it can be done by anyone with a fair mechanical background (its not rocket science), just follow the correct procedure and make sure everything is very clean when you put the head gaskets on, again follow procedure.

As for time, if this is your first time, this is a full weekend worth of work, if your fairly mechanical, and have a good selection of tools. I like to do them in steps, I get it all torn apart, clean everything associated with the heads at least twice, then bolt the heads on and get them torqued & checked several times, then start re-assembling everything else.

JP02XLT