Remanufactured Head (ebay), Need you all experts advise Options

[msk59]

In the near future, I plan on redoing the valves etc on the head and came across some ebay sites that sells remanufactured heads. all work done with cams etc for under $300. Engine is 7A-FE and my car is 1996 Celica ST (AT-200) with manual transmission.

What is your experience with these heads and what advise you can give me that can help me decide.

Thank You
MSK

This post has been edited by msk59: Jun 13, 2014 - 8:09 AM

[msk59]

Soooo back to my original question: Are the aftermarket heads any good?

[Langing]

Soooo back to my original question: Are the aftermarket heads any good?

The original question sought information about experiences members have had when using a large head rebuilding company. So far, no member has stepped forward to offer a single experience. So, we are still left wondering how good these outfits are at rebuilding heads. And it would be good to know because they seem to offer an inexpensive approach to rebuild a head.


Previous comments have shown that this isn't a "no brainer" type of question. The answer depends on who is asking the question, what their personal goals are when asking (are they biased toward DIY; do they prefer giving he work to a local person, do they prefer to farm the job out and forget about it, etc), and at least one unknown (what experiences have people had.with corporate rebuilders).

Making the decision of what approach to use when you need to fix your head should depend on your expectations of quality, cost, time to complete, as well as the amount of personal effort required. So, break the problem down and ask instead simpler questions, as follows, and perhaps those answers might help make the bigger decision:


A) Which of the following approaches can be expected to provide the highest quality job when rebuilding an "old" head? (i.e., which will lead to the likelihood of the longest additional engine life?)

1) Total DIY?

2) DIY and Local Machine Shop?

3) DIY and a company that rebuilds thousands of heads each year?

4) No DIY; Just drop car off with Dealer to install NEW head.


B) Which of the following approaches is expected to provide the least expensive job when rebuilding an "old" head? (i.e., lowest cost)

1) Total DIY?

2) DIY and Local Machine Shop?

3) DIY and a company that rebuilds thousands of heads each year?

4) No DIY; Just drop car off with Dealer to install NEW head.


C) Which of the following approaches will take the least time to complete when rebuilding an "old" head? (i.e., least amount of time your car will be out of service)

1) Total DIY?

2) DIY and Local Machine Shop?

3) DIY and a company that rebuilds thousands of heads each year?

4) No DIY; Just drop car off with Dealer to install NEW head.


D) Which of the following approaches can be expected to require the least amount of your personal effort when rebuilding an "old" head? (i.e., which will lead to the likelihood of the longest additional engine life?)

1) Total DIY?

2) DIY and Local Machine Shop?

3) DIY and a company that rebuilds thousands of heads each year?

4) No DIY; Just drop car off with Dealer to install NEW head.





Me answering the four questions: A4, B3, C4, D4

Now, do the same exercise again, but drop out item 4:

Me answering the four questions: A3, B3, C3, D2

Let's take a poll. What would your answers be? Or is this exercise unhelpful?