Hello,
With all the 'shotty work' coming out of places these days, I want to be really cautious. Can anyone reccomend a place in the Portland/Vancouver area to rebuild a head and an engine block? 225 slant six, stock rebuild.

I don't want to find an overly expensive place, but quality work is a must!

I've heard of a place called Dusty's here in Vancouver, but i'm scared...their work might be poor! Does anyone have any info on them?

Thanks

If Ott was still alive, I'd send you over to Ott's Machine Shop in Portland, he did excellent work...

If you were down the valley a bit, I'd say go to Davison's Auto Parts/NAPA in Woodburn... Craig Jensen is a great machinist and has done all sorts of mills (drag racers bring their engines to him in the off season.. and he teaches the engine machining courses at Chemeketa Community College in Salem).

-D.Idiot

I live in St. Paul about 15 minutes from Woodburn. I have a head that is clean and polished/light porting (wanted practice). Just saying if you are willing to try the Napa in Woodburn I could use them to finish the head and sell it to you. I'm personally a little scared to pay for machine work around this area cause the McMinville Davidson/NAPA would quote me $50 bucks for a cleaning, after a 45min drive, charge me $110!
Just an idea, however, what are you needing done? Also, I go to school at OSU so I do have some access of Eugene's machine shops / connections. So if you want to work together we could work something out. Otherwise, I would stay away from Davidsons and A LOT of the Portland Shops.
Last, if you live in Vancouver area, Oregon cams regrounded me a .44/270dur cam for $90 which is a great street cam with some pep.

Is the idle on that grind smooth or is a little lumpy?

_________________
Aggressive Ted

http://cid-32f1e50ddb40a03c.photos.live ... %20Swinger


74 Swinger, 9.5 comp 254/.435 lift cam, 904, ram air, electric fans, 2.5" HP2 & FM70 ex, 1920 Holley#56jet, 2.76 8 3/4 Sure-Grip, 26" tires, 25+MPG

FYI,

You never take anything to 'Hick'minnville... All the Drag guys take their stuff to: Craig at NAPA Woodburn (has it's own machine shop, has a flow bench), Louthan's in the Lake Labish/Labish Center (has a cylinder head flow shop) if you really want 'perfect' work you take it to Glenn at Automotive Machine Co. in Salem (Glenn's shop's the only place that can fly cut pistons in this town...otherwise you have to take them over to Oregon City...). If Hatch were still alive, you could take it to his shop since a greater portion of big blocks that he put out were trophy takers... (but he's been gone for a couple years now, and any blocks that he touched are worth a few more bux in this area)

Considering that Craig did the machine work on my Hpak 225 about 51K ago, and it's seen lots of time in 5500-6200 range in 'speed tests' and hasn't tanked yet...

You might also PM AndyF since he lives in Wilsonville, he might have a 'favorite' in the north area, as he deals with a fair amount of shops in his business...

-D.Idiot

Archie Summers is probably the best local 'all around' rebuilder.
I have use Dusty's for some miner stuff, never had
them rebuild a engine, but they have been around for
a long time.........
don't know if I would have Tom's Perfomace do anything
Had AC Nutter do a 225 years ago (15+) so nothing
recent....

Boy, if OTT was still around, that is were I would
go for sure

_________________
http://imageevent.com/jeffc
62 D100 225 3sp lwb
64 D100 A318 727pb custom lwb
66 D100 A318 4sp lwb
68 D100 B383 727 swb
65 Belveder A318 727 4d
65 Dart GT LA273 2bbl 904
73 Scamp 225 2bbl 4spOD
Old iron or no iron

Yeah Dick was a good guy, and raced slants back when... he did the build and assembly on 66Dart's mill (it was sooo beautiful!!!). At one time he had even suggested a better clutch disk build up for slant-6 use at one time...

-D.Idiot

he did a set of HP A318 poly heads a few years ago for me with oversized valves that are a work of art!! was going to have him do the block
too, but he passed before I had a chance to get it to him........

_________________
http://imageevent.com/jeffc
62 D100 225 3sp lwb
64 D100 A318 727pb custom lwb
66 D100 A318 4sp lwb
68 D100 B383 727 swb
65 Belveder A318 727 4d
65 Dart GT LA273 2bbl 904
73 Scamp 225 2bbl 4spOD
Old iron or no iron

I took the head off today, and as I suspected, the head needs to be rebuilt (finally). The engine was rebuilt years ago by the original owner, stock rebuild, bored .030 over. The valves and valve seats are shot on several cylinders.

What place should I take the head to, to get rebuilt? I have a friend that's getting an entire engine rebuilt at Dustys with new valves/pistons/rings for $1400-$1600 which seems high to me. I'm sorta scared of Dustys for a head rebuild, what do you think? Any other reccomendations in the area?

On the head I didn't notice, but are the valve guides bronze sleeves? Or is it just reamed into the cast?

I would like to have hardened valve seats installed on the head, I thought it would be a good idea since it's getting rebuilt anyway. Would that cost a lot more? My friend said it would probably add an hour or 2 of labor.

Lastly, the rocker arm bar is removed from the head (obviously). Should I get that hot-tanked as well? Or just leave it? It doesn't seem very gunked-up, and if I can save the money and NOT hot-tank it, that would be awesome.

$1400-$1600 isn't too bad, but what is he having done?

A full engine rebuild, with cam purchase, and head work runs in that neighborhood (with you assembling everything...)

Hot Tanking is usually a whole $10 for whatever pile of stuff you bring in (head, rockers, shaft, etc...)... I would hot tank the rockers so you can inspect them and get the crud off/out of them.

If they have to do the guides, the 'cheapo' way to do it is having them 'knurled' (and they will last only a short while if you pound on the engine), just have the guides replaced with bronze guides and be done with it...

And while they are at it, if your old head gasket was an OEM stamped sheetmetal gasket and you are adding a 'fel-pro' composite gasket... to keep your compression they should mill .020-.040, just to be safe... (if you have measured the combustion chambers, and have measured your piston deck height now the head is off...now would be the time to mill the head to get a bit more compression... IF your rings are still good and sealing well...more along the lines of .060-.1).

He's having a complete engine/head rebuild to stock, new valves, pistons, and piston rings. They will have to bore the engine.

I know about the knurl system, and it's total garbage, I hope they don't do it even when I ask them not to...you know how these places can be...

So to have the head rebuilt to a 'stock' rebuild, with hardened valve seats, and bronze valve guides, with milling .020-.040...ballpark what is it going to cost? When they evaluate it and quote me I don't want to be ripped-off.

It can be about $200-300...(or more if you decide to put in larger valves.. or you have to replace the old valves...)

-D.Idiot

Don't waste your time on larger valves unless your really playing with the engine. Even with my last build where I polished the bowls and uped the cam, it was a waste. Bigger valves aren't always the key unless you triple check to see if their unshrouded and you are truly shoving that much air through. Good luck with your rebuild.

How do you know the larger valves were a waste? Did you test the engine/car before and after the larger valves were installed?

A 225 is so under valved that even small cylinder head improvements show significant gains.

_________________
Joshua

Bigger valves done right are an important step in making better power. You need to do a little chamber work as well.

If you are getting head work done and hardened valve seats...they might as well be for bigger valves.

_________________
Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....