Reman Head : reputable sellers?

Anyone know of a reputable seller of rebuilt heads for the 1.6l? I see them on ebay from "Odessa Cylinder Head" and they do have a good rating. But it's ebay, I don't trust it that much.

A rebuilt head without cams and lifters lists at $375 from Odessa. Curious

also, trustworthy place to get the following parts and recommended brands.

headgasket
head bolts
timing belt kit w/ waterpump


*update*

I can get my head rebuilt locally at a friends machine shop that does heads for a lot less. Quality work, he uses them all the time at his place of work.

if you can get it done locally, that is always better, but there is nothing worng with buying another head off ebay if you had to go that route

Autozone is your best bet for all those other parts above I would guess

I got a nice quote from a friend that works at a chevy dealership..

Headbolts
Head Gasket
Valve Cover Gasket
Timing belt
Water pump/tensioner
Everything for the timing belt job
and some other odds and ends..

I should order a new intake tube since the original is ripped as well as a intake/exhaust gasket set

how much less is the local work than a reman head? i know some of those florida shops are good and cheap, but whats included in the price?

and rock auto is probably cheapest to order parts that will be the "same" brands as any local aftermarket source like pepboys, advance, or napa. just match up brand names.

$162-220 for the head to be reman'd locally. The head will be stripped, cleaned, milled if need be, valves checked, cleaned, ground, etc replaced if need be. Assembled and given back

I'll get more details soon


Also, I think I am going to make a "How To" remove your 1.6l head tutorial. I just finished a tutorial on removing/replacing/rebuilding convertible top hydraulic cylinders for my Mercedes E320 Cabriolet.. whats another DIY :D

so it will be $220 if they replace ALL the valves? is that top price guaranteed? or will you need to ad the price of parts? Still a good deal either way. But if that price doesn't include all the possibilities, it might add up quick.

We shall see.

I'm on Rock Auto checking out timing belts.. Which brand do you recommended? I have a Gates timing belt in my cart and its $21... $21 for a very important belt.. The timing belt through the dealership is $80. Also, any specifics on the water pump?

So far my parts total (without valves) is $226 (split between rockauto and the dealership w/e shipping on RA)

$220 to do that headwork is a steal, +1 for what rabbit said

dealer parts will cost more than any other

I get dealership parts for list price. Just need to figure out what brand belt to get

a gates belt is fine, of the belts available it is at least oem quality.
i for one agree not paying dealership prices without at least a comparison. sometimes they are 2-3x as much, sometimes they are cheaper that aftermarket. But if you dont check, or comparison shop, your most likely not getting the most use out of your money.

RockAuto is good on prices.. However I have everything I need and its shipping from... 5 different places.. So I'm actually paying more than the dealership with tax at the moment!

I'm probably just going go get the stuff from the dealership except the waterpump and timing belt since those are a lot cheaper on Rockauto and ship from the same location.

Right now my total is between rockauto and the dealership with tax and shipping is around $240.

Not bad and that is for the following

Timing belt
Timing belt pulley
Timing belt tensioner
Water Pump w/seal (gates part but it says "reverse rotation".. what does that mean?
10 Head bolts
Exhaust manifold gasket
Intake manifold gasket(s)
Head gasket

Then I will need coolant, distilled water, oil, oil filter and the wrench for the water pump(where can I find that)

anything else you all can think of?
"While you're in there" gets expensive.. I know this from owning 3 Mercedes and 2 Deloreans

Timing belt and water pump paid for on rockauto... I googled "rock auto discount" and found a 5% off code. Awesome.

I opted for 3 day express shipping so I know it gets here on time. The 5% brought that shipping cost down to the price of ground. Good deal in my book..


also, I'm not posting for the sake of getting posts. Just keeping everyone updated that has been following my thread.

yeah that whole 19 posts you now have is REALLY impressive.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by petrified.rabbit

yeah that whole 19 posts you now have is REALLY impressive.

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good to know! I'm more useful on my mercedes forums.. but I'll learn about these aveos.