Hi All
How long does it take to get a head done? well that depends on how big the shop is if it a shop with 3/4/5/6 people working for them then may be not to long, but if you are a 1 man band then it may take a little longer
In my case I work by my self, now let me tell you what I do I bore motors, reco heads modify heads, grind cams, modify cranks, lighten rods, build race motors,build road motors, sleeve motors machine manifolds,dyno motors and the list goes on.
Then there is the big one I answer the phone I have had up to 30 calls in one day but mainly around 10 calls a day, then people drop in to talk about their motors and what they want done, and of cause I have to have a cuppa.
So how many hours in a day do you think I really get to do work? so may be I am a little slow at times
Now on the next page some on said that $200 was a fair price for a head service, now lets brake it down.
Strip head $ ?
Get head acid or blasted clean $50 to $100
press guides out and replace $20
supply quality guides which have to be reamed to size to fit each valve $150 k lines using quality k lines not the cheap ones $150
Cut the seats $20 to $25 seat on a head machine cutting them to performance seat profile.
Fit unleaded seats $160 and cut the seats.
Deck the head most shops charge $60 to put it on the grinder and $10 per tho, I charge $50 no mater how much comes off.
Supply new valves,be it be race or std ones.
Now we have to assemble the head and because the heads are old all the spring heights have to be measured as the valves are sitting lower in the head and have to be shimmed up to get the spring pressures right.
Then there are springs and valve seals.
Then it all has to be assembled, and all this takes time.
SO YOU ONLY GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
Then there is the people that drop their motors and heads in and say NO HURRY just do it when you can I know your busy.
If people need them in a hurry I do them as quick as I can.
Now Bill B, 18 months to get inserts fitted who was that with? if it was me you could not have wanted it in a hurry and your a fool for leaving it there for so long, why did you not ring up and say you wanted it or come and get it.
Then there's the people that I send emails and leave messages telling them there job is ready and don't bother to reply,
Or they don't have the money till the end of the month when they get paid and don't turn up for a month or two.
Now lets brake up the cost of doing the machine work.
Head machine $50,000 to $120,000 to get $20 to $25 a seat
Valve machine to cut the seats on valves $12,000 to get $4.50 a valve
Surface grinder to do heads $50,000 to $80,000 to get $60
Or buy a mill for $12000
Oh and to get a CNC 5axis machine to machine the heads $500,000 and the heads are only as good as the guy that programed it it takes me 2 to 3 days to do a really good road head or a race head.
Why would you set up to reco engines for $100 an hour when the IT PEOPLE SPEND $3000 FOR A COMPUTER AND GET
$400 AN HOUR.
Graham Russell