I'm thinking of finally plunking down the cash for a rebuilt head and having my local shop do the work while I enjoy the holidays for a change.

I have learned from others that it is good to get new bronze valve guides installed and to re-use the original valves if they are within specs as aftermarket valves just aren't as good as the originals.

New freeze plugs are important too along with checking the valve seats carefully looking to see if they have been machined too far into the head and need replacing.

Some say cometic valve and breather gaskets help to eliminate oil leaks and that it is a good idea to replace the fuel lines when head is removed.

Lastly drilling out the pipe that feeds the breather at the front of the engine is a good idea to reduce increased blow-by pressure in the crankcase that often happens when a new head is put on a high mileage block.

Any other suggestions for things to do/not do during a head rebuild? For instance is there a certain brand of head gasket to go with? Should those head studs that go into the block be replaced or is it OK to re-use them. Is there any shop out there that can do a nice job re-finishing my heavily tarnished valve covers?

 

If you are just taking off the head, I would not remove any of the head studs if you know the car has had regular anti-freeze replacements. The only time to do this is if the engine is out of the car, and you can take all the core plugs out, because crud builds up at the bottom of the water gallery right where these studs screw into the bottom of the block, and crud goes in when you remove them. Taking off the core plugs means you can flush the gallery out and ensure when you take out a stud, that the surfaces around it are clean. If any crud gets in the tapped holes it has to be removed using a tap welded onto the end of a long tommy bar. I still have mine in the toolbox from 1992 !!