DIY valve job; 310 alum heads

W

WildKitty

Experienced Member
Am I k'nuts, or should I give it a try.
I have been searching for a machine shop that will the heads off the 310 (out of my 64 LeSabre), and seem like everyone thinnks they are made of gold or something besides aluminum - I could just about buy a good running used car for how much they want.

Back in the day, replacing valves and cleaning the heads was a good weekend project, maybe $100 for a set of valves.

I've got the 455 that goes into the LeSabre, but I'm going to need to be able to sell the 310 to balance my budget - no one wants a "buick project" - I can put it back together and have a running engine/tranny to advertise. The 310 ran when I took the heads off to check why the compression was low - a burnt exhaust valve in each head. I cant find anything else wrong with either head, and they don't appear warped, just a blown head gasket caused the valves to crack.
:clonk:I shouldda retorqued the heads before I drove it, it had been sitting for several years.

next question; where do I find valve kits?:confused:

thanks for any input
Butch
64 Wildcat
64 leSabre
67 Impala
:shifter:
 
Where are you located?

he's in Shenandoah Virginia. check the upper right corner of his post.



and seem like everyone thinnks they are made of gold or something besides aluminum

the 300 aluminum heads / intake were a one year only ( 1964 ) production item. the other 3 years of production ( 1965-67 ) used cast iron heads and intake.



where do I find valve kits?

www.TAPerformance.com may be a little pricey but they'll have everything you need.

D&D up in Michigan can also probably help:
http://www.aluminumv8.com/
 
I often suggest this, but Egge had really nice looking valves and pistons for my straight 8 with great customer service...might want to check them out too.
 
Thanks turbos, et all,
if I fugure in the shipping, how much would it cost to do the valves on both heads?

I don't think I can get much more than $600-$700 for engine/tranny (around here anyway) - maybe put it up for auction.. the LeSabre only has 100K onnit. I'm not sure which transmission is behind the 300 yet. will look that up on my cd
:car:
 
Well its hard to say for sure with out seeing them but 200 is for a valve job on V8 heads is a little over the top. Now if you need any hard parts it will only be the difference in that. If you need advise on shipping heres my zip, 93309
 
I checked the rescources given, TAPerformance offers stock valves - all 16, for $195. scarebird is $16 ea valve = $196... haha

If mt memory serves me, the seats in the alum heads are hardened steel, so I don't think they need to be replaced. there was no valve noise when I had it running, so Im guessing the springs are OK too.

I got a couple leads on local machine shops, will run by them for estimates and get back to you turbo... thanks
:bana:
 
300 Heads

Did your heads drip black oil from the head gaskets and only around the front and back ends? I can't tell if it's from the rocker feeds or old valley slime. Cylinder compression pressure is an even 120# all around with no coolant loss. The engine is from a Skylark with 4 barrel carb. I don't think it's 11:1 compression only 9.5:1.
 
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