Raleigh - Durham machine shop work (1 Viewer)

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S4Cruiser

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Hoping to drop off my 2F head very soon and looking for a reputable shop that can get it turned around quickly. I've heard that T-Hoff is neither bad nor good.

What about Boyettes near the Pit in Raleigh?

Also - this being my first time doing work on a head, what shop I have done (i.e. when I go in what do I ask for and not look like a total newb)? I don't have reason to believe anything is wrong but figured that while I have the engine on a stand I should at least pull the head.
 
Hoping to drop off my 2F head very soon and looking for a reputable shop that can get it turned around quickly. I've heard that T-Hoff is neither bad nor good.

What about Boyettes near the Pit in Raleigh?

Also - this being my first time doing work on a head, what shop I have done (i.e. when I go in what do I ask for and not look like a total newb)? I don't have reason to believe anything is wrong but figured that while I have the engine on a stand I should at least pull the head.

I have THE guy to do the work but it means Asheville. If you opt for peace of mind over distance let me know.
 
I have THE guy to do the work but it means Asheville. If you opt for peace of mind over distance let me know.

What type of turnaround time are we talking...typically? Would I ship it to them and then back to me? I'd rather pay once and be done vs bullshitting with jack legs.
 
What type of turnaround time are we talking...typically? Would I ship it to them and then back to me? I'd rather pay once and be done vs bullshitting with jack legs.


I have never shipped to Ben simply because of the priceless information received from a one-on-one conversation. Granted, a big hike from RDU ... maybe can make it into a "honey, we should go to the mountains for a break" thing, but I think you would really want to be there for the drop off portion. Once it is done I imagine he can ship the final product to you since he is used to shipping larger items. (or someone do a mudship)

One issue will be parts ..... if any hard parts need replacing: guides, valves, seats, etc, then you are going to have to get them to Ben. Make sure those parts are available in the event they are needed. Some you will take with you (seals) and some of them (guides and seats) you won't know their condition until after Ben has it apart. You will also want to make sure the FSM pages specific to that head go with it.

Turn-a-round time ... It could be that this is not a good time for him since it is race season, but if you would like I will call and ask what his situation is. Then it just becomes a function of parts.

Let me know.

EDIT .... sorry man. Sent a message this morning .... he's underwater right now by at least 4 months.

EDIT #2 .... if for some reason your timeline changes and fall works for you I will be seeing Ben the first week in October and can either drop off or pick up.
 
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I asked the guys at Carolina Offroad Outfitters.

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Frank at Walker Auto on e six forks does all our machine work. You may want to give them a call.
 
Thanks for the leads...now, what do I need to ask for and what parts should i make sure are available? I already have head gasket, valve cover gaskets, etc. but nothing internal head specific.
 
Valve seals. That's it unless valves need to be replaced.

List of work:
1. clean head (hot-tank)
2. Magnaflux (check for cracks)
3. check for flatness and flatten (deck) head as necessary
4. Valve job (check/grind valve seats, clean/replace valves as necessary)
 
Thanks for the leads...now, what do I need to ask for and what parts should i make sure are available? I already have head gasket, valve cover gaskets, etc. but nothing internal head specific.

See my note above ....

If all you want is seals and deck the head than just get the seals.

If the valve seats are healthy you can have the valves ground and have nothing to replace. I do not know if OEM seats are available.

If you wanted it seriously cleaned down to bare metal and had the head shot blasted then new freeze plugs are necessary.

Then it becomes a function of wear .... valve guides cannot be tested for wear until the head is apart .... only then can you know if you need new ones. The part that makes me nervous is the machinist .... does he care enough to tell me the guides are worn, or is he just going to button the thing back together and send it out the door.
 
Makes sense...and I have no clue of the condition of the valve seats. I've literally run this engine long enough to change the oil and then tore the truck down. I'm 'assuming' it's in ok shape since it was swapped into this truck (late '86 2F) and the parts so far look decent. Guess I'll just have to rely on the shop to say whether they need replacing or not...
 
Yep, that's all you can do. Find a machine shop based on recommendations, go to the shop and shake their hands to see if they seem trustworthy, then trust their assessment of your head.

If you're worried about it you can take the valves out and bring them the bare head, or inspect it yourself, but it can be hard to know when a seat is bad or if a valve needs to be replaced unless you do it often.

There's always THoff, but I'm not a fan.
 
Jerry had already done the machine work on the head for my engine, but if I was doing it again I would go to the slightly larger, stainless Chevy valves. There are a ton of threads about that on here.
 
I had the work done here, did my 80 head also...

HRT Performance - handcraftedracing.com

Couple good ole boys who used to work for T.Hoff, drove by the other day and it looked empty. I was happy with their work as well as the engine work they did on Ramon's block.

Yes Ramon, kept OEM specs, I didn't research well enough at the time to see the benefits of those valves...:doh:
 
HRT performance closed their doors over a year ago and merged back with THoff. They'll still pick up at that number but they moved back to THoff's location in East Raleigh.

HRT was good too, was sad to see them go.
 
Jerry had already done the machine work on the head for my engine, but if I was doing it again I would go to the slightly larger, stainless Chevy valves. There are a ton of threads about that on here.

One of the effects of using a larger valve is moving the torque curve farther up the RPM scale .... not much since a Chevy 1.84" valve is only slightly larger than OEM. (Perfect for Ramon's megasquirt hotrod)

Chevy valves are also a possible way to prevent having to replace valve guides and/or seats. SBC valves have a slightly larger stem which would allow a worn guide to be bored to fit. Seats can be cut to fit as well. Downside ... this also means new retainers and springs. Costs are slowing climbing.

If you go the Chevy route keep careful notes for future reference.
 
I had the work done here, did my 80 head also...

HRT Performance - handcraftedracing.com

Couple good ole boys who used to work for T.Hoff, drove by the other day and it looked empty. I was happy with their work as well as the engine work they did on Ramon's block.

Yes Ramon, kept OEM specs, I didn't research well enough at the time to see the benefits of those valves...:doh:

Not sure how much difference it would make to be honest. I'm pretty happy with my lil' engine. You can just tell she wants more air. Prime candidate for 6psi of FI. Long term goals :)
 
Especially for low-lift cams, a professionally done (back to Asheville I'm afraid) 3-angle valve job will yield more output than a small step up in valve size.
 
Especially for low-lift cams, a professionally done (back to Asheville I'm afraid) 3-angle valve job will yield more output than a small step up in valve size.

Yeah...as long as this 2F goes "chugalug chugalug' up the hill and doesn't overheat or blow smoke then I will be good. One day I plan to do 'arh arh arh' (as Tim the toolman would say) stuff to it, but that would require an entire new heart.
 
Especially for low-lift cams, a professionally done (back to Asheville I'm afraid) 3-angle valve job will yield more output than a small step up in valve size.

Port matching and smoothing too I would say. But now I'm hijacking Jon's thread (sorry).
 
well s*** - called 2 places and they sent me to t-hoff.

T-hoff it is. Dropping it Friday. Likely a 2 week turnaround which i think is good.
 
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Yeah...as long as this 2F goes "chugalug chugalug' up the hill and doesn't overheat or blow smoke then I will be good. One day I plan to do 'arh arh arh' (as Tim the toolman would say) stuff to it, but that would require an entire new heart.

If there is anything your 2F won't be lacking it's chugalug. Can't wait to see this thing when it's cruising!
 

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