opinions wanted 1.6 rebuild or not rebuild

[rare-hare]

i have come to the conclusion that the over heat is a blown head gasket, i do not want to just replace the gasket and ignore the head with 200k on the engine, the local machine shop quoted me 650 to machine the head as long as it is not cracked, that includes the gasket set as well, not bad.  but if i double my money, 1200-1500 i can get the whole engine re-built and assembled, ready to drop in. my question is, should i be worried about the bore with this many miles? it does use about 2 qts of oil between changed, 3000 miles. i thinks half of that leaks out. what do you guys think?

[burn_your_money]

For 650 I'd expect a full rebuild on the head, not just a resurface.

If it's flat still just replace the gasket and go. Fix the oil leaks and forget it. Unless you plan on keeping the car for another 5+ years I wouldn't think about a full rebuild.
How hard are engines to find where you are?

[jtanguay]

For 650 I'd expect a full rebuild on the head, not just a resurface.

If it's flat still just replace the gasket and go. Fix the oil leaks and forget it. Unless you plan on keeping the car for another 5+ years I wouldn't think about a full rebuild.
How hard are engines to find where you are?

yea i got my head planed with new lifters guides seals pressure tested for about $280 but that was a TDI head so no swirl chambers to mess around with.  damn good deal if you ask me!  

considering that new heads go for about $700 or so, just buy a new one and sell the old one as a core.

or if you just want something to get you by you can check out prothe's site at www.dieselvw.com.  a new head for $295 isn't a bad deal (but you transfer over all your lifters, valves, and camshaft - new valve lifters are a good idea though...new valve lifters are a good idea though...).  the quality is probably that of topline heads too.  a few people on here are running them and had no major failures yet so it must be ok.  its a good time to do porting while the head is bare too!  :lol: but if you want to buy the 1.9 AAZ metal head gasket, don't buy from his site.  he doesn't sell the metal head gasket.

[rare-hare]

yes, for 650 that is all the machine work, and all lifters, guides, seats, and valves. i think i will pull the head and check the flatness of it before i make any decisions, the car does not have much life left in it, but when the chassis rots away, i am planing on transplanting that engine into another car of some sort. probably not a VW, the salt has taken most of the good ones where i live.
i am going to ask this question again, has anyone heard of tapping the block to 1/2-13 and putting grade 10 allen bolts in them, even the ARP kits are only grade 8. and i will run that engine for ever with a bad head gasket before i buy metric stretch bolts to put back in there, that was a genious idea eh!? like holding heads on with rubber bands, if they stretch when tightening, common sense would say they will stretch under the combustion pressure.

[ashleyroe]

the head gasket was blown on my car, i sent out the head for work and paid 275 for valves and guides and they cleaned it up for me. came back looking brand new.

i'd say rebuildddddd.

[turborabbit]

I'm not a mechanic, but you asked for opinions-I've done six re-builds, 5 n/a and 1 turbo all with a Bentley. When one is HG deep in a motor, it's cheap to ring and incert. I have the head vacumn (sp?) tested and or brought back to spec, spend $90 rings & incerts and gaskets or $160 on a turboed engine. These engines are wonderfully forgiving, incredibly tough and sensationaly simple. I'm all out of adjectives! No, I forgot exceedingly economical!! Oh, yeah, all of my rebuilds are still on the road except for an n/a that needed someone to check the oil-#3 and #4 rods took out the oil filter. I got it back cheap and it's waiting for me to scrounge a block. :wink:

[madrogers]

if the stretch bolts lasted 200k then i would think it would be the way to go  why put time and extra expence into a car that sounds like it (the body) will not last that long. unless you are going raceing.
my two cents ,eh.

[theman53]

I got a super ported all out rebuilt head for 600 shipped both ways! I would rebuild it if you can and if you are going to put it in a non vw car I would definately send it to air cooled engines plus in tiffin ohio for the same head I got. Or spend the same ammount of money for the local guy to do it, but if you put it in a toyota next you will want the performance.