Lookin for Engine Vendors/Rebuilders

[ftm1776]

Things are looking marginal in the oil pressure area and I may have to bite the bullet for a rebuilt or remanufactured engine.

I'm fishing around for a good re-builder in the Portland, Oregon/Vancouver, WA area. Internet provides a few, but does anyone know, by reputation, of a good one in this area??

Is there a good remanufacturer somewhere on the West Coast, say California???

Has anyone dealt with VW Diesel Parts http://www.vwdieselparts.com/ in West Union, Ohio?

Cost is not the primary concern as I am willing to pay for a good job .......

Tips, comments, leads are appreciated.

[shorttimer]

Yes, It's really a shame there are not very many well known & reputable re-builders any more. Shops just want to do repairs nowadays.

[Dakotakid]

Locally, I have accomplished head rebuilders. One is fast and expensive. One is slow and less expensive.
Yes, I once purchased a rebuilt head from the Ohio guy. Not good. Not good. Not good. "Taken" is the term.

On a hydro head, it is best to replace all the valves and they are not cheap. Guides, seats which are carefully ground, professionally flushed head, pressure tested. Possible face faced.

On a standard job (no parts included) my slow guy charges $325 here and he likes green. Good job though. But, I supply all the parts and I assemble the head myself. Define slow? Sometimes 3 months as they dik with a lot of the local cornholer's V-8's all the time. Hillbillies gots ta' have their power!

Fast guys....not sure. I can't afford them. Probably $500 for labor....they have boat payments to make. And race cars.....and daughters......

Years ago, I sent a non-cracked hydro head to Ohio and the (see my description of the above locals) sent me back a head with massively cracked pre-cups......used valves....not even sure if he put in valve guides.....and "rammed" me for about $650 with all freight. And THAT was about 7.5 years ago. His work rivals his forum, quite frankly. Or does his forum rival his work.....hmmmm, you decide.

Edit: I forgot to mention new hydro. lifters needed as well. Hydro heads are NOT cheap to rebuild.....unless you cut corners.
I will gladly post a photo of the head from Ohio as I know there are a small, insignificant group of his "disciples" here from time to time. One has been voluntarily "weeded out." But, a few still linger.

Last edit: And, the thing about hydro heads is that the new valves really should be shortened the same length that the original seats are cut to ensure you still have hydro lifters that can work. The specs are in the Bentley. I think a LOT or MOST people overlook that fact. So when you take a hydro head to the machinist, you really need to have all the new valves there from day one. And, you have to rigidly hold their heat to the fire to see that the job is done right. And THAT'S all I have to say about that................

[sdubfid]

I have a brand new oem 1.9td aaz cylinder head + assembled valvetrain that would take care of the top end, not cheap but by the time you factor in all the labor/parts/machine work you would still have a used head.

[ORCoaster]

ftm1776  I would look to those guys on Halsey in Portland.  Halsey Automotive.  I did a lot of parts business with them but never a rebuild.  I think they are good folks to work with.  Search them out, 82nd and Halsey Ave.  I think is where they are located.  I also had a good turn with one of our forum folks here.  Came to inspect the damage on my injector boss.  I wanted to know if It could be welded back up and for what cost.  After our discussion we decided I should buy another head and pay attention to how I remove injectors in the future.  If I come up with the name I will send it to you PM. 

Not many doing VW heads but the top of the line I think in the Portland area is escaping me right now.  Aluminum head rebuilders?  I will search them out as will and edit with the right infor.  http://halseyimportparts.com/halsmap.htm

Hey the brain still works:    Aluminum Head Rebuilders INC.  4701 SE 24th Ave, Portland, OR 97202  (503) 230-0852  www.aluminumheads.com/

 

[sgnimj96]

        
   In mexico (10+ years ago),  I got a 1.5 rebuilt at a place that serviced the local diesel buses but the mechanics  liked the vw diesels.    They liked it because it is a simple, efficient engine.
 I had to get the rebuild parts (reused my pistons and sleeved the block) ;  they sent the block out locally,  fixed the oil pumps worn gears, went through the ip and head,  adjusted the valve tappets,  engine removal and install...  ran great.    I know this is different but if it is that hard to find experienced mechanics who want to work on older stuff...
 maybe  http://www.gex.com/vw-diesel-motors.htm
or even used engines at http://www.qualitygermanautoparts.com/index.php?p=p1281759903&navt=1600cc%20%20&%201900%20%20Diesel%20Natural%20Asperated

Speaking of worn oil pump gears,  maybe you just need a new oil pump.     Have you tried a compression test yet?    If you have worn piston rings there will be a lot of blowby
 
Press on!     and good luck to you

[bajacalal]

        
   In mexico (10+ years ago),  I got a 1.5 rebuilt at a place that serviced the local diesel buses but the mechanics  liked the vw diesels.    They liked it because it is a simple, efficient engine.
 I had to get the rebuild parts (reused my pistons and sleeved the block) ;  they sent the block out locally,  fixed the oil pumps worn gears, went through the ip and head,  adjusted the valve tappets,  engine removal and install...  ran great.    I know this is different but if it is that hard to find experienced mechanics who want to work on older stuff...
 maybe  http://www.gex.com/vw-diesel-motors.htm
or even used engines at http://www.qualitygermanautoparts.com/index.php?p=p1281759903&navt=1600cc%20%20&%201900%20%20Diesel%20Natural%20Asperated

Speaking of worn oil pump gears,  maybe you just need a new oil pump.     Have you tried a compression test yet?    If you have worn piston rings there will be a lot of blowby
 
Press on!     and good luck to you

There is a shop in Tijuana I go to sometimes, run by one guy with a helper, when I don't feel like doing certain PITA jobs, like changing an axle. The hassle of going down there offsets the price savings but I have yet to find a shop here that has the intimate knowledge of older VWs that he does and the willingness to work on real, old, beat up cars and take his time with them. Everything is too hurried here in the U.S. and new guys know nothing about cars that can't be plugged into a computer. It's cool to see a shop full of mk1 and mk2 cars still on the road and he welcomes me to bring my own parts because the availability of some stuff down there isn't as good. Unfortunately he doesn't have much expertise with diesel specific stuff but I usually do that myself.

[GEE-BEE]

Iam using a builder in Livermoore calif

Doing the ahu electronic install on a Jetta Coupe after paint and the int is complete

He is a vanagon hose customer so he knows what i expect and what he expects..

It helps that he is German also and perfectionist also, and I look forward to him looking at TI rods and ceramic coated pistons that I will supply.

My pd150 amd new ahu head just returned from extrude a hone ported and polished like a mirror
he will powdercoat my block white and and all brackets will be done in a silver them with a g60 white valve cover and doing gloss red silicone hoses and gloss black callway silicone ducts and polished intercooler.
Were moving the battery to the trunk for more room..

GB

[RustyCaddy]

Keller Motor Supply in Medford has rebuilt a bunch of VW diesel motors...a little out of your area though

[bajacalal]

Here's what I would do, call around to different shops that rebuild engines and have experience with VWs of that generation, even if they don't have a lot of diesel experience, as long as they can machine an engine to within the given tolerances I think it would be ok. A lot of the stuff is identical to the gas engine.

A lot of the tricky parts are dealing with the head and with right parts to use so ask for just a short block (no head or pumps). If the head is warped and they decided to just deck the thing it will mess everything up.

Tell them that you have a rare engine and will be supplying the oem pistons, rings and bearings once they determine if over/under sized pieces are required, make sure they replace the intermediate shaft bearings and order the Kobenschmidt (sp) pistons, German made rings and bearings, etc.

You can then send the head out to someone with experience with these heads since they're pretty light. Put everything back together following the correct procedures, I would recommend ARP studs while you're at it.