I got my rebuilt head back today and will start reassembling everything tonight. Fortunately, the temperature has dropped almost 20 degrees since I took everything apart, so this part should be much more comfortable. I have multiple things to report to the group and, as always, multiple questions.
The first bit of new info is a machine shop that Jim Ellis told me about: Mintz Machine in Columbia SC. I had found a place that was only a few miles from home, but was uncomfortable giving it to someone who had probably never seen an Alpine head before. Jim said that Lee (I assume he is "Lee Mintz", but never asked) knew more about Alpine heads than anyone he had ever met and recommended him highly. Sending the head UPS to Columbia only cost me about $12, so that was a no-brainer to me.
Lee called me right after he got the head and told me that my head gasket failure hadn't caused the head to corrode (http://www.sunbeamalpine.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16559); rather he said the head corrosion caused the head gasket to fail. He said the head damage was from the inside out, something usually caused by running an incorrect water/coolant mixture. I always try to run about a 50/50 mix, but given the problems over the years with coolant leaks, it is certainly possible that I often ran too little or too much. None the less, Lee said he would epoxy some sort of tabs into the head that would prevent this from happening again. I couldn't quite catch what kind of tabs he was talking about, but went along with his plan.
We discussed the head and my engine and I asked him if he had any recommendations of things to do 'while he was at it'. He then flow tested the head and told me that he could improve the flow and give me about 15% more torque. Jim says that Lee is a wizard at this, so I am really looking forward to driving it. I don't have my notes in front of me, but think the porting work ran another $150 or so. (Note that Jim had already done some porting, so working on a stock head might run more.)
Lee also replaced the valve guides and stem seals with modern ones that last longer and run better. The total bill to weld up and re-cut the water passages, port the intakes and replace the valve guides was $775 including shipping back to me. ($537 labor, $208 parts, the rest tax and shipping.) How good a price that was won't be known until I drive the car, but since people who know what they are doing are pretty scarce and Jim no longer has time to take in head work, he wanted everyone to know about Lee. It is too soon to call me a satisfied customer, but I am hoping to be able to report back on that by the end of the weekend. In the meantime, if you want to contact Lee, its:
Mintz Machine
1044-B Market St.
Columbia, SC 29201
803.254.5411
More on Lee to follow once I have the car back on the road.
The first bit of new info is a machine shop that Jim Ellis told me about: Mintz Machine in Columbia SC. I had found a place that was only a few miles from home, but was uncomfortable giving it to someone who had probably never seen an Alpine head before. Jim said that Lee (I assume he is "Lee Mintz", but never asked) knew more about Alpine heads than anyone he had ever met and recommended him highly. Sending the head UPS to Columbia only cost me about $12, so that was a no-brainer to me.
Lee called me right after he got the head and told me that my head gasket failure hadn't caused the head to corrode (http://www.sunbeamalpine.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16559); rather he said the head corrosion caused the head gasket to fail. He said the head damage was from the inside out, something usually caused by running an incorrect water/coolant mixture. I always try to run about a 50/50 mix, but given the problems over the years with coolant leaks, it is certainly possible that I often ran too little or too much. None the less, Lee said he would epoxy some sort of tabs into the head that would prevent this from happening again. I couldn't quite catch what kind of tabs he was talking about, but went along with his plan.
We discussed the head and my engine and I asked him if he had any recommendations of things to do 'while he was at it'. He then flow tested the head and told me that he could improve the flow and give me about 15% more torque. Jim says that Lee is a wizard at this, so I am really looking forward to driving it. I don't have my notes in front of me, but think the porting work ran another $150 or so. (Note that Jim had already done some porting, so working on a stock head might run more.)
Lee also replaced the valve guides and stem seals with modern ones that last longer and run better. The total bill to weld up and re-cut the water passages, port the intakes and replace the valve guides was $775 including shipping back to me. ($537 labor, $208 parts, the rest tax and shipping.) How good a price that was won't be known until I drive the car, but since people who know what they are doing are pretty scarce and Jim no longer has time to take in head work, he wanted everyone to know about Lee. It is too soon to call me a satisfied customer, but I am hoping to be able to report back on that by the end of the weekend. In the meantime, if you want to contact Lee, its:
Mintz Machine
1044-B Market St.
Columbia, SC 29201
803.254.5411
More on Lee to follow once I have the car back on the road.