Every single shop/mechanic agrees on the valves being bad, and replaces them
when using the heads.

Mike
Still weeping over having to do 'the engine thing'.

> From: "Smola, Tony" <TSmola@TRIBUNE.COM>
> Reply-To: "Smola, Tony" <TSmola@TRIBUNE.COM>
> Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 18:20:54 -0600
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: AMC heads------bad valves, replace when you buy the new head
>
> My machinist here in L.A.   has informed me that while the castings are
> decent, the valves are crap on the Spanish AMC waterboxer cylinder
> heads.......he said that the keeper grooves are not hardened and you will
> have valve problems in a relatively short time......He likes the new German
> ones, but reccomends the used German ones, and he actually likes using the
> German heads to rebuild if they are in a rebuildable condition.........
>
> prices------
>
> $60 for valve job
> $60 for surfacing
> $32 install all new 1.9L valve guides
> $28 to install new exhaust guides
> $30 to weld faces
>
> total $210 for the pair.....of course if there are cracks to weld the price
> goes up.....but the absolute max is $450 for the pair
>
> By the way I found new lifters for $7......probably AMC too!
>
> Malibu tony
>