Hello all,

I am going to refresh my 3.4l motor over the winter and have acquired a 65k mile set of heads. Can anyone suggest a decent shop to go though them and also, what should I have them do to bring them up to par? Should I just have them cleaned, inspected and go from there?

Would Costa Mesa be a good shop to do the work? How much should I expect to pay?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks all!

Best,
TomF

 

CostaMesa R&D is a good shop. Most important is to have the heads pressure tested for cracks. Have the valve springs tested & the valves & seats reground, add new seals = approx. $500

 

Thanks. That's about what I expected. Since this is an 2000MY, is there any way to prevent the cracking issue? IE... welding the heads proactively at the problem area to ensure strength...

Thanks!
Best,
Tom

 

You can easily re lap the valves in your garage and save youself a bunch of $$$. It's easy but since there is 24 of them, it just takes time, ~10 min/valve.

 

I am trying to do this on a budget, but my time will really be limited to reassembly of the motor. As the car has 125K on it, we have decided to hold on to it as an extra "fun" car instead of trading it in on a 996 Turbo.

To be honest, the heads just really need to be inspected and there is a possibility that they are fine. On the other hand, spending $1k on a refresh of both heads may be worth it.

Are there any DIYs out there on how to re lap the valves? I am an experienced DIYer, and have taken the Woods/Anderson 911 engine course, but have never cracked a 911 engine personally. This will be my first attempt.

Thanks,
Tom

 

I highly recommend Len Hoffman in Georgia. Len refurbed a set of heads for my 01 3.4- I couldn't be happier. He is an expert in 3.4 heads and I believe does most of the head work for one of the more renowned 3.4 engine rebuilders out there (also in GA).

706-769-3783

http://www.hamincgroup.com/blog/porsche/alt-m96

 

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for the tip. I had a great conversation with Len this afternoon and they are going to send me pricing information soon. He is a heck of a nice and very knowledgeable guy!

Best,
TomF

 

TomF
You mentioned Costa Mesa. I just had my entire engine rebuilt by Autostrasse in Costa Mesa. They did a fantastic job. I'm sure they could also do your heads.

 

Good chance Autostrasse sent your heads to CostaMesa R&D.

 

Any idea what the cost to refresh a set of heads should cost? Without guides of course- they are expensive... I will only be replacing them as needed. I am assuming that at 60k mi, the springs and lifters should all be replaced. Thoughts?
Cheers,
TomF