Might be out of pocket for a bit

Good luck. I know you'll be able to fix it.... Don't any of your other cars run? ;)

Joe:

Get a GM/AC-Delco heater core. The aftermarket unit's aint worth the hassle!

I would also skip the remanned head. Not unless your on a first name basis with the people doing it.

What I do is to get a used head. Have it milled on the deck surface (head gasket surface), then have it pressure tested. Then have a competent machine shop do a 3 angle valve job, and install new stem seals.

Also you need to check the block deck for warp. It does happen, even to the best maintained of these cars. Charles

Ray:

Sure they do. But it's more practical to commute by public transit than use an

8 cylinder driving through NYC :).

Besides that, most of them are classics so the insurance isn't really for everyday driving. Why take the risk? I haven't put the Blazer on the road because I'm anal about driving around with things that don't work. LOL.

I left work at 4:35 and was in my house at 6:05. Not bad for making three connections. LOL. The way to go is the express bus, what a home run. Joe--ASE Certified Parts Specialist & 10th Ann.Club Tech Director '80 Carousel Red Turbo T/A, 27k orig. '79 "Y89" 400/4 speed 10th Ann. T/A, 57k orig '84 Olds 88 Royale Bgm 2 dr, 307 "Rocket" (lol), 143k and still going.... '91 S10 Blazer 4.3Z

Charles:

I think the head may be cooked. I might take it over to the local racing shop in Sayreville, NJ right near NYC and have them take a look at it. If they deem it serviceable, I will have them go through it and I'll return it to service with a Felpro gasket kit.

The Delco core is, by now I suspect an aftermarket part reboxed, and I got this core for nada through a couple connections I have. Also, it installed and fit exactly like the original, which was nice. That part of the job is done. It's the head I'm after now.

Hopefully, a redone head and some TLC will get it going again. I appreciate the support, keep it coming.

Joe--ASE Certified Parts Specialist & 10th Ann.Club Tech Director '80 Carousel Red Turbo T/A, 27k orig. '79 "Y89" 400/4 speed 10th Ann. T/A, 57k orig '84 Olds 88 Royale Bgm 2 dr, 307 "Rocket" (lol), 143k and still going.... '91 S10 Blazer 4.3Z

Joe:

A free new part beats paying for one. In take past I have had bad luck with some of the aftermarket heater cores. Such as leaks after a year or two. Which is why I try to buy the Delco ones, or a brand like Modine.

Your Cavaliers cylinder head may not be cracked, it may have warped. I have seen both on 2.0 OHV and 2.2 OHV J-cars. The Fel-Pro gasket set is the best one to use on these cars as well.

Since you think the head cooked, you might want to do a pressure test on the radiator. Sometimes when the head goes, the pressure get too high and plastic side tanks crack. You may also want to check out the water pump, and flush all the old coolant from the block.

Charles BTW: did you receive my e mail?

I guess, but that's the part I like about cars - the driving. Maybe you need an LS1... they get decent mileage in traffic. ;) Seriously, I commute to work in my Trans Am - but where I live there is no public transport. the closest bus stop is 5 miles away and in Winnipeg the bus service is total crap. I'm not complaining though - I moved further away from work but now I get to avoid the really bad gridlock and I make it home in about 30 minutes. (For my old house I lived 1/2 the distance and would make it 10 blocks in 30 minutes for the worst part of the commute...)

You live in NYC - don't you just need a working horn? ;)

Ray

Charles:

Thanks, and yes I got it. The water pump is a new Airtex AW5032 unit I put on this past Saturday. Also put on a new tensioner assembly, it was kaput as well.

Yes, I will have the head checked out by someone and pressure tested. I am waiting for Eddie's Grinding in NJ to return my e-mail. They come highly recommended in this area, so we'll see. My plan is to yank the head, send it out to someone competent and see if it can be returned to service or not with some work. If not, I will get another one.

Ya on the Felpro gasket set, I've already got it looked up on my electronic parts catalog at work and priced out with all the details. I have the same data the parts stores use.

A watered down version of it with prices and good parts lookup can be found at

if anyone wants the "tip of the day" from me :).

Ray: Driving in NYC is a PITA. My neighbor is an NYPD cop and gave me a ride, putting me right to the subway that takes me one stop from the job. We breezed through the HOV lane with only two of us (really need three). He is a good guy and neighbor---my Sears air compressor I own came from him, he virtually gave it to me it was so cheap (and new). I've saved him some money on his cars over the years and helped him out. We are good neighbors and watch each other's houses on vacations, etc.

During the last snow storm we had, he was expecting to come home to shoveling snow. Much to his dismay (lol), I had already cleared out his entire property with my 1979 Sears snowblower that I restored for $3 (bad carburetor float really) and some TLC/time. Not bad for a curbside find, huh? :).

Joe--ASE Certified Parts Specialist & 10th Ann.Club Tech Director '80 Carousel Red Turbo T/A, 27k orig. '79 "Y89" 400/4 speed 10th Ann. T/A, 57k orig '84 Olds 88 Royale Bgm 2 dr, 307 "Rocket" (lol), 143k and still going.... '91 S10 Blazer 4.3Z

grandfather's.

Joe:

Please post more tips of the day. Since I can't down load your brain in to my computer.

I don't know any shops in your area. I actually thought about asking you about maybe recommending some. My one friend that lives in NYC used to keep his 1979 Mercedes 240D (German model) Diesel there. Until he found out the shop he was using was ripping him off. It was one of the few he could find that worked on cars like his.

Also my Brother lives across the river or bay, in New Jersey. He got the Electronics genes, I got the mechanic genes. I haven't been to pleased with the place that services his cars out there. Yet he thinks they may be one of the better places around.

I know about driving in NYC. The worst of my NYC adventures was going thru town, in a 82 GMC Box Van. It had been a Ryder truck at one time, had a blue hood, looked like f*ck on a stick. It was early

2002, we had to go thru NYC to get where we were going. 3 Grown men ridding in there, all with Ohio winter beards, all grease still from leaving as soon as work closed the night before. Ill bet we probably looked Arab from a distance. None of us knew that the tunnel we were supposed to take went right by where the twin towers had stood. Nor did we know that route was closed to box trucks. Took us 3 hours to get out of there. If that box truck didn't have a, ahem, 'RV' grind cam, tuned carb, performer intake, and some worked heads. Not even the 4.56 gearing would have got us past a taxi cab. Thankfully It could get almost a car length on them. Then what brains they had kicked in. Big vehicle that's faster wants my lane, and is coming over. Is that a tempory tag? better move!

Heck Driving in New Jersey is hair raising enough. Oddly people drive better in San Antonio Texas. Well except for when it rains. Then all bets are off.

I did want to ask you something, you may or may not have noticed. More & More I have been seeing Fel-Pro gasket sets with items made in China, Taiwan, Korea & India. Have you noticed this?

It really stuck me as odd a few weeks ago when I was at my Dodge Buddies house. He does their FWD stuff that I don't touch. On his table was a head set for a 3.0 V6 (like a 1990 Caravan). An alarming majority of the seals were fougien made. Even the Dupont made valve stem seals where made out side of north America! I would hate to switch brands after all these years. You know what I mean? Charles

Yup, on a full bus. Some people have balls. Like me. I told her, I'm sitting there, thanks. LOL.

Public transit in this city is pretty funny, you should do it sometime. LOL.

I got your message...thanks Charles.

Joe--ASE Certified Parts Specialist & 10th Ann.Club Tech Director '80 Carousel Red Turbo T/A, 27k orig. '79 "Y89" 400/4 speed 10th Ann. T/A, 57k orig '84 Olds 88 Royale Bgm 2 dr, 307 "Rocket" (lol), 143k and still going.... '91 S10 Blazer 4.3Z