A local machine shop found my head to be cracked so I bought a remanufactured head from him for $325. , and I thought I was just going to get a valve job for $70. How convenient the shop had the re-mfg. head in stock. When I went to look at my cleaned up head, I was shown one with cracks. OK, but was it really my head?
My Lesson: Mark your parts prior to taking them to a machine shop. steel stamp, vibro engrave, punch , electric drill or even a file to make a unique mark or 2.
If you really think you just got ripped, check with the police or your state's automotive repair regulators. (In California, it's the Bureau of Automotive Repairs)
If they think he may be crooked, they'll do the same thing (and they'll have already magnafluxed the marked head they take in) - if he tries a switcheroo on the investigator they can arrest him, pull his business licenses, and generally make his life miserable...
Yes, but NOT on a sealing surface - you could /cause/ a crack. Do it on a machined boss on the side
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I had the same suspicions when for 2 times in a row a state inspection site charged me an extra $10 or so to align my headlights. What you gonna do, ask them to unalign them and pay $30 later to reinspect the vehicle? Fuckem. I since them put masking tape over the headlight alignment screws and silently dared them to claim my lights were out of adjustment for the next inspections. Never had an out of alignment headlight fee since.
"Remanufactured" usually means "cracked, and welded instead of being throw out...".
Given my druthers, I would always chose a "used head" over a "remanufactured" one! And, if you're lucky, you'll find one that doesn't even need a valve job! (Thank you, UPullit, again!)
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