how to find a good j-yard head?

[monkeyhead]

I need another cylinder head(cracked this one). What are some things I should be looking for to tell if a head is good or not from the junkers?

[135sohc]

The overall condition of the car and why its there will tell alot and help you pick a better cylinder head.


wrecked, underhood fire, transmission failure ect but the car is otherwise straight and all there would probably say it was running prior to retirement.

a car thats a mess inside/outside and under the hood is a wreck would probably show someone who didnt give two sh!ts about the car and drove it until something blew and tossed it out to get another one.

I would start with the newest TBI cars there and start pulling the valve covers until you find one that says "made in mexico" cast into the top the head on the backside.

The recessed pad on the front of the head will also give you an idea of how much (if any) of the head has been shaved off to get it flat. Something with that pad totally gone wouldnt be a head that I would pull.

[1FastCSX289]

^^^ If youre looking for a head for a turbo car, you may want to avoid TBI or carb'd cars though........unless you want to put new exhaust valves in it. Honestly, its probably cheaper and easier to buy a used head from someone on the board. They are getting harder to come by in the yard......and in any case, you would want to have it pressure tested and resurfaced prior to installation.

[135sohc]

^^^ If youre looking for a head for a turbo car, you may want to avoid TBI or carb'd cars though........unless you want to put new exhaust valves in it. Honestly, its probably cheaper and easier to buy a used head from someone on the board. They are getting harder to come by in the yard......and in any case, you would want to have it pressure tested and resurfaced prior to installation.

I have always thought of used parts like a cylinder head from the salvage yard as being nothing more than a bare core. and that nobody in their right mind would just toss a used cylinder head onto an engine and run it without doing a full teardown, inspection and reconditioning replacing all the wear items and consumables with new hardware. But thats just me and flies in the face of the DIY cheapness mentality here. Probably why I dont have my new engine anywhere near being done. All that little $h!t gets expensive

[Spraynlog]

I'd look for a car that has a reconditioned head on it in the yard. Look for a nice clean one, that has a temperature sensative seal stuck to a freeze plug. I usually see the seals on the drivers side end freeze plug. Take off the valve cover and if it looks recently hot tanked, I'd go for it.

The '92 and up Spirits and Acclaims with the auto tranny are good subjects, the trannys go out on them, and if someone just did a top end job you are in business...they seem pretty common in the JYs still.

[BIG PSI]

I bought a REMAN Head from this Company.

It looked great and it was a 782 casting with turbo valves.

I paid $295.00 with shipping included.

You have to send them your head as a core within 30 days or otherwise you will pay the core charge.

Here is their link: http://www.ramscyl.com/

You have to look under Chrysler, then Aluminum Heads, to find it.

The head is complete, cam, springs, etc. Only thing missing is the end cap.

The head even comes with a 3 year warranty.

Chuck

[OmniLuvr]

i bought what looked like a good remaned head from the yard, it looked like the car was half way through the process of being rebuilt and they stopped? head was nice and shiny, pulled it apart and it hadnt even been started yet. i thought i scored, had a light resurface and pressure test done and through that sucker on. to bad two weeks later it dropped the intake seat that had been replaced i dont trust reman looking heads at the yard anymore, i just look for low mileage cores now...

[contraption22]

The '92 and up Spirits and Acclaims with the auto tranny are good subjects, the trannys go out on them, and if someone just did a top end job you are in business...they seem pretty common in the JYs still.

Hehe funny you said this. When I inherited my '93 Acclaim, it had a Mopar reman trans and a Mopar reman cyl head installed at ~50k under warranty.

[tryingbe]

I can sell you a reconditioned head with about 20k on it for $50 + shipping. With or without camshaft your choice.

[monkeyhead]

I may take you up on that! what kind of head/cam are we talking here?

[tryingbe]

Stock 782 head with stock 89 turbo I cam shaft.

[inmyshadow]

Honestly, this is why I wouldn't sell any of my spare heads.

Last time I sold some parts, the guy junked his minivan a few months later. Really pissed me of because it was a 3.50 A523, good cables, axles and some small parts.

Only my friend's have access to my stash. Learned my lesson.

But as many have stated. Junkyard heads are cores at best. Its very hard to find uncracked heads. I wouldn't be surprised if you took 4 heads to the machine shop and only one came out.

Honestly, its probably cheaper and easier to buy a used head from someone on the board. They are getting harder to come by in the yard

[raccoon]

one time i found this brand new looking turbo head on a 90 T1 lebaron I just couldnt help myself go the top half of the engine for 40 bucks! thought it was such a deal till i used said head on my engine to find out it was cracked and leaking compression into the coolant, another sad crushing TD day.

so sometimes that new shiny "china" part is the very reason that car is in the junkyard.

[monkeyhead]

pm'd you tryingbe