Reconditioning Champion Heads

[RED LS1]

I'm going to be tearing down and replacing my short block. I have champion irons that are probably around 6-8 years old now. I'd love to have them gone over and green lighted for the new build. I'll probably need to switch the springs over as well.

Does anyone know if Champion does this or reccommend a good company instead? I keep forgetting to call champion because work has been busy.

Thanks

 

[3.8L V-8 eater]

Yes contact Tom at Champion...They reworked my heads a few years ago and did a great job!!

 

[earlbrown]

Before you make shippers rich, I'll pull them down and see what they look like. A few seconds of hand lapping to check the seal and $5 in valve seals might be all they 'need'.

 

[RED LS1]

I'm sure you're right Earl. I've never messed with a head before. One thing I'm always concerned about is the block surface of them. I can ship for free and package them real nice at my work so that part doesn't bother me. I just want to bolt a "newish" set of heads on the motor when done.

 

[psycho6cyl]

i wpuld call dls weber or arizona gn. champion has been hit or miss with a lot of stuff. some people get quick turn arounds and some are still waiting a year for parts. like i said if its just a freahing maybe a decent local machine shop near you can go over them. where you located?

 

[TURBOPOWERED68]

i wpuld call dls weber or arizona gn. champion has been hit or miss with a lot of stuff. some people get quick turn arounds and some are still waiting a year for parts. like i said if its just a freahing maybe a decent local machine shop near you can go over them. where you located?

i was about to say the same thing.

You don't want the heads to end up in machine shop jail.

 

[RED LS1]

Well, I called Champion. I got no answer and the message box was full so I couldn't leave a message. Bad start imo.

I called Weber, the guy was extremely polite, helpful and knowledgeable as they were the last time I called about a Short block.

I did one of these motors 2 years ago and sent the heads to a local shop. They came out good but the heads were suppose to be fresh from a machine shop and I just wanted them inspected. They wrote me up for $280 of work. Whatever, no big deal I'm just going a different route this time around.

Also, last year I did a 302 SBF motor for my '86 mustang. I sent the AFR heads to a different local shop and they left the valve rubber tips on so I had to get a spring compressor and take the springs back out. They also left the heads full of metal when they milled the surfaces. It's just some of the reasons i'm looking to ship them out this time around.

 

[rag231]

That kind of machine shop would be off my list for life. Metal left from milled surfaces end up in very bad places. If I would have paid a decent of money for that service, they would have been tearing them down again and cleaning them. If they didnt I would find every way of negatively blasting their name with pics of their final products that I could. That reminds me I need to blast a special CrankShaft company in Memphis, TN.

 

[earlbrown]

I pretend every part I get that someone else touched needs cleaning. No matter how clean it is.