I was wondering if anyone new of a decent shop in the Portland, OR area to get valve guides put in? I've called one shop that was recommended to me and they quoted me upwards of $500. I know I haven't had a set done in many years but this seemed kind of high. Am I just a cheapskate or is this average? I can get a bare set of aftermarket heads from summit for $430. Any help will be much appreciated.
I'd go with the modern heads. Maybe the GT40 or GT40P factory heads from the yard. Cheap, ready for unleaded, well flowing. http://www.fiveohinfo.com/performance/gt40-gt40p.html
Everybody's got their own opinion and belly ****on when it comes to machine shops. I had pretty good luck with Steve's Machine in Tigard off of 72nd as far as bang for the buck. Decent rates and good quality. Steve has a background in racing but also understands the needs for daily drivers on a budget. Anything extreme and I'd head to Paola Engine Service out on the eastside. Tigard to Sandy might be a bit of a drive for you, but it could be worth the call to Steve's.
You might check with John at Gateway auto center and see where they get their stuff done. It's on Stark st.
I would be worried the valve reliefs in the 260 pistons wouldn't be big enough for the larger valves from the gt40 heads. Not sure how much of the price is regional but I would be looking at ~$100 to get new liners in an older head around here.
Replacing guides are usually $5 each plus the cost of the guides. They don't just install the guides, they will charge you for a valve job to re-center the valves in the new guides. Are you reusing the old valves?, what about your springs? $400 to $500 is not unusual for a complete redo. I just spent $600 on my Pontiac heads, all new valves and springs, exhaust seats, guides and a clean cut.
Late heads on a little 260 isn't going to work. Fix what you have and avoid a larger issue. Go talk to Eastco machine in Gresham. They are as good and fair as you'll find. My other choice is Portland Engine Rebuilders. No one is just going to install guides and give you back your heads. If you want a cheep fix just install new guide seals. That's done all the time and is done without removing the heads. The Wizzard
LOLI would be worried about the valves hitting the tops of the cylinders. New valve guides, I wasn't aware that the guides were replaceable in a 260 head. if they have to set up drill the old guides out and replace them 500 bucks is cheap. if you are talking bronze guides then you can buy the kit and do it at home a lot cheaper than that like about a buck twenty five to a buck fifty from your favorite catalog speed shop. and if you are getting them knurled 100-200 dollars is probably what any good machinist is going to charge you, you may find someone who gives you a friends price of 70-80 bucks.
I I bolted on a set of "3-bar" later model GT40 heads onto a 1966 C-code 289 Ford. These heads were OEM on 1993 Cobras, and later available on 302 Explorers. The later Explorers got the "4-bar" GT40P heads, with angled spark plugs. I bought the heads in good condition for $150, and had them serviced at a local machine shop with a 3-angle valve job, milled .010 off the deck, and intake valve seals for another $100. They bolted right on and run really well. Those old Ford pistons had quite a large dish and I suspect a 260 is similar. OP, I think $500 is way too high to install guides in a set of 260 heads. I would look on craigslist for a set of GT40s or even E7 heads (stock on '86-95 Mustang GT)
Bore on a 260 is 3.8, even if the valves clear I doubt the compression would be much as the late heads have bigger chambers...For short term I'd find something that could just be cleaned up and used...
the 289, 302 ( 5 liter) and 351 have a 4" bore the 260 has a 3.8" bore. Hence my original idea that the GT-40 heads may not be a good fit. Maybe they will work just fine no valve interference no shrouding. Unless someone has done the swap I would say that we need to have the parts to determine the answer.
GT40s have 60-63cc combustion chambers, while 260s are 52-55cc. The GT40s are still better than all the smog era heads and their 7Xcc chambers. The GT40 head stock valve sizes are 1.84/1.54, while 260s used 1.67/1.45 valves. That could possibly be an issue with piston wall clearance, but honestly I doubt it. We've all seen 2.02/1.6 valves run on 4.000 bores without issue and that is tighter than the GT40/260 combination would be. Depends on valve placement obviously. And possible issues with head gasket / combustion chamber interference. The GT40s breathe so much better than any other factory inline-valve SBF head that I think it would be worthwhile to attempt. Even losing about a point of compression, the engine will almost certainly perform better than it would with 260 heads. I don't see any attempts to run these heads on a 260, but that's probably because 289s and 302s with a 4" bore are much more common. It looks like this build - if it happens - would be a forerunner. You'll be doing the research for tens of other people.
Well before I would drop 500 dollars for valve guides I would certainly entertain the idea of different heads. Maybe with a mild facing and a shim gasket you could regain a good portion if the compression lost with the bigger combustion chambers. I think that the GT 40s are going to be way more head than a 260 can use without some serious tweaking done to the rest of the engine but too much head I guess is better then not enough. I know I have never got enough head.
$500 for valve guides tell me that this shop would rather not be bothered with the job, so if you're gonna bother them, you're gonna pay for it. Find another shop.
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