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C6 Corvette ZR1 & Z06General info about GM’s Corvette Supercar, LS9 Corvette Technical Info, Performance Upgrades, Suspension Setup for Street or Track
Just got the car back this weekend from East Coast Supercharging. Got the heads replaced and while they had the motor blown apart, figured I'd add a cam. Can't complain about the results.
Big thanks to ECS, work was great, results were as advertised and great to work with.
Even "fixed heads" will have valve guide wear over time. Valve guides are a wear item, whether you like it or not. "Fixing" your heads will hopefully buy you a lot more time than you would have had with stock heads, but if you don't check your newly fixed heads every 5k to 10k miles, you're asking for trouble.
Be diligent. Check you valve guides for wear over time no matter if your heads are fixed or not.
Even "fixed heads" will have valve guide wear over time. Valve guides are a wear item, whether you like it or not. "Fixing" your heads will hopefully buy you a lot more time than you would have had with stock heads, but if you don't check your newly fixed heads every 5k to 10k miles, you're asking for trouble.
Be diligent. Check you valve guides for wear over time no matter if your heads are fixed or not.
If he had a good shop rework his heads with better guides, he can definitely 'worry less', as do the rest of us who have done this. There is always an argument to any statement made, I suppose, and always someone bored enough to make it.
Didn't get a chance to work with Doug, but Chris was awesome. If I ever decide to take the car any further, it'll be an easy decision for where to take it.
Originally Posted by Must_Have_Z
Can you clarify "finally not worried?"
Even "fixed heads" will have valve guide wear over time. Valve guides are a wear item, whether you like it or not. "Fixing" your heads will hopefully buy you a lot more time than you would have had with stock heads, but if you don't check your newly fixed heads every 5k to 10k miles, you're asking for trouble.
Be diligent. Check you valve guides for wear over time no matter if your heads are fixed or not.
If getting a known defect addressed by one of the best shops in the area doesn't alleviate the concern of grenading a motor, then what does? Not sure what point you're trying to make, but thanks for the input?
Just got the car back this weekend from East Coast Supercharging. Got the heads replaced and while they had the motor blown apart, figured I'd add a cam. Can't complain about the results.
Big thanks to ECS, work was great, results were as advertised and great to work with.
Congrats on having the heads fixed. It’s a much better feeling than driving around stock that’s for
damn sure. Besides the cam any other mods done? Mill or port work? Stock intake?
Congrats on having the heads fixed. It’s a much better feeling than driving around stock that’s for
damn sure. Besides the cam any other mods done? Mill or port work? Stock intake?
Thanks! When I bought the car back in February, it already had a Vararam intake.
The mill was minimal and the heads were ported. Can't remember all the specifics on the parts used in the heads, but I remember they were much the same as the base AHP heads a lot of folks here are running. Considering my goals, ECS suggested these were the right choice so I don't overspend when it's not needed.
Not really a power-adder, but also installed a mild-2-wild switch. Car sounds great now with it aside from the drone around 1500 RPM (glad I can go mild on the highway).
Didn't get a chance to work with Doug, but Chris was awesome. If I ever decide to take the car any further, it'll be an easy decision for where to take it.
If getting a known defect addressed by one of the best shops in the area doesn't alleviate the concern of grenading a motor, then what does? Not sure what point you're trying to make, but thanks for the input?
Seems pretty clear to me...he states that the valves are a wear item and need to be checked
If getting a known defect addressed by one of the best shops in the area doesn't alleviate the concern of grenading a motor, then what does? Not sure what point you're trying to make, but thanks for the input?
Point was/is anything can happen, even if/when chances are diminished.
Just had heads rebuilt, a 'baby cam' & tune on my 60K orig owner Z.
One thing I had to understand before a wrench ever turned there's no warranty for parts or labor.
Nature of the beast.
While we both may be confident we're OK, there is always that chance.
That's the point.
Nice results in any event.
A baby cam sure doesn't deliver that kind of HP/Tq gain, you got something a little extra there.
If I wanted more next step would be LT & CAI, but for now am quite satisfied -as long as it holds together.
Valve guides are a wear item, whether you like it or not. "Fixing" your heads will hopefully buy you a lot more time than you would have had with stock heads, but if you don't check your newly fixed heads every 5k to 10k miles, you're asking for trouble.
Unless you have an enormous cam, 5-10k seems like overkill. I'd think 20-30k would be more like it.
And also, you need to start checking your hood mounting hardware at each gas fill-up. All hardware can rattle loose under constant vibration, and the hood can fly off at any time. If you don't, you're asking for trouble, and are generally a bad corvette owner
And also, you need to start checking your hood mounting hardware at each gas fill-up. All hardware can rattle loose under constant vibration, and the hood can fly off at any time. If you don't, you're asking for trouble, and are generally a bad corvette owner
Originally Posted by DOUG @ ECS
Thanks for your business Allan, glad to hear you're enjoying it!
If getting a known defect addressed by one of the best shops in the area doesn't alleviate the concern of grenading a motor, then what does? Not sure what point you're trying to make, but thanks for the input?
My point is that there is no such thing as "permanently fixed" heads. I've gone through this same thing - I went with AHP reworked heads to address the valve guide issue. Does that "permanently" fix it? The answer is "maybe." Should you still be worried about valve guide wear? Of course. As I said, valve guides are a wear item, no matter who built or worked on your heads. If you don't think that's true, you're either lying to yourself or just uneducated. You did the right thing by getting the issue addressed. Just don't get a false sense of security and forget about it. If you drive your car hard, if you have any other aftermarket parts like a cam that impacts valve train stress, make sure you check those valve guides for wear every 10 or 20,000 miles.
Hope that helps. I've just seen a lot of posts where they think "fixed" heads means the issue is completely non-existent and that's just flat out untrue. Have fun and enjoy your car!
My point is that there is no such thing as "permanently fixed" heads. I've gone through this same thing - I went with AHP reworked heads to address the valve guide issue. Does that "permanently" fix it? The answer is "maybe." Should you still be worried about valve guide wear? Of course. As I said, valve guides are a wear item, no matter who built or worked on your heads. If you don't think that's true, you're either lying to yourself or just uneducated. You did the right thing by getting the issue addressed. Just don't get a false sense of security and forget about it. If you drive your car hard, if you have any other aftermarket parts like a cam that impacts valve train stress, make sure you check those valve guides for wear every 10 or 20,000 miles.
Hope that helps. I've just seen a lot of posts where they think "fixed" heads means the issue is completely non-existent and that's just flat out untrue. Have fun and enjoy your car!
Maybe I misinterpreted your intent here, certainly not trying to have an argument on the internet about it. I've noticed a lot of these posts about heads go that route eventually.
I definitely intend to stay on top of all the required maintenance. The car is a nice weather, weekend cruiser that'll see about 3000-5000 miles a year and occasionally I'll stick my foot in it. It'll never see a track. I just wanted to do everything I can to make it reliable and while at it, make a solid power gain. So, the title was less about saying 'the car will never have an issue going forward' and more about 'I've done everything reasonable to address the concern, so now I'm going to enjoy it'.
Ultimately, if the Vette Gods decide to make me the winner of the ****-sandwich lottery, I'll have to deal with that, but I'm not going to drive around constantly concerned about the ticking time bomb.
07-16-2018, 10:25 AM
Finally not worried about blowing it up
