CUCV 1986 M1008 - In a Real Pickle - Bad Heads - Need Advice

[Commander5993]

No need to use head studs. I look at it this way. They lasted 30+ years with torque to yield bolts. Put new ones in and call it a day. I am not a guy that fixes on the cheap. But I do NOT just buy something and change something because someone else says it's better. I mean 30 years and still going. That has passed my test. I think 2 K is a lot of cash for a set of 6.2 heads. I have a set of GM ones in the crates. I would be tempted to sell them. I also have many that are used and un cracked. I learned a while back that some of the cracks are going to be on any of the heads and never hurt a thing. I was talking to the machine shop guy and he said he just lets people know they are cracked and that I can decide if I want to proceed. Of course I never ran one and over heated it with a bad head gasket. I changed a few just to change them and I had a few that would hold pressure all night long and never had heat in the cab when I slowed down in city traffic. That prompted the head gasket change on them 2. If I could sell you a set of good used ones I would. But getting them checked and shipped to you would not be cost effective. Good Luck. If it were mine I would get a set of good used heads and put it together with the new parts you have. I would install the exhaust gaskets. they seem to work every time that way. I have tried the no gasket on reassembly and had a few leaks. Do as you wish and have a great day.

Those are all good points Cucvrus, the "don't fix it if it ain't broken" thought line
The only thing that makes me hesitant about this motor at this point, is when we first got the truck, I thought the "dealer" we got it from had only screwed with the wiring and stuff. Then I found out they had put on a junk yard 12v starter last year, and now I know they must have had the heads off, and we believe there's evidence that the entire engine and transmission has been out.
Basically at this point, we have no idea how much wear is on the motor, or if they had the engine apart what other crap job they did inside there.

We're looking at one of two avenues... We can sell our deuce and buy a whole new engine that we know should be pretty reliable.
Or we can finish pulling this engine, tear it down, inspect it for any damage, rebuild it, and buy another set of heads.

We're not in a rush to jump to a decision yet, so we're just looking at our options.

Sending you a PM,
Thanks for the input and info!

 

[scottladdy]

...
Basically at this point, we have no idea how much wear is on the motor, or if they had the engine apart what other crap job they did inside there.

We're looking at one of two avenues... We can sell our deuce and buy a whole new engine that we know should be pretty reliable.
Or we can finish pulling this engine, tear it down, inspect it for any damage, rebuild it, and buy another set of heads.

Just a suggestion.

You do not need to pull the engine to inspect the bottom end. You can pull the oil pan which will alloy you to inspect the bearings, crank, webbing etc. It is a little cramped, especially up front but very doable and will give you a much better understanding of this engine.

 

[Tinstar]

I personally would pull engine and rebuild.
That way you know EXACTLY what you have and what work has gone into it.

Plus it will save a lot of money going that route and you can decide what brand of parts to use.

I know the old school machine shop guys could repair cracks in heads (to a point) with excellent results.
Stuff that most modern machine shops wouldn't touch.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

No need to use head studs. I look at it this way. They lasted 30+ years with torque to yield bolts. Put new ones in and call it a day. I am not a guy that fixes on the cheap. But I do NOT just buy something and change something because someone else says it's better. I mean 30 years and still going. That has passed my test.

I'm with Rick on this. If it's a factory-problem-known-to-fail-early part, yeah, an aftermarket improvement makes sense. OR if you are hot rodding. But when the stock version has lasted 30 years? Good enough for me.

I personally would pull engine and rebuild.
That way you know EXACTLY what you have and what work has gone into it.

Agreed. If you buy a motor, you don't know what you've got. If you do it yourself, you know what you've got.

Time=money. You can swap money for time, or time for money. Do it yourself and save money, buy new and save time.

 

[Commander5993]

Just a suggestion.

You do not need to pull the engine to inspect the bottom end. You can pull the oil pan which will alloy you to inspect the bearings, crank, webbing etc. It is a little cramped, especially up front but very doable and will give you a much better understanding of this engine.

Yeah, I know I could drop the pan and take a look. I've even heard of people rebuilding an engine while it's still in the chassis. But with it already broken down to this point, it won't take a lot more to go ahead and pull it. That way I can fully inspect it and rebuild it. Which after sleeping on it, that is most likely the route I'm going to take if I can find a new set of heads.

 

[Commander5993]

I personally would pull engine and rebuild.
That way you know EXACTLY what you have and what work has gone into it.

Plus it will save a lot of money going that route and you can decide what brand of parts to use.

I know the old school machine shop guys could repair cracks in heads (to a point) with excellent results.
Stuff that most modern machine shops wouldn't touch.

Yep, I agree about the pull and rebuild.
I was honestly thinking about selling our deuce (which I still might sell it soon down the road, as I really don't have a need for it now) and buying a new engine.
But after giving it some more thought, I think I'm just going to rebuild this engine if I can find a new set of heads.

 

[Commander5993]

I'm with Rick on this. If it's a factory-problem-known-to-fail-early part, yeah, an aftermarket improvement makes sense. OR if you are hot rodding. But when the stock version has lasted 30 years? Good enough for me.
Agreed. If you buy a motor, you don't know what you've got. If you do it yourself, you know what you've got.
Time=money. You can swap money for time, or time for money. Do it yourself and save money, buy new and save time.

Point taken. This will probably (hopefully) be the only and last time I take this motor apart anyway.
So I guess the felpro brand tty head bolts for this motor are fine?
Anyone got an opinion on the felpro gaskets?

 

[scottladdy]

Point taken. This will probably (hopefully) be the only and last time I take this motor apart anyway.
So I guess the felpro brand tty head bolts for this motor are fine?
Anyone got an opinion on the felpro gaskets?

Like Rick, I pull the heads as the old print-o-seal gaskets are a known weak point. I have been using the updated fel-pro gasket sets and head bolts for years with no issues. Some use the 6.5 head gaskets on 6.2's but I do not.

 

[cucvrus]

Once again I will say it. If the head gaskets failed and the engine ran fine. It sounds like it did. No oil consumption low oil pressure. I would get the heads and replace the head gaskets. I would replace every seal on the engine and let the bottom end alone. That's me. I run things a long time with no problems. I don't go looking for problems. I had my Mule M1009 torn apart for head gaskets and I replaced every seal on the engine and had the heads done at a machine shop. I have been running it for the third year now. If it ain't broke don't fix it. At the time I had a brand new engine I could have put in. But a new engine was not needed. Just head gaskets and machine work on the heads. The other things I done because they were leaking. Rear main seal and oil pan. I replaced the water pump, fuel pump, injection pump, radiator and had the transmission rebuilt and the transfer case looked at and resealed. Did everything I could that needed done. Transmission had shift to drive delay and transfer case had leaks. I have been using it hard ever since. No problems. rebuilding the engine / new engine would not have changed the out come. The engine did NOT need rebuilt/replaced. The head gaskets needed replaced. Get my point? Unless you have an unlimited budget and cash to throw at everything on the truck only fix what is broken and do it right the first time. Only the military throws engines in the scrap dumpster because the rear main seal is leaking or the head gaskets are leaking. Good Luck. i will entertain the thought of selling my new OEM crate heads.

 

[someoldmoose]

Is there a short answer as to why you can't get a junkyard take-out engine ? 6.2s are plentiful around here. Even a take-out Duramax would be an easy job.

 

[dependable]

Or buy some NOS heads off ebay. Really depends on how you are going to use the truck, and if it is going to pay for itself. And how much funds and time you have for that one vehicle.

 

[cucvrus]

Is there a short answer as to why you can't get a junkyard take-out engine ? 6.2s are plentiful around here. Even a take-out Duramax would be an easy job.

Like we mentioned and discussed. He has had this engine and it seems to be running well. It is broke now and needs some work. Fix what is broke and a few other minor items and he is good to go. Buy a used engine from a salvage yard and who knows what you are buying and if it is worth putting in. 6.2 engines are not very plentiful in salvage yards. the ones that are there are there with several 100thousand miles and unknown maintenance history. I would like to see an easy dura max conversion into a CUCV. The 6.2 is a much less stress engine and may lack power but has a lot less head aches to deal with the the dura max. Our company has 2 and they require very expensive repairs at times. I think he is trying to maintain a budget and retain the originality of the truck somewhat.

 

[scottladdy]

Another issue with the DMax is clearance. You will have hood and cross member clearance issues that will need to be addressed. The DMax is a taller engine and the older body styles are not set up for that tall of an engine.

 

[Commander5993]

Once again I will say it. If the head gaskets failed and the engine ran fine. It sounds like it did. No oil consumption low oil pressure. I would get the heads and replace the head gaskets. I would replace every seal on the engine and let the bottom end alone. That's me. I run things a long time with no problems. I don't go looking for problems. I had my Mule M1009 torn apart for head gaskets and I replaced every seal on the engine and had the heads done at a machine shop. I have been running it for the third year now. If it ain't broke don't fix it. At the time I had a brand new engine I could have put in. But a new engine was not needed. Just head gaskets and machine work on the heads. The other things I done because they were leaking. Rear main seal and oil pan. I replaced the water pump, fuel pump, injection pump, radiator and had the transmission rebuilt and the transfer case looked at and resealed. Did everything I could that needed done. Transmission had shift to drive delay and transfer case had leaks. I have been using it hard ever since. No problems. rebuilding the engine / new engine would not have changed the out come. The engine did NOT need rebuilt/replaced. The head gaskets needed replaced. Get my point? Unless you have an unlimited budget and cash to throw at everything on the truck only fix what is broken and do it right the first time. Only the military throws engines in the scrap dumpster because the rear main seal is leaking or the head gaskets are leaking. Good Luck. i will entertain the thought of selling my new OEM crate heads.

I get your point Cucvrus, and I have to agree.
I've made my decision that if I can get a Good Set of Heads, thats the route I'm going to take.
As I stated before, I certainly don't want a used engine that I know nothing about, as it could end up worse then the one I already have.
This engine has been running fine for the 6 years before this head gasket let go, other than the small oil leak. I haven't seen any issues with the lower, I might pull the oil pan to take a look etc, and look over the rest of the engine. I've already replaced the harmonic balancer about 3 years ago, it should still be fine. Haven't had any issues with the transmission, changed filter and fluid at the correct times. So I'm going to let it go.

If I can get a Good set of rebuilt heads, or a new set of heads, I'm going to get them and get this truck back together. Already got all the gaskets and head bolts anyway, so might as well get the right parts and finish the job.

Cucvrus thanks for sharing your input, knowledge, and experience.
If you make a decision on those crate heads, let me know.

 

[bgekky3]

I am helping a friend out with a similar problem. I would say check craigslist to see what it is in the area. If you post a wanted ad you might have some luck. Sometimes people are sitting on old stuff and if they know people are looking for it they will contact you. Not many people are advertising 6.2/6.5 Chevy parts around me.

 

[cucvrus]

Ebay is loaded with new ones. And they are not expensive. i would go that route. They have new ones for $500. a pair. (2 different vendors) the shipping should not be all that bad. Check it out. The old ones make great boat anchors. I fish in rocky areas with fast moving water below a hydro electric dam. .

 

[dougco1]

Ebay is loaded with new ones. And they are not expensive. i would go that route. They have new ones for $500. a pair. (2 different vendors) the shipping should not be all that bad. Check it out. The old ones make great boat anchors. I fish in rocky areas with fast moving water below a hydro electric dam. .

When do you find time to fish? You have CUCVs to rebuild.

 

[Tinstar]

The engine is already torn down quite a bit.
It already has high mileage
Sure it was running fine until head gaskets failed.
It's a daily driver and reliability is a key factor.
New gaskets and improved bolts already acquired.

To me, it makes no sense not to pull engine and rebuild.
That way you know its ALL good.

My luck, I would put on new heads and 6 months later a lifter goes or a rod/crank bearing, that unknowingly needed changed, finally goes out.
Yes, you can "what if" it to death, but I would spend not a lot more money and a little more time to know that everything is fresh and correct. Ready for another 100k+ miles.


I know some insist only doing heads because they have had good luck going that route.
Great! Glad it works for you!
That would not work for me.
I don't consider having a fresh engine, one that I know was done right, with good parts, throwing money away.

 

[ehuppert]

Sounds like you already know the direction you're going, but....

New GM small block crate engines are 2-3k, with warranty! Small block requires minimal extra parts and a new convertor. I realize people like the 6.2 for a lot of different reasons, but I'm very happy with the 350 I've had in my truck for 10 years!

Small blocks are cheap on parts, and everything is readily available! HEI ignition and Quadrajets are a good combo along with a mild intake...... (have mild cam also in mine)

Eric

(I'm retired military, lots of miles on the CUCV's/6.2's, but i didn't have to either do the repairs, or pay for them!)

 

[Commander5993]

Ebay is loaded with new ones. And they are not expensive. i would go that route. They have new ones for $500. a pair. (2 different vendors) the shipping should not be all that bad. Check it out. The old ones make great boat anchors. I fish in rocky areas with fast moving water below a hydro electric dam. .

Are these are the one's you were talking about? There are "two" vendors selling these, but both use the same photos (with different color backgrounds) and they are both located in Clearwater. Guessing they are just starting new account.
http://ebay.to/2rFSCPS

They list that these are for 1992 through 2001??
Thats why I didn't think they were the correct heads, even though they look the same
(as far as I can remember anyway, my heads still aren't back from the shop)

If so, they also have new heads with all new parts (verses reman parts) for an extra $100
http://ebay.to/2rpVxMb


But, I also found these from another company, they are supposed to be complete new castings made in Canada, which have updated metallurgy to stop the cracking issues:
http://ebay.to/2ryEWEf
Anyone had any experience with any of these?
~Thanks!