Looks like im rebuilding the 258 sooner than i thought!

B

blaylock6502

New member
Got home this evening excited to put the valve cover on the 258. I started taking the old one off and when I got to the back bolt on the left side I notices it was wet and not oil wet. I had just put radiator hoses on it the other day and made a big mess and thought it must have been water from when I sprayed the engine off. Once I got the valve cover off i noticed some some milkshake on the backside like it had water in the oil and again i made an excuse for it. i thought maybe it was from sitting all winter and i hadnt changed the oil yet. so I got my drop light so I could start cleaning old silicone off of the head. When I got some light on the situation I noticed coolant puddled in a depression in the head held in by the Hedder : o I started looking and the back bolt hole on the left side was full of coolant. I started the bolt in it and immediately saw what had happened I guess the idiot that tightened the valve cover enough to crack it had also broken a bolt off and decided it was not necessary to drill it out straight and apparently hit a water jacket : / I stared at the coolant running for a while thinking of half-a@&ed repairs. I have valve train noise anyways and I really don't want to run the risk of ruining what is salvageable. That being said anyone know where I can find a cylinder head for an 82-86 258 so I can run a little higher compression? :((((((((
 

Collins Brothers in Texas or I have one from my 85 that was totaled. It's going a couple of weeks until I'll be ready to part with it.
 
What would you do if it were you policemonkey161? Would you cobble it together or do it now and do it right? Does the newer head sound like a good idea to raise compression?? This sucks
 

Well...... If it were me, and it's a similar situation that I'm currently in, I would start looking for a decent block and head. It's not a daily driver (right?), so that allows me time and ultimately saves money.

You could try replacing just the head, but I'd do a compression test before removing the head to get some idea of where I stand with the current block. If I found good compression, I'd remove to head and check for squareness of the deck (well as best you can with the block installed). If the existing block goes south, I have the other to fall back on. But this is not an easy discussion. Ultimately, it would come down to my available resources, money and what I want from my Jeep in the end? Is it just my weekend ride, rock crawler, show piece or will it be restored tribute to AMC (ok, that's a bit much)?

Regardless, I think you find most of the cost of a donor engine is the head. I would check Craig's list and search locally for a replacement. That's exactly what I did and found a very nice 82' set up for cheap.

You could go the "crate" engine route and there's nothing wrong with that. I personally would enjoy the pride and satisfaction of rebuilding my own.

On side note, I realized that I have 3 separate heads in my shop, I have an 82', 85' and a 86', if one of these would help you out and you're willing to pay shipping, just ask.
 
I am kind of caught right now in weather I would want to put a head, cam, and lifters in (if compression is good) or just go ahead and re-ring it and replace all the bearings along with head cam and lifters. I guess I could check compression and if its good go ahead and pull the engine and check all the bearings but at that point all I would really be saving is a rebuild kit which isn't much and machine shop fees which can be pretty hefty. My jeep is by no means a rock crawler or daily driver I like to drive it to work a few times a month and my wife and I take it for a leisurely stroll every once in a while. I would think even if I completely rebuilt it would be cheaper than a crate and I really enjoy engine work. A cylinder head would be an amazing help but I would hate to take advantage of your generosity if I have nothing to give in return. I already owe u for all of your help!
 
I completely understand.......... However, if you're going the route of a new cam, etc. (which is my situation), I would re-build it. You make a great point that if "you’re” inclined to do your own work, the crate motor doesn’t sound as nice.

Some of the reasons I prefer the 258 (or the 232, 4.0L or even the 4 cyl.) is the ease of tear down, re-build, availability/low cost of parts and time tested durability. If you’re going to the remove the head, it’s not a lot of additional effort to just pull the block as well. Plus.... You just can’t beat the low end torque to Hp ratio of an in-line motor! No offense to the V-8 guys (I sure someone will be offended). My offer for the cylinder head stands, but shipping will be high. Maybe it could be a "last" resort if you can't find anything local. I'm will to bet that you'll find some close by, with hundres of thousands produced, the odds are in your favor. You may need to be creative in your approch to finding one?

As for my help, friendship is invaluable to me. Although I’ve always had an interest in motors (mostly marine and diesel), until joining this site and inter-acting with all its great folks, I knew very little about Jeeps. If we could only get the entire world to join a forum of common interests??????? Maybe we could all listen to each other and offer help????
 

I hear ya. I am big into 3d archery and was really into a forum but everyone was locked in a huge competition and everyone was right and everyone else was wrong and it got old fast. I also was a member of another jeep forum ( I won't mention names) but there was no one half as nice and helpful as this forum. I love working on cars especially my jeep because its always a challenge. Even finding parts is a challenge and it may sound stupid but before I joined this forum I had the jeep on Craigslist because of all the little problems I didn't know how to fix and couldn't find help with and the valve cover was one of the last of those problems but the adventure continues and that's fine with me just wish it would have happened in the fall and not the spring. Oh well! Thanks a million you and everyone else has been a huge help. Even when everyone doesn't agree it's civil and valid info can be taken from both sides and I appreciate that! I called my buddy he said he'd take me for jeep rides this summer so ill be ok!
 
I were right just got off the phone with a guy about 45 minutes away with a head off of an 85 that he says is in good shape with a new aluminum valve cover for 100 bucks! Do you know how I can verify the head is what he says it is?
 

Yes, I will email you the casting number later today/ tomorrow at the lastest. Hey, the valve cover is almost worth that alone! That is fantastic........
 

image-3448937742.jpg
 
Thanks alot carnuck but I actually picked up an 85 cylinder head last weekend. Now to drop off everything at the machine shop to have it measured and see what the total damage is gonna b!!!
 
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