Who does head work/repair ?

[mcraeav]

I think it is best if I have someone repair the crack near my intake valve on my cyl head. Also time for a valve job.
Where should I send them for this job and any idea on cost?

[steinauge]

A lot of people on here talk about headhog.I have never dealt with the gentleman but I have had outstanding results from an outfit called "advance cycle machine "at 1711 Winter St. Superior Wisconsin 54880.I first ran onto them about 15 years ago over a truly broken XL crankcase and was impressed by thye quality of their work.

[Pomike]

I am sure there are lots who do it, but Don at Headhog did mine, and I am very satisfied. It can take a while. One man shops can only do so much. I don't know abouit one woman shops, but I suppose it would be the same. I think Don likes to be emailed.
Mike

[Panacea]

Don will probably tell you to send him the heads, Then they will sit on a shelf for a couple months till he gets to them. Once the looks them over he'll give you a call and discuss options. He does good work, I'd use him again...Mike

[panz4ever]

Used Don at HeadHog as well as Tom Shaw from Creekside both with excellent results

[lockdoc]

I used Perry at Flo Headworks in CA. I was VERY happy with the workmanship, communication and turn around time.

[caschnd1]

Perry at Flo Headworks is also my choice. He always gets back to me within a day or two of recieving my parts to talk about what needs to be done. Last set of heads he did for me were turned around in about 2 weeks and they were a mess.

Don at HeadHog is another guy I would try. I've never used him personally, but I've seen his work first hand and it is outstanding.

-Craig

[NightShift]

I am sure there are lots who do it

Dear Pomike,
If "it" means re-pouring seats, "lots" means one, maybe two if HeadHog borrowed the technique. Nobody I talked to even thinks spraywelding would stick. I bet he is booked for years.
Yep, anybody with a heliarc can chew out the old bronze and weld the hole up tight for steel but you know what that means.

'Spectful

[caschnd1]

I am sure there are lots who do it

...
Yep, anybody with a heliarc can chew out the old bronze and weld the hole up tight for steel but you know what that means.

What does it mean?

[NightShift]

Dear Mike!
It means you hold your breath hopeing they never fall out!

'Spectful,

[Panacea]

I had one fall out right after a valve job on my 49, who knows how long it held up fine, till one fatefull day...Mike

[Bosheff]

What about the Baisley bros in Washington? (I think). They did the hard seat thing for a set of 65 heads for me back around 1986. I've probably put at least 75k on em, and with the exception of touchin up the seats, replacin the guides once, and a general clean-up, I have had no problems with the seats fallin out or anything else. Their work was top shelf. I don't know if they're still around, but it seems last I heard they were into go fast H-D engines....bosheff

[joe]

My best guess for Headhog would be a year. I sent my heads to him in January and am hoping to get them back between October and Feb 2010. I am in no hurry so it really doesn't matter to me. It is my first time dealing with him and he seems like a real swell guy who really knows his craft.

Just my 2 cents.

Joe

[caschnd1]

Dear Mike!
It means you hold your breath hopeing they never fall out!

'Spectful,

If you use someone who is knowlegeable about matching the expansion rate of the valve seat with the expansion rate of the head, dropping a seat should not be a problem. Granted, you can't just choose any shop to install hard seats for you. I've personally put over 60K miles on a set of heads with hardened seats. I ride every day all summer here and the ambiant temps are often 115F+ so I've had the heads very hot. Not a single problem. But definitely not a job I would leave to my local H-D machine shop that's used to working on Evo and TC motors.

-Craig

[Cotten]

If you use someone who is knowlegeable about matching the expansion rate of the valve seat with the expansion rate of the head, dropping a seat should not be a problem.
-Craig

Craig!

There's only two kinds of valve seats available.
Both bronze and steel seats have similar expansion coefficients, and neither are anywhere close to cast aluminum.

So a very tight interference press-fit will still be necessary, as even the absolute minimum of .0045" may produce less than a thou at combustion temperature.

Our next question in choosing one seat material over the other is whether or not it changes at elevated temperatures.
Hard steel seats shrink, if they are heated only slightly beyond ordinary exhaust temperature.
I have no experience with modern bronze seats, but I know Ampco can shrink, so it is a possible concern.

Lest us also remember that it is the head casting itself that presents our dilemma.
Early castings are thin. A very thin seat must be used, or it will break into the port. A thin seat has less surface contact with the casting for heat transfer, and will reach its critical temperature quicker.
The wall of casting between the intake nipple and seat is further compromised by a cast-in bolt insert. A full press-fit (.0055-.006") to install a fresh seat has destroyed more than a few early heads by cracking in this region.
With the introduction of O-ring manifold models, there came increases, in stages, of the overall meatiness of castings, culminating in the overhead-oilers, for which I have enjoyed some limited success myself. But there is still risk when installing, and still the spectre of temperature spikes limiting their lifetime.

Two important installation techniques lengthen the fuse on seats.
One is to use a heat-transfer filler between seat and casting, such as Seal-Lock "Fluid Weld".
The other is the practice of "clinching". This is where the cutter of the seat-cutting machine is replaced with a rounded hardened tip, and used to roll the edge of the casting over a small chamfer on the top of the seat.

Let us not forget that original seats were cast with large tangs to hold them in. That is why a process to build them back up would be ideal.

....Cotten