Junkyard Heads

[6daze]

Should I buy these Explorer heads? The door jamb says 95, sold as a 96 with 155,000 miles. It is in the junkyard and the upper and lower manifolds have been removed.

The problem:

It was turned in for the cash for clunkers program and has been run with sodium silicate in the motor. I don't know how that will affect the heads. It is supposed to be pumped throughout the oil passages and cause the engine to seize.

Here is my limited research: http://www.cashforclunkersfacts.com/car-dealers/engine-destruction

Can I tell by looking at them if they are destroyed? Is this normal carbon build-up?

Cost is $50 a head.

I plan a full rebuild on these heads. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Some of the better heads you can find.
From what I can tell about that stuff they put in the engine it is murder for the bottom end and rotating bearings (mains, rods, cam).
It sounds like the engine dies fast enough that this stuff shouldn't hurt the heads. The valve seals (unless really shot) would keep this stuff out of the valves. Maybe the slightest trace but I don't see it hurting this kind of head.
But I wouldn't even consider these heads without full teardown, tank job, etc. That stuff just sounds nasty and want to keep it out of the engine. Good thing is it is water soluable and should flush well with water. Most damage I can imagine to the heads would be the rocker arms. That stuff embedding into the aluminium pivots would not bee good. The rockers would absolutly be trashed by me with this history.

$100 for a set of core heads. I think it is a little high, but it could be market value. Everything in California is more expensive.

 

[daduze2]

http://jalopnik.com/5327580/video-how-to-disable-a-cash-for-clunkers-car

sad but here it is guys....video of one being killed!!!!

looks like they have a whole line of cars to ruin!

Some info on cash for clunkers too. Not sure if it will help you.

 

[iwlbcnu]

do they have 3 or 4 lines on the fronts? I assume 3 meaning plain GT40, I think it is a decent deal, but try to talk down, bare heads and a set of valves are worth it to me.

 

[6daze]

Yes, three stripes, they say "GT" on them. Anything else I should grab from this motor?

I already have the serp and manifolds...

 

[67ster]

We used to use "water glass" to seal the iron water jacketed heads on fuel motors years ago. It is still used in some brand name coolants and radiator sealants and forms a crusty ,glasslike deposit where a coolant leak hits the air . From the videos i've watched , lower end failure is almost instant and I wonder if oil pump seizure is the culprit, lock the pump and destroy the pump drive and dist. drive . I doubt much damage to the heads but a complete teardown , cleaning and reseating and resealing would be wise as any used head . This "Clunker" deal is a double edge sword .

 

[6daze]

OK, picked them up, total cost was $90...reasonable in my book. Unfortunately the other head had a bit of the silicate in it.

I removed it the best I could with brake cleaner and a soft brush.

My question now is how do I store these? I am not ready to drop these off at the machine shop just yet as my current motor is running great. Should I clean them up (degrease) and put them on the shelf for now? Or is there an advantage to getting the heads rebuilt now?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[TBS-POPS]

I would take them down to your machine shop and have them torn apart and pressure checked. I sure that they drain the water as well as the oil when they seize those engines so they could have cracks in them you cant see from getting heated up. Most of the time it only costs $75 or so to get them checked out. why store junk heads...