<VV> Corvair Heads

[Bryan Blackwell]

Back when, you really didn't want to take a set of Corvair heads to  
most machine shops since most of them didn't have any experience with  
aluminum heads.  That's not really true today, but it is true that  
they won't be familiar with the specifics of replacing Corvair valve  
seats.  I would, at minimum, check with a couple places that are  
familiar with Corvair heads and see what the turnaround time on them  
would be.  Now, if your shop is interested in working with you to do  
it right, there is info in the Tech Guide about replacing seats that  
should be sufficient for a competent machine shop.

FWIW, I wouldn't put a Corvair engine together without replacing the  
pistons and valve seats.  Others will have different opinions, I'm  
sure, but I really can't say what the history is of most engine  
internals anymore and failure of those two pieces is common and  
destructive enough that I'm not inclined to trust them.

--Bryan

On Oct 21, 2009, at 6:36 PM, Gary Berry wrote:

> In dealing with the heads, we have
> a really good machine shop at the local NAPA dealer (I've had truck
> heads done by them) and I'm thinking about taking the heads there and
> having them rebuilt. However, a couple of the local Corvair guys have
> said that they really need to go to a "Corvair" mechanic, but they
> have none to recommend locally. Is this what I need to do, or will a
> local machine shop be able to do these heads? Thanks.