Surf head is dead.

[Elter]

Driving down the highway, engine heat at a normal level, I look down to find the meter rising. With no shoulder for a solid 2 KM I had to basically coast, hoping I hadn't cooked the thing. I had a case of bottled water and, fortunately, 3 out of 4 liters of antifreeze left in the jug but when I looked at the coolant overflow spitting all over the inside of my bay I knew it was over. I did my best to replace it, cooled the engine down and managed to get it home with another blip in between causing it to happen again and forcing me to do another coolant replacement.

Right now I'm blowing white smoke and, as a result, parking 'er. The repair looks like it's going to cost a little over $3,000 CDN with labor included.

What I'm wondering is, from all of you out there who've done the head swaps, what did it cost you in the end? Don't feel obligated to do the $ conversion, haha.

[Koi]

Did mine myself in just over a day for around £700 to £800, new head, gaskets and stretch bolts and a new glow plug fuse due to putting the buzz bar connections back wrongly the first time i ever did it.
Have done about 8 head changes now (not all my veh's) and got it down to a days work.

[Kiwisurfing]

I have to say as well that its not all as scary as it seems doing a head replacement, I did mine a few months ago and its possible if you are moderatly mechanicly minded.
If you can spare it being off the road for a few days give it a go and follow one of the write ups on here as it will at least half the cost as mechanics labour is where most of the money goes.

My only advice is that if you do the stupid method like I did and attach the intake and exhaust then fit it as a whole,,, DONT! it makes manovering it into position so much harder due to the shear weight of the darned thing, took 2 people to get it on and was still hard going (partly due to my trucks height to be honest)

PS: while its all apart and you have to fit a new cam belt anyway be sure to do a new water pump and idler's ect... and a decent rad clean or better yet send away for strip and clean/re-core to help prevent it happening again

[KERRSURF]

By the time I bought a new built head and all the timing stuff it was around £800, did the work myself. If you want to tackle swapping the cam you could save a few hundred dollars.

[Elter]

I have to say as well that its not all as scary as it seems doing a head replacement, I did mine a few months ago and its possible if you are moderatly mechanicly minded.
If you can spare it being off the road for a few days give it a go and follow one of the write ups on here as it will at least half the cost as mechanics labour is where most of the money goes.

My only advice is that if you do the stupid method like I did and attach the intake and exhaust then fit it as a whole,,, DONT! it makes manovering it into position so much harder due to the shear weight of the darned thing, took 2 people to get it on and was still hard going (partly due to my trucks height to be honest)

PS: while its all apart and you have to fit a new cam belt anyway be sure to do a new water pump and idler's ect... and a decent rad clean or better yet send away for strip and clean/re-core to help prevent it happening again

This is actually great advice. I have a couple of mechanic friends and was planning on just making a two-day event of it. I already have the new water pump, timing belt, tensioner bearing, etc ready to go in but I completely forgot about flushing the rad.

It looks like I'm going to pick up a head in town, with gaskets and bolts, for a little under $1500, which isn't too bad from what I can tell. I'm really hoping to save on the labor.

[Diezel Weazel]

but I completely forgot about flushing the rad.

If ya in any doubt fit a new Rad after spending all ya hard earned ...

11+ Years of Surfs .... n Faultless to a " T " is my Yota

[davef2901]

This is the second head job I've seen today, good job mine has a new head on it.