Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications 3.0L Duratec LH 3L Head Raping

Well, I had to bite the bullet today and buy my heads. Originally I had called Bill Jenkins for the heads about a month ago. He quoted a price of $259 for both left and right with valves installed. I called him again yesterday to purchase and Ford almost doubled the price on the LH head. So I decided to check fordpartsonline.com to see if their prices had increased to. They hadn't so I decided to order from them. Well I call them today to check on the status of my order and low and behold, the LH head is the same dog gone price. About $418!!! I went ahead and placed the order. I would have probably been better off buying the complete engine from Terry or someone for $2000 because I have now spent about $1600 for the block and heads. If I had just went ahead and orderd the heads from Bill Jenkins back in December, I would have saved myself $200. This really hurts as I had/have plans to replace the clutch and flywheel with the Fidanza and Clutchmaster's unit. It's only $200 but with all of the other stuff I am doing, this is like the proverbial straw on the camel's back and I'm not sure how many more before it breaks. I decided to go with new parts because I don't have the expertise like many of you all to be able to determine their individual quality. I really hope this all pays off in the end; that I'll have a smooth running SVT that will give me many more years of faithful service.

What heads did you buy, 3L or 2.5? I have a good set of 2.5 SVT heads for sale if you can cancel the order. You might also check with Brad Noon as he has a set of 3 liter heads in his garage, but I'm not sure of their exact condition. Either way, these gotta be cheaper than $600+ for new heads, heck you can buy a whole engine for that. Also, is this the '01 block or an older style?

Rick

Rick,

Everything is '01 and they are the 3L heads. I know I could have purchased a set of used 3L heads but I don't have the expertise to determine their condiiton let alone do any work on 'em. Plus, I think Brad and some of the other folks with 3L heads lying around are all pre '01. I would have to purchase an electric water pump and I believe that would add about $250 on to the price tag. I know I'm losing hp going this route but I'm trying to keep everything as simple for myself that I possible can. It's just getting real expensive do so.

Might check with Terry to see if 2.5 heads will fit on the '01 blocks. Could save some coin going that route. I know the water pump issue was the reason behind the pre-01 heads not fitting, but I'm side stepping that with an elctric pump and cutting the cams.

Rick

Mine, mine, all mine, nobody can have them... :p I have a set of 2.5 heads too... If I put them in the same box for a couple of months, I wonder what they'll come out looking like? :rolleyes:

The 2.5L heads will fit the 3L block with some modification. I'm going with the 3L heads for lower compression.

I have that same theory with a Vortech, maybe it will grow little turbos.....lol. It should finaly be coming out of its slumber in the next few months

Nupe, the 2.5L heads can actually be fitted with no modification to them. All you have to do is plug a couple of holes on the block.
After you factor in the cost of 01 heads with complete valvetrain hardware, then you come out more money than if you mod your 2.5 heads with 3L valves. The other benefit is that you can make your compression anything you like between 10:1 to the maximum 11.25:1. When the valve work is done, you essentially end up with a brand new head as far as valves are concerned. The cam bearing surfaces should be fine with good oil changes and low mileage.

So when you say you consider the 3L heads for lower compression, don't forget that their are multiple choices.

warmonger

warmonger,

Thanks for clearing that up. It's what I meant by modification but I should have spelled that out.