1.8 Cylinder Head Tip, Do I Rebuild or go for the big bucks! Options

[nowlings]

Ok.. while checking for a loss of power I found I have a #1 cylinder exhaust valve that appears to have a collapsed seat. In looking at pulling the heads to have them re-done, I can go to the local machine shop and have them re-worked (any recommendations in Sacramento?) or going with new. I was looking at air cooled classics' web site and they have new heads for $1600 usd... OUCH! They explain how great and long lived their heads are. Question is does this a good alternative or does it make sense over the long run versus just taking them to the local machine shop for a rebuild. This is a stock motor running on stock FI.
Thanks (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif)

[Cap'n Krusty]

I suggest you send them to a specialist such as Competition Engineering in Lake Isabella or Engine Machine Service in LA. First they'll tell you if they're gonna be able to fix what you have, then how much it'll cost. I've been doing these cars for 36 years, and I can tell you with certainty that you're not gonna get what you need at just any auto machine shop. Figure $1200 and up for the pair. Do it right, do it once. While you're at it, better correct the heat problem. Because they're gonna have to surface the heads, you'll need to calculate the new cylinder volume and shim the cylinders to get manageable compression. The Cap'n