I have a 360 5.9 liter. I found some rebuilt heads for $650. Is this a good price? How much should it cost to get the heads put on by a mechanic? I have a bad exhaust manifold leak and figured if i take that off i will break a few bolts and the heads should probably be rebuilt anyway. So i figure it may save time and money to just buy the heads. Any ideas? Also can an exhaust leak like that make a truck hard to start?

 

The exhaust leak wouldn't cause a hard-start. Do you pump the gas-pedal once or twice before starting it when the engine is cold?

 

$650 isn't too bad a price for a set of reworked heads. Having a shop swap them out will likely run near that much in labor cost. That's a bit steep, just for an exhaust leak.
If the bolts do break, it's usually the upper bolts. These aren't too bad to drill out even with the heads still on the engine, just need a steady hand and a 90* drill.

On the other hand, if you do need to have your current heads reworked, then spending $1000-1500 at a shop to have them do it wouldn't be that extreme, if you don't have the time/tools/space/skill level to attempt it yourself. Pulling the current heads (if needed) and dropping them off at a shop to get a quote on what is needed could save some money over the exchange heads price, but will require a bit of down time while they are reworked. Of course, it's always possible that your current heads would be more expensive to have done, in which case the ready to go heads would be a better value. It all comes down what condition your heads are in. It's even possible there is nothing wrong with them, in which case you could have wasted $650+ to replace them.....

An exhaust leak should have no bearing on how easy/hard it is to get the engine started. Diagnosing that will require much more info.....

 

several thoughts.
1. upper exhaust bolts don't always break. I have broken many, but if the engine runs, getting the engine hot makes it a tone easier to get the bolts out.
2. So what if it breaks? drill straight through it, drill it larger, drill it a little larger. Get a bolt and nut. Yes, you will have to a little touch up with the die grinder to get a nut on two of the exhaust bolts.
3. where do you live? if you were in south georgia for instance and were able to drive your truck to my shop, I'd change the heads out with ya. (might cost you a case of beer). Actually in this for instance, we could just pull the offending head with broken bolt and fix it all right here (yes, I have a drill press and milling machine).
4. for the $650 heads, check what they have had done to them. Uneven surfaces, cheap or reused valves, exhaust valve seats/no seats, and a host of other things make the value of the heads.

good luck!
drew

 

just took my orig 360 apart , didn't break one exhaust bolt .
i presoaked the bolts with kroil , great stuff ! give it a try before you spend money

 

Krewart- yes i pump it quite a few times. It would start easier but when it is cold out my choke **** will not pull out. As soon as it warms up my choke will function just fine. As far as starting hard: It will sometimes start fine but other times it is like the engine is getting resistance or something and will not turn over or will turn over very hard. I thought it was the timing but I have my timing at 7 which is right in the factory spec limit.
DeepRoots- I wish you lived closer and I'd take you up on that deal

 

You can get a assembled head for $250 plus core charge from napa.

 

Rebuilt can mean anything from old valves lapped in to new guides , seats, and resurfaced .

 

machine shop in my town quoted $369 for a set to rebuild , new guides ,hardened seats , resurfaced and assembled .

 

You need to set your choke full on when you shut the motor off for the day.

 

I tried that but then my choke will be stuck on. Is that something that is the same for all ford owners?

 

Me too, though I used some spray on stuff, every couple of days and tap the manifold to set up a vibration. After a week or 2, pushed open the tabs on the locks and almost could have taken the bolts off with my fingers!
puttster

 

The best penetrating oil I have ever found and used is a 50-50 mix of acetone and ATF. I work on old outboards as a hobby and live on the saltwater and my broken bolt average is about 25% of what it was when I used commercial products. Here is proof.

Various penetrating oils compared

Machinist's Workshop magazine actually tested penetrants for break out torque on rusted nuts. Significant results! They are below, as forwarded by an ex-student and professional machinist, Bud Baker.
*Don't forget the April 2007 "Machinist's Workshop" magazine comparison test.*
*They arranged a subjective test of all the popular penetrants with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a "scientifically rusted" environment. *
Penetrating oil ....... Average load*
None ........................ 516 pounds
WD-40 ..................... 238 pounds
PB Blaster ............. 214 pounds
Liquid Wrench ..... 127 pounds
Kano Kroil .............106 pounds
ATF-Acetone mix..53 pounds

*The ATF-Acetone mix was a "home brew" mix of 50 - 50 automatic
transmission fluid and acetone.*
*Note the "home brew" was better than any commercial product in this one
particular test. Our local machinist group mixed up a batch and we all
now use it with equally good results. Note also that "Liquid Wrench" is
about as good as "Kroil" for about 20% of the price. *
*Your experience may vary, etc., etc.