I'm just really really disgusted with the blue quat, thinking about r/r the tranny and putting the "ole reliable" back on the road. It gets better mileage anyway, and I really like the car.

I've got a replacement tranny just sitting there.... ready to go in. after that I'll want to paint it...

Any thoughts?

Compression checks performed per suggustions from here, and it's within normal limits.

I'm going to pick up a head this weekend for it, however am pretty disgusted, really. Maybe I'll feel better another day.

My ole '84 never let me down.... grumble, grumble, grumble.... I retired it 'cause it really is due for a tranny swap.

I hate pulling tranny's so for me, it would be no question......I'd pull the head, wack a valve in it, and be back on the road. Spend an extra 30min and replace all the valve stem seals and you'll virtually eliminate oil consumption.

Either, I'm warning you right now......you're hands are getting dirty!

<big sigh> Guess you're right, dirty hands are inevidible....and picking up the donor head tomorrow. Feeling a bit better about the whole thing today.... gonna do this.

I'll probally wear gloves. get 'em free from work and I'm used to working in them anyway from the hospital.

My compression checks reveal that all is well under the head, on all cyls.

My mechanic says that he wants to do a valve job, and sent it out to a shop that will do the ususal work that is done for a head job. Then reassemble everything looking fresh and pretty.

You, however, recommended that just the valve and guides be r/r, and reassemble it all back together. I understand your reasoning about just doing what is nec... as opposed to doing the whole head. I guess my question is how do I convince my mechanic?

The good side is that he and I are pretty good friends, and he's agreed to allow me to assist him [thanslate: I turn the wrenches, I pay him to help/teach].

Your head is a "known". The donor head isn't.

With your head, you could simply replace the one bad exaust valve, lap it in by hand, and then if you want to spend an extra 30min, replace all the valve stem seals to control oil consumption.

Pretty easy and cheap....and that's what I'd tell your mechanic.

Sure, the right way is having a complete valve job done. The righter way is replacing all the valves, all the guides, milling the head, milling the exhaust manifold, new lifters, and new valve stem seals.

But at some point you have to say, "Look, it's already got umpteen hundred thousand on it. There's no sense in putting a $600 head on an old used engine. And bottom line, it was running fine before, and it'll run fine again. And besides, we're not going to fly it to the moon."

Forget about using hospital gloves for wrenching. You'll hate them. They stick to the wrenches, tear every 2 seconds and aren't chemical proof. Go to NAPA or similar and buy a box of blue nitrile gloves. $10 for 100. You'll love 'em and they'll hold up.

The gloves I'll be using are tougher than the blue nitrile. Weve many types of gloves other than the non-sterile laytex....

Thanks for your logic. I'm printing this, gonna do something close to what you're suggusting.

After all, I don't want to spend much more $$$ on this than I need to. After sorting everything out, I'll still need to paint the old boy.

Picked up the donor head this weekend, from Jretal in Va beach. Still has injectors in it, and now I can examine the thing well to learn something about what I'm about to do. It's been at least ten years since I did this sort of thing..... I'm grateful for the head.... handling it and seeing the physical qualitys of it helps me as much as the step-by-step of the bentley.