Would $1000 dollars be a good price for a head gasket change? Also what else should I get done while I have it done? The shop told me I should get my timing chain done and that all of that would cost another grand. Including all the gaskets.

 

ok, to start, Im just going to throw my mechanical $.02 in there.

If you blew a head gasket on a v8, do both... how long till the other one goes? you know what i mean? Second WHY did you blow a head gasket, you need to do some digging and if its heat, have the full motor inspected. (from experience it will save you $$ in the long run) if its from age, then you need to do your standard old motor build ups to save it for the long term use.

If you are just looking to get it back to stock, then have a valve job on both heads done (if the heads are not damaged) so that all the seals seat right. Both head gaskets, really good cleanup on your intake, timing chain, WATER PUMP and OPTI-SPARK and plugs and wires. The water pump will be the next thing to go, Just a heads up. When it goes it will take the OPTI with it. Get the motor good and flushed (so there is nothing to damage the new one) while its open then replace those.

If however you see this as a performance upgrade opportunity, in addition to the repairs above, id have the cam upgraded, full roller rockers, throw new performance heads on, put headers on, and tune the PCM. spend a little more and you've jumped your performance and your longevity tremendously.

IF your head is damaged SCRAP BOTH. I have built 3 350 small blocks, 1 was an LT1 and the heads dont always like each other. Factory heads on one side and Cheapo stock replacement on the other wont always work well, and actually may cause more damage. to one or the other, because one is trying to compensate.

Also, Just as another heads up, no one talks about shocks on these cars. Have them checked by someone who is not looking to make money off of it.
My koni's were shot when i bought the car. It ate a set of tires in 6 months. new koni's, and i have had no tire wear issues since.

Oh and before you go taking everything i say as gospel, my experience is just that... If CRABY tells you i have no clue what im talking about listen to him... he knows all...

 

I totally forgot to include this in the first post but the reason my head gasket may be blown is because shortly after buying the car I brought the car to get the waterpump changed out, while he replaced the waterpump he found that there was no thermostat in the car. After putting the thermostat in he found that the fans wouldn't turn on. He gave the car back to me and said you will be fine driving home so stupid me did and the car overheated. I haven't seen signs of the leaking gaskets yet but was told it will happen.

Also, I read that it could be the PCM that never tells the fans to turn on so after talking to madtuner.com he told me he would switch out the internals and it should fix my problem. Only to find out that it didn't and now after installing his PCM in the car the service engine soon light flashes. Which it never did before.

 

scan for trouble codes. so your not sure its got a blown head gasket? has anyone bled the air out of the cooling system? has a compression test been done on all cylinders?

 

I've attempted to bleed the air many times. But I am totally new to LT1's. The shop that I talked to is a performance shop that does LT1, LS1, and other sports cars so they should know the proper way of bleeding it. They said they could test the liquid to see if it's a head gasket.

I plan to have them check out the car regardless but if it is a head gasket, is 1000 for a head gasket job and another grand for a timing chain job a good price.

 

unlike the old 350s timing chain on the lt1 is very good, i took mine out at 100k miles and it looked almost new. is this for 1 head, 1k for both head gaskets is a pretty good deal. 1k for timing chain seems a little steep. agree with bud if your doin the timing chain should do new water pump and opti.

 

It's for both heads, and yes I plan on having the opti, plugs, and wires done too. But the waterpump I bought and just had put on has maybe 10 miles on it, it's a remanufactured one from advance, I still have the receipt and core. Should I still put a new waterpump on?

 

yes, unfortunately the water pumps on these cars are the weak point. I would not get one from advanced again either. Craby would be able to tell you the best place to go, but i would start looking online. Cheap is not the rout you want to go, unless you want to put a band aid on a wound that needs stitches. you will replace it again if you don't, but then you will buy another new opti.

 

ehh

you can get junk from any parts supplier. QA seems to be a thing of the past and who knows how long LT1 parts have been sitting. I paid more for a made in USA waterpump just to have one of the press fit pipes come off and shower everything.......buh bye opti

the hecho en mexico unit has been working fine for 18 months now

The OP needs to step back and diagnose his issues and not jump to any conclusions

when you jump to conclusions, your wallet jumps with you

 

understand im not saying made in anywhere is better. Im saying Advanced carries better brands than the "advanced brand" look into the QUALITY of the build, not the where its made... Why worry about that when your car is made in canada??? Im saying that #1 he will need to replace it, because he blew the head. Theres gonna be messy stuff in the water pump. no question there. I would go with a better brand PERSONALLY than the advanced store brand based off of their quality and their reputation for production.