my brother has a 93 tbird and was told by one mechanic it was 180$ for two head gaskets and 35$x2 for the head bolts (says you can only use once). Total price for parts would come to about 250$ just for gaskets and bolts. Is this accurate or is it a scam? Thnx for your help

Teen Mechanic (solo)
V8 Swap in a Chevy s10 age 17

 

Possibly, not familiar with Fords that much, but manufacturers often recommend new hardware in some cases. The head gaskets are likely a gasket set, all gaskets needed for the job, but that sounds a bit high. Why does it need headgaskets???

 

Is this a price for parts and labor? It is often advisable to have the heads machined before reinstalling with new gaskets.

 

Yeah, those head gaskets in those are pretty notorious
Those bolt are torque to yield, you need new ones
The gasket price, if that's parts alone, sounds a bit high
Not for a dealer, but for an independent
I thought they should be more like $100 (with the mark-up)
From Ford I wouldn't be surprised if they were more

The procedure is pretty common, you could call around and get other quotes for it

 

A bolt will deform a little as you torque it. So it is a good idea to replace critical bolts like head bolts.
Not sure on the cost of head gaskets but shop around for some and compare.

 

For just bill.... It needs head gaskets because i need to machine the heads because one or more of them is probably warped... exhaust pressure keep pussing antifreeze out the over flow and it over heats reall fast.

For Marksr the prices are for parts only i do all the work myself.

Thnx. for the help.... can never be to sure if im getting ripped off at my age People think i dont know anything...

Teen Mech
V8 swap chevy s10 age 17

 

I wouldn't buy parts from a mechanic - he has to make money too

Call autozne or any of your local auto parts stores to get pricing on what you need.

 

check with ford to , you might be surprised

I would pay a little more for OEM on parts like these

if not ford look for a good auto parts store , rather than one of the chains .

the places I deal with are the same ones the local mechanics deal with the guys behind the counter weren't selling burgers yesterday

(I suspect the mechanic is telling you he doesnt want to sell you the parts )

 

Yup, he's not in the parts biz
Check around

 

get rid of it! t-birds are notorious for headgasket problems,i had one once and sunk about $600 into it.Turns out that once you machine the heads there really isnt enough material left on the head to create a proper seal.It cost me a new/used engine and alot of frustration.The price doesnt sound too bad if it includes the labor.The problem is that the block is aluminium and the heads are a different type of material.I had alot of heating issues too.In the long run If i had known it was going to be that expensive i would have bought another car.

 

I would question why you are buying the parts from a mechanic if you are doing the work for yourself? Do you buy your groceries from a restaurant? Also, you mentioned that the head is probably warped. What are you basing that on? I would suggest removing the heads and bringing them to a good machine shop and have them go over them. Might as well have a valve job since they are off anyway. The machine shop will determine if the heads are warped, cracked, or just were not sealing properly. Also, I've had very good luck in aftermarket gaskets and parts. Just don't buy cheap ones (not from Whitney!), go with a name brand. Also, if you are not sure what you are doing, pay someone who is. Torqueing the head bolts improperly can cause warping. It looks easy reading the steps from a book, and it is, but just be sure that you know what you are doing.

 

The most expensive gasket set at Advance Auto Parts advanceautoparts.com was 99.99 and bolts were 68.xx
AutoZone was cheaper.
Have a good one. Geo