nice little suprise

[smithy]

dropped into my local wrecker the other day still trying to source a decent 12 port black head to use with my EFI project and managed to find one buried amongst a heap of blue and red heads, well after nocking him down from over $100 to a previously quoted $50 ( he didnt like that   ) i dropped it off at a local machine shop for a clean and shave, after checking it over in a better light noticed that there was a heap of MUD in the water jackets so a acid bath was now the go, but after that i wiould have to pull it apart and replace the seals. not something i am confident in doing. now more money than i budgeted for :-/. bit the bullet and after comparing prices for a little bit more (couple of hundred $) decided to go all out and have it set up for unleaded .
well, went in to pick it up yesterday and the guy at the counter just smiled at me and said that it was a good thing i was using my head and not just an exchange
turns out my $50 head was fitted with larger XU1 spec stainless steel valves and has had a bit of porting work done in the past . now i have a brand new worked head set up for unleaded all for a very very nice price.
so at last i get a nice suprise when i go to pick something up not a shock and pain to the hip pocket  

cheers
dean

[Blown_FC]

Dean....had the same experience with my Red head.

Took it off and had it sent away for reconditioning and set up for unleaded.

Turned out to be a factory Holden head that had been given the Yella Terra treatment by a previous owner.

So my old grotty head turned out to be a priceless Yella Terra Head ( now unavailable for Red Motors ), worth a little more than previously thought.

When I first bought the motor, you COULD buy a YT head for a RED motor, but as I was ages away form refitting the motor, I waited .    Well it seemed I waited a bit too long( some couple of years ), as they now, no longer make them.

Ironic really, because if I did shell out the money a few years back when I bought the motor, I would have been exchanging my YT  head for a YT head and not even know it.

[earlyholdenfan]

Great to hear Dean, congrats!
couldnt have happenned to a nicer guy!
Matt

[smithy]

cheers matt
fingers crossed that this wont be the only nice suprise installed for me, i have had a few horrors so far :-/

wow i never realised that YT have stopped making heads for reds, last time i built a car ( 20+ years ago) YT were the be all and end all for holden heads, they are still pictured on their website? im trying to chase down a set of roller rockers for the 202 if any body knows of any?

looks like its turned out pretty good for everybody hey matt

cheers guys

[earlyholdenfan]

hey Smithy,
YT still make their heads for the Blue and Black, but demand or supply must have wained for the red ones?
They still make a couple of different roller rockers, Street Terra and Yella Terra (both on their website)
Cheers and good luck with more of those "Nice suprises"
Matt

[Blown_FC]

Oh yeah Dean...that was the other nice surpise.  Inside the rocker cover of the red motor I bought, was a nice set of YT roller Rockers.

Liek you I've had a horror run with things ( most guys do I think ), but when I bought the red motor from a friend for just $400, it came with the YT head, YT Roller Rockers, XU1 Cam, Flat Top Pistons, 4 Barrell Holley and Manifold to suit, and an M21 4 speed and a set of Genie Extractors.

I sold off the tranny, and Holley / manifold and extractors, which basically paid for the motor, so I got the red motor with cam, Rockers and Head for nothing !

If you are desperate for a YT head, I do beleive I know where you can get a BRAND NEW full YT ( Not Holden recon ) alloy stage 3 head for a red motor.   Problem is, they are worth well over a grand now as you can;t get them any more either, and the owner wanted best part of the grand, and it was still a bare head, no rockers ect.

Good luck with your motor, hope it all works out for you !

Mark

[smithy]

hey thanks anyway mark, but im fine for heads now , i actually sold my stage 3 YT head to matt ( early holden fan) a couple of weeks ago because i couldnt use it with my EFI setup.

but geezus what a score with the motor somedays you just get lucky dont ya