MYTOYOTA

I agree about the gasket situation, I have forever been a fan of felpro for multiple applications.

Thanks much for the link I checked it and I feel like I might be purchasing another headache lol. I only have the funds for one purchase so it needs to be the right one.

Proof is in the pudding.

Thank you it's nice to hear things like this before I ship off $500 of my hard earned cash.

I didn't get a chance to read the entire thread but the date of those posts are 9 years old. Not trying to disregard their opinions but companies can improve over time so the age of the opinions should be considered.

Good links Ive never heard of partsgeek needless to say I bookmarked it. Thanks.
Thank you for the trouble of finding the link and posting. This was an option that I pretty much will go to as a last resort. I have had major issues ordering powertrane parts from large warehouse vendors for my CRX and past GM 350's. The prices are usually great but I seam to be a constant victim of THE LAW OF AVERAGES and end up getting the 1 in a 100 bad cores lol.

yoterr

That thread was for Oregon engine rebuilders if im not mistaken...not the same company..

and it's nice to have the owner of the company email you to tell u ur order is being shipped and ask why u have 2 orders going to different places lol I mixed somthing up and sent somthing to my old adress...horray for good customer service!! Lol

Bob_T

This can get confusing. Most of the negative experiences in the above thread were about Oregon Engine Builders in Sandy, Oregon. The vendor we are talking about here in this thread is Engnbldr.com in Portland, Oregon. I don't know for sure but I don't think the two businesses are related.

Bob

MYTOYOTA

I was kind of confused by this too. Does anyone know the answer to this?

mountaingoat

Completely different companies.

4x4climber

ENGNBLDR.COM has NOTHING NOTHING to do with other companies. I have heard HORRIBLE things about Oregon Engine Builders.. They are a crapshoot.TED is nothing like them.

I refuse to read the whole thread. Very rarely do I do that before posting... But, this is a pretty simple thing. Engnbldr.com /TED sells good stuff. I would not buy the oil pump or timing cover off him and i mix n matched his rebuild parts with other stuff... But, you are simply refereeing to his and his parts integrity and whether or not his head will be good for you.

1st. 99% of his shiznit is good stuff.
2nd. Street RV head... you CANNOT beat the value and quality. as for a boost and a upgraded stock replacement it is a great product. NO valve ticking. i have better power. and i believe i am getting better MPG then some cuz of it also. These engine REALLY need more airflow. This head will give it.

Go buy an RV head with the o/s valves. don't second guess yourself or question the idea of it. Just know it is a great product. As far as a cam. I would get one if I were you... But, you will want to replace more then just the cam. you will wanna replace the adjuster tips on the rockers (20-30$)and have the rocker arm faces re-lapped. cheap at a local machine shop or buy em already done for like 100$.

His gasket kit is also only 59$.. MY engbldr gasket kit and engbldr/ROCK HG has NOT failed. and If it does I will let you know. But for now... It will MORE THAN get you by. and 59$ gets you all the gaskets. so take apart your intake and clean it and use new gaskets... and all that stuff... I would run an OEM HG if i felt a need to. but i compared the two side by side and they look virtually identical.

i also run an LCE cam, but for cost would recommend and engnbldr cam to you.

$510 will get you the head n gaskets.

$600 will get you the cam also...

$650-750 for adjuster tips and rocker faces. depending on if you take em to a shop or buy em done

it is up to YOU though how correctly you wana do it... my opinion is AT LEAST get the adjuster tips with the head , cam n gaskets. Just a little over 600 total.

BTW. MY engine is FULL of his parts from the bottom to the top. RUNS AWESOME. pulls GOOD. gets good gas mileage. And I am sure it will last a LONG time. Has not even hiccuped yet.

snobdds

There parts are good for around 30,000 miles and then they usually need replaced. I have had a water pump, head gasket, and a leaking oil pump right around that milage. If you go in knowing that fact, and your willing to replace the parts...then go for it.

Now that I am older and wiser, I only buy OEM parts. They last so much longer and they have a nice fit the first time. Little more expensive, but it's cheaper in the long run. Sometimes I find myself looking for stuff to replace, but with all OEM stuff on the truck, the parts just don't wear out.

4x4climber

With that said snobdds... When I have the money I will put a new motor in it. But for now... If my motor last 30k... thats fine. i would expect it to go longer in reality wether they are inferior non-oem parts or not...i am expecting to get 30-50k outta my rebuild.... but i already know in a couple yearso i will be in a better situation and will be able to afford all OEM. Like a 7mge-t swap... LoL

I will say if ANYONE can afford to go OEM then DO IT. IF you cannot afford to go OEM... like me and this dude...then these parts are good for the price.

yotarover

just go EB, you wont regret it. order his front end kit and call it good, did this a while back after my hg blew. got me another yr out of driving before the rod blew a hole in the block.

Bob_T

MyToyota,

Your initial post in this thread could have been written by me, it echoes my thoughts and questions pretty much exactly. I'm in the process of rebuilding my 22R and here are my personal opinions, not necessarily to be confused with facts.

One of the main problems buying 22r parts is that there are numerous vendors and manufacturers and most of us are "bottom feeders" looking for the lowest price. The owners of Ferraris don't quibble over a few dollars but we do. So, a vendor offering superior parts at a fair price will lose business to a vendor selling lower quality parts at a lower price.

I started buying parts piecemeal before I started learning from reading this and other forums. Now I have two sets of rings, rod bearings and front and rear seals because I changed my other mind on what was best and bought other parts. Personally I think the engine builder (us) is responsible for all parts and assembly of an engine. I don't subscribe to buying engine kits or trusting any vendor to sell me what I want, I pick each part based on what I think is best. Not to say that the parts kits offered by engnblder or others aren't fine, I just like to make my own decisions and they don't always turn out to be the best decisions.

I've run across cams advertised as "Made in USA" when further inquiry resulted in the info that they are machined in USA from crappy Chinese castings. Some vendors advertise "Chromemoly" rings and I don't think there is such a thing as a chromemoly ring. They are either chrome plated or coated or infused with moly, not both. Some vendors advertise OEM heads, which I interpret as heads made by the original Toyota factory OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). Again, not the case, they are made by another manufacturer, not the OEM.

I've exchanged a couple of emails with engnbldr, they reply promptly and know their products, in contrast to most vendors who respond with "let me check with my wholesaler and I'll get back to you".

My overall impression of engnbldr (note that I haven't got my engine back together yet, haven't ordered all my parts yet and don't have any FHE) is that his parts may be a little higher priced, but that price reflects value.

Bob

yotarover

Thread closed:: EB or go home. got the cash np go with LCE i wish when i hate 7k i would have dropped it on a LCE engine .. but then again there's bills and all the related to life to pay for.

4Reigner

I can agree on that, I had a not so satisfactory ground at the head-firewall, and on four location were slowly creeping to the combustion chambers.
(Some light-shedding on this would be good..)
This can then happen to any alu-head, chances are they will all be made of the same mix of aluminium, and take to corrosion the same way. Not sure if the weld is stronger than the rest of the material, but it looks brand new now!

The headshop guy who done my head says he always sees the same corrosion on the 22re's not sure what to think of that.

4x4climber

ALSO.... Next time run some RED Toyota coolant. I see green crap in yer head...

84YotaBuck

I have a bunch of EB's stuff in my 22R, but didn't have very good luck with a few things. Could of been my wrenching skills or the parts? who knows. Bought a rebuild kit a few years back, after about 25k, the HG blew, and I don't think the rings ever seated properly. Ended up rebuilding again with a OEM HG and a set of cast iron rings, everything is looking good so far, only about 3k on the 2nd rebuild. TrainWreckinSeattle has a few posts voicing concern with the rings and Ted has replied, so read those and make your own opinions. Other than that, Love the 268 cam I have from him.

GenXr

Wow, this thread is pretty whinny.

For what it's worth, EB has better customer service than any of my local autoparts stores HANDS DOWN. He answered every question I sent him by email quite promptly. I've been very pleased with the timing chain set I purchased from him. I would buy from him again and I recommend him and his products to anyone else interested in 22R parts.

There are enough threads and posts on YT over a significant length of time to give evidence that EB supplies good products and treats his customers well. It doesn't mean that no one has been unhappy for invalid reasons.

On the other hand, trying searching for DOA Racing. i doubt you'll get the same warm fuzzy. What's next? A thread doubting how bad DOA Racing is?

4x4climber

GenXr... I wanna emphasize something you said a bit.

Engnbldr Parts AND Service are both BETTER than anything you will get from a local auto parts store. And better prices by far.

Bob_T

Originally Posted by MYTOYOTA
"....fear of future pitting on the other cylinders. I currently think the pitting was a result of a bad coolant mixture and the lack of a ground from the head to the firewall. If I am correct that would mean the entire structure of the head is compromised."

I wouldn't worry about the entire head structure being compromised. Galvanic corrosion follows the proverbial path of least resistance. It will occur where there is relatively concentrated current flow between nearby dissimilar metals. The inner parts of the head water passages are not close to a dissimilar metal.
A bad analogy, but if you pick up a piece of hot metal, your knees and elbows don't also get burned.

Not sure about the question of the head not being properly grounded, seems like all those tight head bolts, although not copper, would provide a reasonably good electrical connection between the block and the head. Plus, I'm wondering if the head was not grounded at all, there would be no way for current to flow from it or to it, so no corrosion?? I am not an electrical engineer!

This made me think of the copper head gasket spray stuff. It seems to be controversial but I wonder if it might help prevent the corrosion.

Only because you emphasized that you're on a very tight budget, as already suggested if it were mine I think I'd take the head to an experience shop that does aluminum head repairs and see what they say about welding the corroded areas. If you're skilled with tools and it sounds like you may be, I'd flatfile the welds rather than paying for milling the head down. I've cleaned up heads before by carefully hitting the high spots with a new file, then lapping them by contact cementing emery paper to a piece of plate glass. I don't know how many miles are on your head and if it's pushing 300,000 or so the valves, guides and seats are likely on their last legs and it's probably not worth messing with. Again, just mentioning the welding and filing rather than a new head because you are on a tight budget.

Bob

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

Hey there, MYTOYOTA, ... welcome to Yotatech!

First of all, ..... NO ONE that I've dealt with since I started really digging into these motors 1.5Yrs. ago, has been as SELFLESS with their time and advice as Tod of Engnbldr! That means a lot to me.... CUSTOMER SERVICE, even AFTER you buy their stuff...and more importantly, BEFORE I bought any!! lol. His Father, Ted, is semi-retired, but still very involved and VERY helpful, every time I email him.... SAME DAY, every time, since I've been dealing with him over the last year. In fact, they were VERY helpful with my strange issues, MANY times, LONG BEFORE I ever ordered anything from them. Again, that means and SAYS a LOT to me!

The timing cover I got from them, water pump, oil pump, 261 CAM, Steel guide timing kit are ALL still working perfectly after 6K miles.

I too spoke to Tod for a while regarding "Are these REALLY good parts, the Rock stuff and other things you get?" .....and Honestly?.... I BELIEVED HIM when he said, "I stand by them, Mark,...I just have SO FEW problems. I DO use OSK for my tensioner, chain is a specific one I like to use, get a few things from other vendors...but for the price/quality assurance factors involved, ...I wouldn't change at this point from Rock".

To be fair, since you DID include other queries about other companies.... I have to say that 22reperformance.com has been VERY AWESOME to deal with, In my personal experience, anyhow. (Putney's) is they're shop, I believe. They do performance stuff, and they disagree with certain methods of other vendors, even engnbldr in some things..... but then, they're head is almost 900$, their other higher performance one is closer to 1200$(???). However, as you said, it gets confusing.... Speaking with Jim, one of the owners(who's been VERY helpful to me!), .... he told me some things about LCE that were not slanderous really, just difference of opinions, but that blew me away, because they revolved around things like "Using certain parts and will not compromise", as LCE has had Putney's do certain things for them in the past.... But LCE ends up charging more for their version of the 'things' in question? (Guess there IS something to say about "You CAN pay more, at times, just for the name!")

That, above, brings me to make a point, yet again,.... LCE, .... VERY fantastic company to deal with. Yep, more expensive, .... YEP< not always worth it, either! lol. But SOME things, like my CA Legal header, I couldn't be happier, and therein, another interesting point. Putney's told me, straight out, ...."I think LCE's header is my favorite for my Stage 2 Motors...... They are just GREAT quality and seem to give us better results on the dyno"....

That head? Hmmm, Yeah, I'm sure someone would weld it up for ya... But IT IS in a touchy/while common/spot. HG changes CAN go bad, so BE CERTAIN to do a VERY THOROUGH job of cleaning, chasing of holes, etc! Even residue on the block or head can cause an instant failure on a BRAND NEWLY FINISHED BLOCK AND HEAD! (ask me how I know! lol) My gasket that blew? NIPPON-OEM! The one that was in there, had been working for 5000 Miles, regardless of the 800 OTHER PROBLEMS due to my first machinist?>>>> ROCK! lol. After this latest failure, after a SECOND full rebuild..... I went with Felpro-Perma Torque..... Very happy so far, 3000 miles later! (On a side note on the gasket thing... Rocks timing cover gaskets in the kit the first machinist used...not from Engnbldr, .... were TOTALLY ''OFF''.... Went to Napa for Fel-Pro for the rest of the Gaskets after rebuild, too.) Your head could be rebuilt/or a replacement one from a yard can, for probably around 275$, done right, with all new valves/guides/viton seals/dual layer racing springs(I know, I did mine for even less). But dude.... 500$ or so, to your door, new casting, new cam, ready to go??????? ENGNBLDR HEADS DO seem to make people happy, and the price IS INDEED fair for what they offer.

So, in short, the long way, lol.... YOUR QUESTION IS VERY VALID! It's confusing as hell, and EVERYONE HAS AN OPINION, MYTOYOTA(... you know the cliche for that, right? lol).

PS> If I'd had the money(if it wasn't an issue), I would have just purchased OEM everything, Oil Pump/Water Pump/Chain Kit, etc.... Just can't argue with what Snobbs said, ....THEY OUT LAST EVERYTHING OUT THERE!

Bob_T

One comment on buying OEM parts. A lot of the engine accessories like clutches, timing components and water pump were made by Aisin. You can get the same OEM Aisin parts from online vendors and local parts houses for less than the dealer charges. Unless maybe you have a super special discount deal at the dealer.

qdude79

I've bought and run everything EB sells for my rig and have been very satisfied with not only the quality but the personal service when I had questions.