Hey all,

My no-start issues have now turned into almost a full blown rebuild. Might as well while everything is apart. When I removed the exhaust manifold, which had been replaced, the mixture of bolts and studs came out really badly. Some spun in place, others broke, etc. etc. So, the head went to the machine shop, and they're not sure if they even can fix the exhaust holes. They're pretty trashed. If they can, it'll cost me over $800. They also said they can source me a reman head for the same price. Looking into new castings, found that the top two choices (AFAIK), 22RE Performance and LCE are 8-16 weeks out on cylinder heads, if they can offer them at all. I wish that lead time worked for me but I can't leave the truck sitting for another 2-4 months. So I've been combing the internet looking for other options and found a few, but none that I can trust without other opinions. Engnbldr is no more. Sunwest offers a loaded head for $400. APR, which is located near me, offers a loaded head with higher compression for $325. DOA Racing offers very expensive 165hp long blocks and they don't list pricing for their cylinder head. I guess what I'm trying to say is there are a lot of options, and I really want to just avoid low quality new castings and turn-and-burn rebuilds that aren't going to last. I know nothing about the reputations of these vendors, other than reading some OLD threads on forums saying some of them aren't good.

Can anyone with experience help me out here? I'm perfectly willing to spend money if the product is really good. I'd be all over 22RE Performance or LCE if they had stock. I haven't decided if I want to pull the block out or not, I'm leaning towards leaving it as-is. I don't believe it's ever been touched and it's got 175k on it. I've read some tips about not "breaking the seal", so to speak, by messing with the short block if it isn't necessary. I also don't have a hoist, or much space, and the machine shop near me isn't exactly cheap so costs would quickly spiral. It's not a particularly nice 4Runner so the idea of throwing $3k+ at it seems lofty. Appreciate any anecdotes that might help me find the right thing!

 

I'll gladly take some opinions regardless but I just got off the phone with DOA and for less than LCE I can get a new casting, ported and polished, oversized valves, stiffer springs, RV cam, all the good stuff ready to bolt on. That seems like by far the best option. My local shop would be up over that price even if they transferred everything from my old head to the new one. That's without even factoring in the rocker assembly. Would love to hear some personal anecdotes too of course so I can weigh other options as well.