1983 911sc
 

I am now broke but how important would it be to to replace head studs if originals look ok and are steel?

The lower head studs aren't steel - and the lower one are the ones that break. I'm not sure what your question is but I wouldn't replace the lower ones unless they were broken or you had the motor apart.
-Chris

the motor is apart IE valve job i was trying to cut cost on the engine work

The steel studs are relatively inexpensive. The part # is 993 101 172 02. $9.28 each from our host. Your engine builder may be able to give you a better price.
-Chris

It's cheap as long as they don't break getting them out. Good mechanic should be able to get them out for you. Wouldn't figure more than an hour of labor to get them out but that's just a guess.

Put a magnet on them. If the magnet sticks (steel), don't replace them. If the magnet doesn't stick (dilavar), it would be really, really, really bad judgement not to replace them while you have the engine apart.

Did I mention it would be really bad judgement not to replace them if they are dilavar?

I purchased and installed the 993 steel studs with the part number posted above, good stuff. I had to take my engine apart for no reason other than a broken dilavar head stud. Everything else in the engine was like new.
Very expensive way to replace a $9 stud.

the real problem is that I really only budgeted 4000 for this job and it is growing to over 6000.00
how much should a valve job cost?

Who's doing the work and what are they doing?

I sent out my heads durring my rebuild and spent almost 1000 for the following.

• New Intake/Exhaust Valves (OEM)
• New Valve Guides
• Cleaned and bead blasted (looked brand new)
• Valve seats cut to match the new valves
• New Viton valve seals
• All re-assembled and ready to install

If you have dilivar studs replace them. Regardless of your expenditure to date. To do anything alse would be foolish imo.

The $1,000 above seems about right to me. I paid about that.

For heads I pay about $400 which includes new guides, spring pressure measured and set and a broken stud or two removed. That price does not include new valves. They come back looking like new and ready to install.

The last SC set that I had done (12/2003) were around $700 with all new valves and guides.
-Chris

OK, your engine rebuild project is way over budget. You have spent $6k to date, sounds like you are paying someone to do it.
Does it make sense to risk having to do it over again because you didn't spend $150 on some studs?
If you break a stud later on, one of two things could happen:
One, you could have to tear it down and spend about $500 in parts and $2500 in labor to have someone replace the dilavar studs.
Or, Two, you could break a stud and ruin a head and a cylinder (worst case). That would get real expensive.
I'm a tightwad cheap SOB by nature, but this aint the place to save money.

yes I have decided that there is no reason to even fix anything unless I do it right but I will be doing everything myself and hopefully all the porsche heads here will help me . I have ordered all the parts ie springs seals heads redone with new guides andI will be replacing all the studs with arp studs (the top studs were steel but the bottoms seemed not to be)I have built quite a few 350 chevy motors that I drag raced and have done well with my horror would be to screw something up like setting the cams, close works for chevy just not these so hopefully (as a tight wad myself) the money I save wont go into fixing screw ups

ARP studs are very good, but prolly overkill on this engine.

Most folks just replace the lower studs with steel, unless they are building a full race high rpm motor or a high boost turbo motor.
But no one's ever had to do it over because they built it too strong.

You are doing all the work yourself and you are over $6k already? you must be building one heck of an engine with all the go-fast parts.

Starlifter,

Do you have a copy of Waynes engine rebuild book?

If you dont I highly recomend it to anyone rebuilding a 911 motor. I know I could have never completed my rebuild with out it and this site.

I 2nd what Sam said; ARP is a waste of money in this application. I used Raceware headstuds on one my motors but that was years ago when I knew even less than I do now (if that is even possible).
-Chris