Well did some thinking tonight at work. If I tear my truck down to replace the plenum gasket I might as well replace the heads. Its possible that my misfire is from a cracked head. So I ask you all which heads would you go with? I know if Silver comes in he will say get the HD's. I would like some more power but keep in mind this is a 4x4 and was bought to drive in the snow its not a a race truck. i don't need crazy amounts of power to lose control in the snow. Heres what I found onebay. I looked on summit but didn't find anything. I'm not changing my cam if I do all this so keep that in mind as well. Also I need it to pass emissions

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-E...mZ370043114981

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...:IT&ih=024

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...:IT&ih=024

 

Looking at the heads online I would think the first option would really be more than you need with those larger valves. Reviewing all 3I see that none of them have had any porting or polishing done so basically you are just looking at new heads without any performance enhancements. However, that being said only the first option is showing stainless steel valves which is an upgrade over basic valves.

Instead of outright purchasing new heads upfront, if you are concerned about cracked heads pull them from your truck and have a good machine shop magnaflux them. If they are cracked that will show it. If not, you can either buy new or have the shop rebuild yours. The $260heads on e-bay with the 3 year warranty would probably work fine for your situation, but I would think that if yours are not cracked rebuilding them with OEM style parts would be cheaper than that. You could probably upgrade to better seals and vales and still be less than the cost of $520 for the pair rebuilt. Just make sure it's a good shop that others or yourself trusts.

 

I had a persistant misfire issue, and after replacing almost everything externally, I ended up coming to the same crossroads you are at. I ended up having a bent valve causing my misfire (bent ever so slightly, but just enough to cause problems).

I ended up going with the HD Magnum heads off ebay, and had a VERY good experience with those guys (headsbycch) is the seller I believe. Granted, I didnt go for any performance upgrades, no polishing, no big valves, etc. I just did a direct bolt on replacement, and have been very happy.

I took my original 5.9 magnum heads down to the local machine shop and had them magnaflux them, and to my suprise almost every single seat was cracked, and they were all cracked between the valves. If you read around on this forum enough, you will find that a great number of guys have had the exact same issues, as the factory heads were weak in that area.

The bottom line is they are cheap, and the guys are FAST with shipping, etc. I would do business with them again for sure. Good Luck!

 

Thanks but the whole point behind changing the heads is ditching the stock ones. I don't want to have to tear all this **** off again so why would I have work done to and put put back on heads that are prone to cracking

 

I gotcha, and dont blame ya. :-) Not exactly an easy gig just to go back to factory stock. I just wanted mine to run again (188k miles) didnt want to try to blow up more parts (yet).