Hi everybody,
I have just been through the process of rebuilding the engine in my EF XR8, being a newbie to the world of building engines i thought i would just go for it and rebuild it myself. I have since fired her up and she thumps along great, so I thought i would post up some prices on parts and machine work as a guideline for others.

2nd Hand GT40P Heads - $450 (bought these fully reco'd)
Crane 444231 Camshaft - $386
Crane valve spring kit - $320 (to suit offset valve heights, came with springs, locks and collets)
Federal mogul welsch plug kit - $35
Full permaseal gasket set - $200 (came with graphite head gaskets)
Double row rollmaster timing set - $180
King Main and big end bearings - $109 (standard sizes)
Hastings Thin type chrome moly piston rings - $ 160 (standard size)
Cam bearings - $45 (unsure of brand)
Acid dip, measure and polish crank - $35
Acid dip, measure and hone block - $120
Clean pistons - $60
Fit cam bearings - $45
Engine assembly - free by me

All these prices don't include GST, so for just under $2500 i have an engine thats a good little performer and will hopefully last many years. Now before some people flame on me for not mentioning certain things i will explain a few.
-head studs were replaced
-main cap bolts were reused in same locations after being inspected
-The engine shop said only to replace con rod bolts if they were taken out of conrods or damaged, neither was the case for me.
-Instructions that came with my camshaft said it was fine to reuse roller hydraulic lifters.
-Pushrods were inspected for wear but reused in same locations.

I hope this can help some people out, but hands down you cant beat, research speed shops, eagle, speed pro etc and shop around!!!

Thanks and enjoy

Where abouts did you get the cam for at that price? Best I have found is $515 including GST.

Good on you for doing it yourself.

very good price on the heads if they are as u say "fully reco'd" and actually gt40p's

id be happy to pay that for used ones un-reco'd...where'd you find em??

Hey Timmeh, i rang eagle auto parts in dandenong, and spoke to a guy named Les, apparently he is the in house cam guru, I was chasing an E303 cam but there was a 5 week wait for them to be imported, so he suggested this crane cam which was exactly the same (he said crane make the E303). I believe it was posted from their sydney store at a total cost to me of $415.00 ($386 + delivery).



Yes they are as i said fully reco'd, They were reconditioned by the same machine shop that did my bottom end for the local wheel alignment mans cobra, He bolted them on and ran the car for 4 hours then decided that he wanted alloy heads, he then sold them to me for what they owed him.

If GT40p heads have gt40p stamped on them underneath the rocker covers, gtp near some head studs and 4 vertical lines on the end of the heads, then yes i do believe they are GT40P heads, I guess i just got a good deal.

Thanks for the reply mate. You've saved me $100.

Good price on the heads.
Also did you install a new harmonic balancer at the same time you did the rebuild?