3.8 liter head repair

Hi Everyone,

Can anyone recommend a machine shop that can rebuild an XKE head? One of the valve guides on my 64 came loose and left the valve stuck open. I have the head with a machine shop that comes with a good reputation but I’m not sure if they have done a lot of work on a 3.8 liter head. I know they make oversized guides but I don’t know where to find them. I do want to get the job done right.

Thanks
Keith

I’d be surprised if there are not places closer, but Classic Jaguar in Austin Texas does excellent work.

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This just recently got talked about.

Keith, why don’t do it yourself. The head in an oven and with some metal pushed out. Buy an oversize guides from Barratt , push in with hammer quickly out of the oven.
All fixed with low costs.
Frank.

I wish it were that simple. The group that worked on the head said they could not find the oversized guides needed to fix the exhaust valve. They don’t look very complicated so I’m not sure why a machine shop cannot build on to any needed size.

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They clearly didn’t look very hard: there are about a gazillion different size guides out there, and any machine shop worth their salt can make them work.

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I was surprised when they said they could not find an oversized guide to fit my head.

Exactly. I had a valve guide drop on a Mazda 626 which kinda wore out the hole in the head. A local machine shop simply bored it out to a uniform diameter & made an oversized guide to fit, problem solved.

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Yes, Sng.Barratt, I made one mistake to buy the first, original guides, do not know why the sale the first guides if you have to change the guides.
Everyone doesn’t need the first guides, they need the second or higher.
So DO NOT BUY THE FIRST ONE’S. at Barrett.
Bye, bye,
Frank.