Hey forum members, I recently aquired a 1990 isuzu trooper with a bad head...I am unexperienced in engine/head work and was wondering if you could give me any advice on the above mentioned work. I am having trouble with finding a head as well....I'm not certain butheard something about an isuzu to AMC head swap and want more information on that as well as information on pulling the head in general.

Thanks in advance,
Chris (scarboy)

www.aluminumheads.com

Their new castings are listed as "AMC" heads... but I don't think it has any real connection to the AMC you are implying. I have used and would recommend them as a company.

Aha! Is there any reason I shouldn't have have the isuzu head rebuilt?

Yes! It'll probably cost you as much or more than the price of a new head to get the old one rebuilt, by the time you factor in pressure-testing (mandatory on these), mill head, new valve guides, new valves, machine shop labor, etc etc etc.

At least that was my experience when I did the head on my '89 Spacecab.

Plus you always run the risk of dumping a pile of $$ into the old head, only to have it fall to Dreaded CHS (Crack Head Syndrome)! The new castings don't have the same tendency to crack as the original factory items.

Check out the Pro Topline heads at Aluminumheads.com, they're a bit cheaper than the AMC; a friend of mine used one and had no troubles with it.

http://www.aluminumheads.com/Isuzu.html

Just be sure to use an Isuzu gasket; pick one up from Jerry Lemond (he's all over this forum) or St. Charles Isuzu. The aftermarket gaskets have a tendency to blow out between cylinders.

HTH & G'luck.........ed

A year or so ago I replaced the head on my 2.6 Trooper with an AMC head from the people mentioned above. The old head, an Isuzu #4 casting, was in bad shape. Some of the valves were cracked, and there were a number of cracks in the head itself. It wasn't worth the effort of putting back on the block.

The service I received from the Aluminumhead people in Portland OR was good. The AMC head is very good. AMC, btw, is not to be confused with American Motors Corp. They are, I believe, a Spanish company.

I have a set of instructions which I've compiled over the years while changing head gaskets, prior to buying the AMC head. They're good enough to get me through the job. Be aware though, they're written specifically for my '89 Trooper. I would assume, but not guarentee, that they will work on any 2.6 Trooper.