Buda = Money Pit

Sheesh, I'm kinda stuck now. What started out to be what looked like a simple head gasket job just keeps on growing. In my last post, I found out that I needed the counter bores sleeved. It was just too rusty to fix any other way. Off to Midwest Cylinder Head in Nevada Ia. OK, $100 per hole, I think I can swing that (Gulp). I checked my messages tonight and they called. 10 head bolt holes have cracks around them. Got to be welded or find another block. Something tells me $100 per hole isn't going to cover it anymore. Are there any good, ready to go 262 blocks out there? Old style with the water pump on the head. Or do I just bite the bullet and fix mine? I don't want to buy another machinist's nightmare that's for sure.

Decent 262 blocks are lots easier to find than 230s. Watch out for "good" though some's good is other's not so good. You are right about them being a money pit. Years ago I said on here dont even think about starting on one (6BD230) unless you have 5K sitting around to stick in it and I was chastised for it, I stand by it today. A person cant get by with the things we get by with on a B125, or W201-226 when dealing with a D230 or D262.

I guess it's a good thing for quite a while I lived like, as Dave Ramsey says it, no one else so later on I can LIVE like no one else. The eating rice and beans thing as he says.  Midwest is known for being experts when it comes to welding cast iron. Still, this is getting to be a little tough to swallow... I guess the good thing is at least my head was in good condition. It's sealed up in a plastic bag waiting to be installed. I'm right about $2K so far. The way things are going, Butch might be pretty close with needing $5K.

Edited by Brian Jasper co. Ia - 15 Jul 2010 at 8:20pm

I went through this same BS. Our D17D was dropping a sleeve every couple years. Engine had new bearings and rings in the late 80s (poor mans overhaul) and then only saw light use after that until 1997 when my wife dad got it and started using it on a daily basis again. Starting in 2000 corrosion started to take its toll. Fixed one dropped sleeve then the next year another one. I was able to get the  AC cutter made for the job and do it myself. I was shimming with stainless steel wire and they were holding. 2 years went by then it started taking water and also running hot if you worked it. This was during the winter and this tractor was the only tractor that fit in the barn for feeding so he kept running it. Weather got nicer so we pulled the head again. Another dropped sleeve and one at the right height but cracked up and down, top to bottom.  Taking the caps off the rods revealed a little too much antifreeze time on the bearings. 2 used sleeves, cut and shim, polished the bearings and back together. Looking into a total overhaul at this point.

I rebuilt my D17D a couple years ago. Yes, it was not cheap, but I did it right and I use mine for field work on 40 acres. If you deside to stop pouring money into it, I could use an exhaust manifold and maybe a few other parts. Let me know.

OK, the latest is I have several gas 262 blocks and 1 early diesel block to choose from. The "guesstimate" from Midwest was $1200 to $1500. A replacement block is $500 + any machine work it might need.