Port And Polish

93till · July 2, 2009

I just purchased a 93 es300 that I'm considering doing a motor rebuild for. It's been pulled from the engine bay and I've started taking it apart slowly. Since I'll have the motor in pieces, I figure why not port/polish the heads. Anyone gotten their heads ported/polished? How much do they usually cost?

gbhrps · July 4, 2009

Why would you bother? These engines give terrific performance as the are, for what they are intended to do. If you wanted a performance machine, you should buy an ISF, or a GS, when you have the dough. You already have a 16 year old car. Put in the new engine and save your money from the port and polish for the proper maintenance a car of this vintage is sure to require over the next few years. Hopefully by the time you need to replace this car, you'll be further up the salary scale and be able to get closer to what you really want to be driving. Good Luck!

zockslexus · July 5, 2009

Why would you bother? These engines give terrific performance as the are, for what they are intended to do. If you wanted a performance machine, you should buy an ISF, or a GS, when you have the dough. You already have a 16 year old car. Put in the new engine and save your money from the port and polish for the proper maintenance a car of this vintage is sure to require over the next few years. Hopefully by the time you need to replace this car, you'll be further up the salary scale and be able to get closer to what you really want to be driving. Good Luck!

agreed...fast cars stock...just keep her running clean and with high octane.

George_Jetson · July 5, 2009

Not sure if you are aware of this, but you can buy low mileage (40 to 60 K) engines from several different importers, for less than $600. If your engine requires a complete rebuild, it would probably be cheaper to buy a replacement instead. In the shop I used to work, most people would take this option, and I personally will swap the engine when the engine in my car goes out.

It is another option, that you sould look at before you decide what is best for you.

93till · July 16, 2009

Thanks for the responses guys. I considered exchanging my current 3vzfe for a jdm motor, cost-wise it's fairly close. I want to keep the car, and have been wanting to get the motor open for the learning experience... which is why I considered the rebuild. The whole port/polish deal was more of a "why not since i'm there" type of deal.