What is a round about price to pay for a head/cam for labor. I have been burnt in the past and just want to make sure that i am not over paying or any thing crazy. LS1 F-body with long tubes and LS6 manifold.

 

Its all gonna depend on where you are located and the shop you pick.

 

i would imagine about 10-12 hours labor if you go to an independant shop.

 

Probably a larger shop in NC or VA

 

I called 5 places months ago...i was quoted from 800 to 1200 for labor. I ended up doing it myself.

 

I am just a little nervous about trying it my self. I have done small things like exhaust, pulled two or three transmissions with help from friends, intakes, some wiring, and know how to use filler gauges. But i have never done any thing that big by myself or have any one around that is what i would call LS experienced and would be willing to help out.

I know there are a ton of right ups on line to help but my biggest fear is getting in over my head and damaging something.

 

Dude I was the same way. But believe me when I tell you, its not hard, its just time consuming, and there is a lot of things that need to be done. I'm a person that believes anyone should try something and fail, then to not try at all. But its your car, and if you dont feel comfortable doing it then have someone do it for you.

 

My friend came to my house and took my intake and heads off in about 2 hours in my driveway. When the heads got rebuilt he came back and put the heads and intake back on in about 2.5 hours. He charged me $400 total for labor.

After being there the whole time with him....I could easily do it myself next time. Its a cake job for anyone with basic skills, you just have to torque them down properly.

.

 

X2
I'm retarded and tackled this by following the writeups on this site with basic handtools. DO spring for a quality torque wrench, though. It's way more satisfying to do it by yourself and save the coin! Sack up, man!

 

Don't know where you're located, but RPM Motorsports local to me in Raleigh, NC charged me $450 for cam swap and $350 for tune when I had my cam put in. Then a few months later, $500 for head swap and $75 for retune. PLEASE REMEMBER that because they quote you let's sey $500, doesn't mean it won't be more because s*** comes up as always and it can add up so be prepared

 

My friend did mine for $200 , but shops regularly charge about 800-1200 like greekey said

 

RPM built my last TA and did a great job mind you. But i spent over 6-8K in labor alone over the three years of building and changing the set up around. Great guys and Ryan is one of the best tuners on this side of the country. But i do like doing mosf of my mods myself and hell 800 bucks just about pays for a set of LS6 heads.

 

Yeah I couldn't complain one bit about the work they've done to my motor and tranny! Granite if I can do it myself I do, but there are somethings I can't balance time between work, school, and working on the car so I trust them 100%!

 

labor is free when you do it yourself, and like everyone said, it is really easy! if you dont feel comfortable taking the heads off then do the cam swap, and then pay to get the heads swapped, that way you learn a whole bunch and dont have to worry about the most expensive piece of your engine, not to mention the prettiest......