Need some advice, probably blown head gasket, 7MGE overheating

[g7c5c]

Hey folks...

I've got an '87 Supra non-turbo up here in Fairfield, CT. Love the car but recently it's started overheating. Pretty recently I had a stuck thermostat and a really ugly-looking radiator replaced so I don't think those are the culprits. I'm told the shop I brought it to did a 'smoke test' and they think it's a blown head gasket.

I need some advice because I really don't have:

• tools
• a place to work on my car myself
• technical aptitude

I do have about $5k I can throw at this problem, maybe a little more. But I don't know the first thing about who to bring the car to or what to ask for. Should I have the 7MGE taken apart and put back together with a metal gasket?

 

[motorider9911]

Yes go with a Metal Head Gasket for sure. While you are in there replacing the gasket it would be a good idea to replace the valve seals, check the valve clearance, replace timing belt, tensioner, and idler. Any shop you have had good experiences with can easily do this job, its nothing special. Search for the sticky thread on picking the correct thickness MHG. Keep in mind that the deck of the block and head should be machined to make sure its a perfectly flat. Usually this cost $50. Hope I could answer some of your questions.

 

[suprarx7nut]

I'd vote for a standard oem head gasket unless you plan on going turbo. Use arp hardware torqued to their specs (80-90 usually).

The MHG is overkill for an na and requires more precise machine work.

If going OEM, any decent shop should work. If going MHG you should be a little more picky about who you choose to do the work.

 

[hvyman]

For just a blown head gasket i would just fix that with oem. Should be about 2k total +/- a couple hundred. mhg will require full rebuild