Is it desirable to leave the valves and springs in place or remove them and sell without



.150 Stroked Y-Block:327.25 ci @ >1hp per ci

I think that depends on the buyer.  Some might like to have it.  Others may not care to have it, if they're planning to replace everything, anyway.  It also adds weight to the shipment and heads are expensive to ship because of weight, not size so every pound saved can help.  Removing them also allows you to inspect the seats and valve ends of the ports to make sure that there are no obvious problems with the heads that would be hidden, otherwise.

Since most will have all of those components replaced, without is probably the most universal way to offer them.


Lawrenceville, GA

If the valves are old stock ones, their value is questionable, so as Charlie says, without is likely best. Depends on the buyer's intentions & our moderator, Ted, won't use old originals on a rebuild because there is no way to guarantee their condition especially if they have been reground a couple of times, they could be 60 years old!..    


Paul

As Charlie points out, there are both pros and cons to removing the valves and hardware to facilitate a sale.  By removing the valves, the condition of the seats can be determined as well as any checking for cracks can take place.  If the heads are extremely ‘cruddy’, then they can be cleaned up at this point to make any examination easier as well as making them more presentable for selling.
 
While I do prefer to use new valves in the older heads simply due to the propensity of those older two piece valve coming apart with age, I would rather receive core heads with all the valves and hardware in place.  Stuck valves or valves with mushroomed tips can create considerable damage to the existing guides if not taken apart with care.  By taking them apart myself, I can spot potential trouble spots with the heads that might not be evident if someone else has taken the heads apart.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)