Mercury Bobcat Cylinder Head for Sale | OEM Used Classic 1975 to 1980

Description

About the Mercury Bobcat Cylinder Head

The Mercury Bobcat is the Lincoln Mercury badged twin of the Ford Pinto, produced from 1975 to 1980. It shared the Pinto chassis, engines, and basic body structure, distinguished primarily by Mercury trim badging, grille, and tail light treatments. Body styles included the 3-door hatchback Runabout and the 4-door Villager wagon. The Bobcat ended production in 1980 along with the entire Pinto platform. The cylinder head is one of the most important components of an internal combustion engine. It mounts on top of the engine block and forms the upper portion of the combustion chamber. The head houses the intake and exhaust valves, the spark plugs, the camshaft (in overhead cam engines), and the passages for intake air and exhaust gas flow. It also routes coolant and oil through the engine. A cracked, warped, or damaged cylinder head causes loss of compression, coolant leaks into the combustion chamber, oil contamination, overheating, and eventually engine failure.

Important: Bobcat Engine Options and OHV vs OHC Distinction

The Mercury Bobcat was offered with two different engines over its production run, and they use entirely different cylinder heads. The 2.3L Lima inline-4 engine was the most common Bobcat powerplant, and it is an overhead-cam (OHC) design with a belt-driven single camshaft mounted in the cylinder head. The 2.8L Cologne V6 was the optional larger engine, available from 1975 to 1979, and it is an overhead-valve (OHV) design with the camshaft in the engine block and pushrods actuating the valves through rocker arms. The source listing for this part lists “Valve Configuration: Overhead valve (OHV)”. The OHV designation indicates this specific cylinder head is from the 2.8L Cologne V6 variant, NOT the more common 2.3L Lima inline-4. If you have a 2.3L Lima OHC Bobcat, this cylinder head will NOT fit your engine. Call (855) 634-4447 with your engine code (located on a tag near the distributor or stamped on the engine block) before ordering, and we will confirm whether this head matches your specific Bobcat engine.

Cylinder Head Resurfacing Price Considerations for Classic Restoration

Bobcat owners and classic restoration shops researching cylinder head resurfacing price for the 2.8L Cologne V6 typically face three options. A complete used OEM cylinder head like this listing arrives already inspected for cracks and deck-surface flatness, ready to install with minimal additional machining in most cases. Resurfacing your existing head at a machine shop (deck mill, valve seat refresh, valve guide replacement, pressure test) typically falls in the $200 to $500 range depending on what work is needed and the machine shop. New-old-stock or NOS heads (where still available for this vintage) command the highest pricing tier and are increasingly rare. For Bobcat and Pinto restoration projects, the trade-off between buying a tested used head versus resurfacing an existing head often comes down to whether your existing head can be saved (no cracks, deck within machinable tolerance, valve seats salvageable) and whether you have a trusted classic-engine machine shop available locally. Call us for current pricing on this used head; we are happy to discuss the trade-off based on your specific situation.

About This Cylinder Head

Constructed from cast iron or aluminum (depending on the original donor variant), this cylinder head features factory-original specifications including pre-installed valve guides and valve seats, precision-machined surfaces for sealing against the engine block and intake / exhaust manifolds, anti-corrosion-treated exterior, and the original valve configuration matching the Bobcat engine of its donor era. We inspect each cylinder head for:

• Cracks at common failure points (between valve seats, around spark plug holes, at the head bolt boss)
• Deck surface warpage using a straightedge across the head-to-block mating surface
• Valve seat condition and depth (worn seats lower compression)
• Valve guide wear (excessive guide clearance causes oil consumption)
• Combustion chamber carbon buildup
• Coolant passage corrosion and blockage

Classic Mercury Bobcat Restoration

Restoring a 45-plus year old classic like the Mercury Bobcat presents real parts-sourcing challenges. The Pinto / Bobcat platform was never a high-collectability vehicle, so surviving examples are increasingly rare. Engine internals like cylinder heads are particularly hard to source because they wear with use and many original engines have been swapped out over the decades. If you are restoring a Bobcat or keeping a daily-driver classic running, our cylinder heads come from carefully sourced donor vehicles with the engine condition documented before sale. Note on the Pinto / Bobcat platform: both vehicles share the Pinto well-documented rear fuel-tank vulnerability. While this does not affect cylinder-head function, restoration owners should be aware that any Bobcat restoration may want to address the fuel-tank shield situation as part of the project.

Signs Your Bobcat Cylinder Head May Need Replacement

• Engine misfires (compression loss from warped head, blown head gasket, or cracked head)
• Overheating (cracks allow combustion gas into coolant or coolant into combustion chamber)
• Coolant leakage at the head-to-block joint
• White smoke from exhaust (coolant burning in combustion chamber)
• Significant power loss not explained by ignition, fuel, or compression test on intact head
• Coolant in oil (chocolate-milk appearance on dipstick) from internal head crack

What Ships and What Does Not

You receive the complete OEM cylinder head with pre-installed valve guides and valve seats, original valve configuration matching the donor engine, factory-machined surfaces, and anti-corrosion-treated exterior. Crack and deck-warpage inspection completed before payment. Not included: valves, valve springs, retainers, keepers (transfer from your old head or source new at restoration), head gasket (replace at install, sold separately), head bolts (replace at install for safety on a torque-to-yield application), camshaft, rocker arms, push rods (for the OHV V6, transfer or source new), intake and exhaust manifolds, water and oil passage sealing components.

Why Buy From Part Nests

• Used Mercury Bobcat cylinder head from a carefully sourced classic donor
• Crack inspection and deck-warpage check before shipping
• Engine configuration confirmed at order (2.3L Lima OHC vs 2.8L V6 OHV)
• Valve guides and seats pre-installed
• Combustion chamber carbon condition documented
• Coolant passage condition inspected
• Free shipping to all 50 states, no hidden surcharges
• 15 day replacement warranty on operational defects
• Classic Pinto / Bobcat platform expertise
• Call (855) 634-4447 to discuss the cylinder head resurfacing price comparison vs this used head, confirm engine type (2.3L Lima OHC vs 2.8L V6 OHV) before ordering, and avoid wrong-engine confusion that wastes time and shipping cost