Originally posted by John H. Meredith:
Bob;
The 'kids' today believe everything they read or hear from their 'peers' & never people who have done it for years and "know the ropes".
Hard seats are ONLY needed if:
1) Your running a catilic converter.
2) Your running a commercial vehicle.
3) Your building a Hot Rod engine for racing.
A non-commercial, non-smog (used engine) in a passenger car doesn't need them.
This is the "general rule" for most and 'dreaming up' exceptions can't change it.
If you want to spend the money anyway, or call it "preventive maintaince" okay, but there still NOT needed. Engines rebuilt for antique vehicles rarely go 30,000 miles more; as their just driven to shows and other events and never abused.
Machine Shops put them in because they assume your going to run a 'Cat'.
Now; If your head is 'beat up' so bad that it takes one to fix a cylinder, that's the one you put it in is all. You DON'T need 6 or 12 new ones.
Get your car going & see if you like it etc. If you do; then build a custom engine for it, with ALL the "bells & whistles" you like from the ground up. 
after all this reading,,, i have just 1 question., i have a 1976 pontiac ventura, came with 250 with integral head, has factory cat but the origional head had no hardened seats.... doesnt that contradict what u said here???
also, the origional motor when i pulled it had 135,000+ on it, and was origionally owned by an older lady who from what i found out did not take very good care of the car..had 3 cracked seats (got it hot i figured), and the seats were beat pretty bad. it is also an unleaded car. i trashed the head, bought a entire engine out of a 72 nova, built the head (without hardened seats) and rebuilt the origional shortblock.(took .040 just to clean up!!!) under the advise of my dad, i didnt go with hardened seats, or molly rings, and with regular maitenance, the motor didnt last. seats were sunk,(no i didnt get it hot, ran 180* thermostat) and the rings gone. bought a head of ebay during that time, had it built with hardened seats, and put in molly rings., oil is still pretty clean at oil change time, and not a drop of oil has leaked or burned out of this engine.. i learned the hard way, and others have learned things differently than others., it it works for u, great, but dont preach that what ur saying is fact, because i can obviously prove otherwise.. great site, and i love my inline!!! happy holidays all
