To do it yourself its $100, remove the valve cover, remove the rocker shaft, leave push rods in place.
Change rocker arms, put it all back.
Intake stays on.

If you dont have the time or think you have the skill level then there is nothing wrong with paying to have it done.
But if the truck is running fine and just noisy then seriously consider just driving it until you have the money for the head gaskets too.
My concern is you will fork over $600 for this job and then 6 months later you will be paying another $1200 for the head gaskets.

 

I dont understand why the head gaskets are even involved in this. I dont see how they are connected, but then again , i dont know anything... They are close to the valve covers , but, why do they even need to be touched?

explain?

 

here's an exploded diagram, but for an engine version just a year or two older than yours perhaps. The valve covers and their gaskets come off (#2). Some might have a gasket around item 11, but in some trucks that is metal and re-usable. Removal of the upper intake plenum is not in the list of tasks in the shop manual. Head gasket #23 is not touched. But it is common for many Disco owners to need to replace head gaskets at some point, usually due to over heating issues.

BTW, valve covers come off with 8mm 12 point socket, either 1/4 inch drive or a "slimed down" 3/8 drive.

 

The head gaskets do NOT need to be touched for this job.
You are 100% correct there.
But here is my point, since you are having a shop do the work, at a cost of $600.
They need to remove the rockers to do the head gaskets, so the work is already being done, they cant bill you twice for the same job only for the extra parts.
They already have to replace the valve cover gaskets, so they cant bill you twice for that either, so the job of replacing the rockers is now just the cost of the rockers, because they are already doing the work of removing and installing the rockers when they do the headgaskets.
So they quoted you $1100 for headgaskets and rocker's right?
That is damn cheap.

 

yes, head gaskets and rockers and valve cover gaskets. Both sides. 4 hours labor at 101.00 an hour.

.

.

 

Might be too cheap, if machining heads not included....

 

its a very good shop I do know that. I have been with them for years.

 

ok, well, anybody got any clues as to how long i can drive this with the ticking?

 

i drove a ford truck for about 30,000 miles with a valve/lifter tick and then sold it still going strong. others have gone way less. it just depends on what is actually worn and causing the noise. if it were me and I felt the tick hasn't caused any power loss, then i would drive it until it is undriveable and then fix it or install a good used motor (or sell it and buy a good LR).

 

When I think of ticking I think of bombs

When I think of bombs I think BOOM!

When I think of BOOM..well yeah you get the point.

If it's making a tick, something's not right. If something's not right, get it fixed ASAP.