on average how much does it cost for a shop.

i have a ford escort 96 btw.

thanks

call them and ask. Every shop charges different amounts for labor...from $40-$80 an hour. So it is hard to say. Just pick up the phone and ask them what their going rate is. If they give you nonense ask what they charge for labor/hour and then ask them how many hours it takes to change a head gasket. If they are a legitmate shop they should have no problems answering that. If you are worried about being overcharged, I'd call a few places locally and see who can do it the cheapest.

Also please don't start a new thread to get a question answered, simply because nobody has answered it in less than 12 hours...have some patience.