engine and drivetrain Head Case!

[jrhone]

Bad news. The head is bad. Since I have had some carb issues and probably bonehead mechanic issues (me) the car was running lean. Heated up the exhaust valves and that did damage to the head. A few cracks and the valve seats got pounded into the head. The cost to fix isn’t really worth it. In addition to that the head thickness was getting low and a 292 cam wouldnt be safe to use and Ken suggested a 284 instead. Ken has a good core that already has the valve job done and the 292 cam would work with that head so I’m going to move forward with that. Here are pics of the damaged head.

 

[TobyB]

yeah, they do that.  And if it's thin, throw it in the bin!

 

t

[ndog]

that sucks or blows  ....sorry

[jrhone]

Good thing is I am swapping it before it was a major issue. Will post the pics I the new head soon.

[Guest_anonymous]

On the up side, you should be able to take of those leaks you were concerned about

[roadhog0]

Looks like the head I ran on my car for about 20k. It was a little less cracked though. It's now bitching at me to redo it, and it's about to get it... Good luck mate!

[Mike Self]

Yep, that head's a shoe-in candidate to take up residence in CD's neighbor's pool...

mike

[LimeySteve]

That's too bad John but at least a solution is at hand , good luck with the resurrection.

[jrhone]

Thx guys for the thoughts and words but it's not so bad. Since I had that massive oil leak from the front cover I had to get the engine pulled apart to get to the link. This let me get the internals of the engine looked at closely. This is a used motor I got for 900 here on the forum 4 years ago. I got my money's worth that's for sure and if you saw me at some of the drives it was quite a runner! Fast actually for an 02. So since the engine was apart I decided to upgrade the internals and have it all checked out. The block and bottom end are solid. The top end well the head was toast. Ken also found a bad alternator bracket and a mounting stud that was nearly broken off. Also found a bad motor mount and transmissions mount. Oh and a few missing bolts in the rear axle. I also found out the cam was not a 284 like I was told when I bought it but the stock 264. So u get an upgrade to a 292! This will prep the engine for the dual DCOEs that I plan on installing soon. My plan is to get 5 years out of this engine while I build a monster engine with a bored and stroked bottom end and hit tight end and maybe ITBs and FI.

[Honolulu]

Except for the cracks which could be welded and ground smooth, could you not use a custom copper gasket to restore head clearance?

 

I'm no engine builder (obviously) but have heard of this being done.

 

Comments, anyone?

[jrhone]

Not sure about the copper gasket but the head was definitely repairable. It was just not financially beneficial. Ken had a good head available, that would accept a 292 cam without a problem. It all depends on what you expect from the rebuilt. The valve seats and cracks could've been repaired, they had was thick enough to take a 284 cam and be used safely. So it could have been used technically with a nice performance upgrade from stock.

[Dabliz02]

Yep, that head's a shoe-in candidate to take up residence in CD's neighbor's pool...

mike

+1

 

I'll get the packing slip ready

 

hopefully everything runs smooth from here on out.