engine and drivetrain New head needed, maybe with a faster cam.

[Guest Anonymous]

Ok, so I will be doing the final checks on my head in the next 48 hours to be sure I indeed need one, but it looks pretty grim right now, since I was told the compression is roughly 85 in each cylinder(this is from a mechanic that chose not to charge me for delivering the bad news). I have seen several cylinder head options, from $300 down.. Hears what I would like to know.

I have a weber 32/36 on this engine, but everything else appears stock. I would like to put a faster cam in the new head, just in case I want to put dual webers on in the future, and toy around with the bottom end. Which cam is my best option? I've been told the 292. How will this affect drivability, reliability, and performance, matched with the 32/36 ? Which cams are even faster? and the same questions for those.

I do not know if I have flat head pistons yet, but will hopefully in the next couple, days... What other pistons are there besides flat heads and piano tops, and how will they affect my options for heads.. Right now I am being offered a nice e12 head for a low price.

Also what signs should I be looking at to be sure my rings are still good?

I'm looking for as much information as possible... and please nooo "you may not need a new head" I know this, but it's pretty likely and I will know soon... I just want to know as much as possible about what a good reliable but potentially haul ass head combo will be. I can't spend buckets of cash, but will spend what I need to, to insure I have it right and fairly open potential for future back country zippin.

Thankyou very much I love this forum, and will love it even more when my car is reliable enough to come show off when you guys meet here in socal.

Todd

[Guest Anonymous]

a 121 head is the worst. an e 21 head is used with flat top pistons but the valves arent as big as the e12. if you try to use an e12 head with flat top pistons it will lower your compression ratio. e12 is the best head though. biggest valves. there is a raised bathtub piston, raised grand piano rotated by 45%, and a depressed crown for the turbo.

[Guest Anonymous]

to check ring condition, do (or have done) a leakdown test. Good way to tell ring condition as well as valve condition.

consider the engine's age and mileage. If you've got a lotta miles--and you're gonna keep the car--it might make more sense to do the whole engine rather than just the head. I made that mistake at 157k--redid the head due to an internal water leak. Engine ran fine afterwards, but started pushing oil past the rings for the first time. That's because the valves were now nice and tight, and the rings were the weak link. The car's still running fine at 218k, but it's using about a quart of oil every 4-500 miles.

You also want to determine where your oil pressure is--low oil pressure can ruin your engine (especially that new cam you want) in short order--and it can be caused by either a worn oil pump or worn bearings. You need to know that too.

good luck

mike