Hey all I've been making a LOT of progress with my turbo-I6 build. Got ahold of a suitable ignition... etc, now for the problem. So I have the head pulled off and I have it ground flat for the 2 bbl carb plate to be mounted. In the mean time I'm redoing the valve springs/etc. I have all the valves, retainers and keepers soaking in diesel fuel so I can remove the carbon deposits. I have some nice fresh Valve springs and stem seals on the way. Since 11 out of 12 of my seals were broken... and hard. Is there anything else that I could do myself that I should? Machining isnt out of the question but Id LIKE to be able to say "I built this car myself". None of the valves are burnt, and while they had a lot of buildup, they seem to be coming clean! Maybe Valve guides? Ill be honest, Im such a noob to the internals of an engine that when I started removing the first valve spring I thought I had broke he keepers since it came apart in two pieces.
Get the Six Cylinder Performance Handbook. It shows how to grind open the oil passage on the rear of the head and talks about making a smaller shank head bolt to allow more oil flow. Also it tells you which head bolt that uses sealer.
Having a pro do the valve seats and guides (if needed) will in no way diminish the "did all myself" claim. 99.9% of restored cars have some type of pro work done to it. Machinist work, turning brake drums and rotors, even balancing a driveshaft are often best left to the pros. The soft iron heads really benefit from hardened valve seats. On the 6's, I put them on the intakes too. It doesn't cost much more while the head is in the machine shop anyway and then I figure I never have to worry about them again. At least get the exhaust seats in.
I have the book in the mail, a long with a small fortunes worth of other parts, my intercooler arrived today Well I'm not even really sure how to tell if the guides need doing... and I'd rather not fix it if it aint broke ;p Especially with that fancy aluminum head/intake combo somewhere in my future. I'm replacing the springs but thats at least partially because I could collapse them a quarter of the way with just my hands... not sure what theyre actually rated at but Id say theyre tired after 43 years of loyal service.
you can and should at least lap the valves in your self. im sure that is covered in you soon to arrive book and a search on the internet will give you plenty of instruction on that. i dont know exactly how to check the condition of the valve guides. i think you can do a wiggle test but i dont know for sure. you can mic the valve stems then you have to measure the guide holes but im not sure what tool does that. the hardened seats are a very good idea, especially with boost. make sure your valve springs are strong enough for boost.
"aluminum head/intake combo somewhere in my future." I wouldn't spend a dime on this head...run it...
I wouldnt, if it was in my IMMEDIATE future. Unfortunately I've got a few years to go before I can just drop 2000 dollars casually on a head/intake! So I wanna get this head built enough to survive at least one season on weekends Ill see if a few of the mechanics I worked with over the summer cant take a look at it for me. Plus if I get the head built well enough to last TWO seasons, I can do the forged pistons and head at the same time I mean I'm already like 3000 in on this car but I got a lot more than three parts and that includes tools I bought. As a side note, don't buy dash caps off ebay.... they sent it literally bent like a 7 inside a box that was to small. It's cracked around where the instrument cluster is. I think they're going to replace it but they are NOT being nice about it
Must be the same guy that ships stuff to Craig .............. (inside joke ........ could not resist) Seriously - make sure to file an ebay claim / dispute, right away. Ebay protection will side with the buyer for improper packaging like that. Don't deal with the seller directly, specially if he is being a jerk about it. Handle everything through ebay communication system AND NOT your private email. that way ebay has a record of it all.
Are you sure this fancy head/intake will clear the shock tower? It barley does clears on the 69 Mustang after notching the shock tower/firewall brace. Are you sure your hood will close with this setup?
Boosted motors MUST run positive style valve seals or they'll push oil and also contaminate the mixture. 3 and 4 angle valve jobs will pay for themselves on N/A stuff and even quicker on boosted setups.
They are positive seals I think, I've decided Ill take it to a machine shop and at least see what he'll charge me. Im not sure if the fancy head will clear without some work, but work is fun and as for the ebay thing, I got a full refund, no return required. It IS damaged but not so damaged that I'll buy a new one, some work with a dremel making a few small relief cuts and a bit of super glue and you can barely tell its damaged, only on one corner of the instrument cluster part theres am inch long crack, but Itll sit flush I offered to return it and he said he didnt need damaged product, so I guess I got a 99% product for free. It was the shipping company that paid by the way, I got the product and the seller still kept his money.
I have got a couple of boxes/packages in the last week or so that rank right up there. Even my daughter knew I was not going to be happy. Sure....that fits......
