Head sanding?

Site Subscriber Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 2317

Popped out today and stuck the flat side of a metal saw up against the head. All looks very flat, not warping from what i can see. So i take it all i need to do now is give it a good sand to get all the crap off and whack it back on with a new gasket?

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

don't sand it.

Go buy a green scotchbrite pad from B&Q, use the palm of your hand and go across the lot.

Site Subscriber Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 2317

Scotchbrite pad? What about cleaning off the valve faces and surrounding area?

Level 5 User Joined: 28 Dec 2004 Posts: 110

a related question - if the head is not gonna be stripped, is it still worth cleaning out the valve faces and the dome area?

Mr Quoter-vator Joined: 16 Feb 2004 Posts: 7405

use a wire brush with thinners in the combustion chamber and on the valves "if u really want to" tbh it will be like that again in a few weeks.

Site Subscriber Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 2317

Better a few weeks worth of shit than 14 years tho? Razz

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

i had to put my valves in a lathe and use a file on em to get 11 years worth off. Especially the exhaust ones. Cant see scotchbrite doing it anytime this century tbh

Site Subscriber Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 2317

Was thinking of using my dremel with some sanding attachements to get them clean, but that sounds like it could be a bit dodgy. Could always try some cilit bang! Laughing

Site Subscriber Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 2317

Right, been cleaning with some scotchbirte pads i found under the sink, not sure if its clean enough?

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

maybe I work on heads and so on for no reason and don't know what I'm talking about, sorry I won't bother!

Site Subscriber Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 2317

er...? i cleaned it up with scotchbrite pads like you suggested, just want to know if you think its clean enough.

Site Subscriber Joined: 11 Feb 2005 Posts: 2929

not a happy chapy today chris??

Spammer Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 5717

he certainly is not

i thought chet would be more likely to be depressed after the welsh kickin ass in millenium today

Site Subscriber Joined: 11 Feb 2005 Posts: 2929

Level 5 User Joined: 18 Jun 2004 Posts: 114

Checking flatness with a metal saw?

Precision straight edges dont even alow you to see warp or twist effectively enough with the human eye.

I never know if anything is warped unless i stick the head on the roraty bed and run a DTI over it, even then a flat edge doesnt mean its a true edge.

And there is no point cleaning chambers and valves if your not going to do it properly, you can almost do as much damage with a metal file and a lathe than good....it'll be back there in seconds anyway.

If you gonna scrate the crap out of anything, do the exhaust ports, but leave the valves alone and be careful of the seats.

Site Subscriber Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 2317

OK, so maybe a metal saw aint the most precise intrument in the world, but its all i've got access to Crying or Very sad

, you reckon i should leave it as is or just get it skimmed anyway? (although i'd rather not if i dont have to Razz

)

Site Subscriber Joined: 11 Feb 2005 Posts: 2929

I was reading the haynes manual last night and it said in there that only the C type engines were able to be skimmed???

Chris, what do you think??

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

you can skim anything, wether or not its a clever idea or not is another matter.

Skimming bumps up the CR and knocked the timing out slightly, but as long as its just a skim not 5mm or something it'll be fine.

i have seen them all, skimmed up to the manifold studs and so on.

Level 5 User Joined: 18 Jun 2004 Posts: 114

I've just skimmed a megan head 40 thou to drop the CC volume back down to 42.5cc from 48.

It'll put everything out, but its nothing that i cant solve

Mr Quoter-vator Joined: 16 Feb 2004 Posts: 7405

well seein as ur sellin it huw, just slap it back together...

Gay Rights Activist Joined: 07 Apr 2004 Posts: 1268

BenR wrote:

I've just skimmed a megan head 40 thou to drop the CC volume back down to 42.5cc from 48.

It'll put everything out, but its nothing that i cant solve

I was going to skim mine by around a mil aswell, but decided against it for now. would take CR to around 10.6-7 ish , but ive got a valve/piston clearance of 2.5mm with the larger inlet valves. would probably be ok, but not going to risk it