885 cylinder head buying tips

[cyrmanj]

Hi all,

I have the opportunity to buy an 885. I want to buy it in order to work it properly and patiently without the need of dissasembling the cylinder head of my running and daily driver E30. Perhaps even adding a Schrick cam + valve springs and before installing considering making a stroker (already have the ETA crankshaft and shorter piston rods :p )

I do need to make sure the one I am getting is ok/worthwhile. My plan is to take it to a recognized local (Costa Rica, Centralamerica) workshop to have it tested for leaks and to check if it have been brushed/shaved before buying it.

So I have been reading thru the forum and found some advice, I will enlist the tips and please feel free to add yours that can help me and others as well. This is what I got so far:

1. Visual inspection of water passages looking for signs of rust.
2. Visual inspection of dimples or divots looking for signs of the cylinder head being shaved, is this a safe assumption or a head can be shaved and still show those divots?
3. Leaks test on workshop.

Any more ideas? Am I missing something? Any common failure points on cam shaft tunnel that I need to check?

Thanks in advance,

[jlevie]

A visual inspection for cracks and a check for excessive warp should be the first check. A used head may have been surfaced in the past, which isn't a problem provided that it hasn't been taken to the bottom of the "limit" dimples and isn't so warped that surfacing will take it below the limit.. Then tear down the head and check for excessive wear in the cam journals and burning of the exhaust valve seats.

[cyrmanj]

^ Thanks,

Then tear down the head and check for excessive wear in the cam journals and burning of the exhaust valve seats

I´ll have that in mind.