Got a new cylinder head and intake manifolds...Any while you're in there tips?

[anthonymax007]

Hey everyone! I got a hold of a spare cylinder head and upper and lower intake manifolds. I'm wanting to take the head to a shop to have checked for cracks/warping and am looking for what else might be good to get done while its there. I'm thinking maybe having the cams looked over, parts cleaned. I'm hesitant to have any porting or polishing done as I'm not planning on doing any extensive engine work done other than one of Jake's turbo kits down the road. Any tips?

[anthonymax007]

I also want to clarify, I'm not opposed to a port and polish. I'm just reading mixed feedback on its effectiveness without additional work being done to the engine...But I guess Jake's turbo kit could be a good candidate for a little P&P as well.

[varg]

Replace everything you can afford to replace under the timing cover. If you're feeling particularly ambitious, upgrade to the M44 timing case and get rid of a major M42 weakness - the idler sprocket. Since you're taking things apart you may as well replace the oil pressure relief valve, the upper oil pan gasket, and loctite the upper oil pan bolts.

[RCtheRed]

Definitely take a look at fixing the mess under the intake while you have that whole area exposed, worthwhile task. With the head off you could also scrub the block clean and take some time to take the firewall off and look at your hamster wheel and clean out any debris hiding behind there. Timing chain complements are a must for preventive checks.

[anthonymax007]

Replace everything you can afford to replace under the timing cover. If you're feeling particularly ambitious, upgrade to the M44 timing case and get rid of a major M42 weakness - the idler sprocket. Since you're taking things apart you may as well replace the oil pressure relief valve, the upper oil pan gasket, and loctite the upper oil pan bolts.

I've heard about the M44 timing case upgrade. I'll look into that further. Thanks for the reminder about the oil pan bolts and gasket too.

Definitely take a look at fixing the mess under the intake while you have that whole area exposed, worthwhile task. With the head off you could also scrub the block clean and take some time to take the firewall off and look at your hamster wheel and clean out any debris hiding behind there. Timing chain complements are a must for preventive checks.

I did the mess under the intake when I first bought the car. One of the best modifications IMO! I'll definitely look into the timing components. The spare head I picked up had two bent valves, so I'm thinking that the PO had some timing issues before he pulled the head.