NOR-CAL General Chat.

[e30vert]

I texted Jorge, he has an electric one that I can borrow on monday. If you can do tomorrow that's great, $3 is fine, especially if you come hang out. Eric, send me his numero when you see this.

Sent you a PM. Will charge packs (2) tonight. Ive got an electric as well but its 250 miles away in the Tahoe Area.

[YosemiteSam]

So tomorrow I should be able to finally put my sway-bar back where it should be. All I have to do before installing it is paint my new subframe and swap it in.

[rob&e30]

Ask the machine shop how much they took off the head when they "decked it" . If they took off quite a bit then using the stock gasket will bump your Compression Ratio a bit.

that's a good question... I assume they took of enough to use the over sized gasket..... I will call them I plan to assemble it all back this weekend...

[BlackbirdM3]

that's a good question... I assume they took of enough to use the over sized gasket..... I will call them I plan to assemble it all back this weekend...

The better question to ask, did they straighten the head or just plain the head. If they failed to actually straighten the head first, you now have bigger issues like unequal combustion chamber volumes, higher compression ratios in some cylinders, and still a warped head that will do nothing nice to your cams. It wouldn't be the first time I've seen a head cut on the bottom and left warped on top. There shouldn't have been much in the way of cutting if the head was correctly straightened. My guess, if they cut any more than a gentle skim, you might want to double check and make sure its straight on top as well. If done correctly, you shouldn't see any bump in the compression.

A quick way to tell is break out your calipers and measure all the way around the head, at all 4 corners, and in the middle. If the numbers are the same, great. Do they fall in the acceptable range for a stock head? If you are toward the lower end of the correct height, you might be looking for a taller head gasket. My guess is that your cam timing will be a little retarded as well when set to the correct timing marks due to there being more slack in the belt/chain. (maybe not.) This could be minimized by running a thicker head gasket that will bring the total stack height back up to spec.

I'd say odds are you are good to go, but double check to make sure.

Will

[Cabriolet]

will, it's only a 200 head. i dont think equal power, heck, power was even on the mind of that engine ever

[rob&e30]

all this head talk makes me want to go see my girl this weekend lol



Okay the head had a warp on the last cylinder! This is also where the GH looked like shit!


It was pressure tested and resurfaced. THe grind is even the guy is a old engine builder. His shop is by 17 and Camden on the dog park side behind the sunnyoaks muffler shop! He does hot rods and crap. He states he use to do a lot of e30 heads a few years back his knowledge was exceptional.

I will prob just run the over sized gasket I don't care about power much my e36 m3 will be here soon~! :)


heres a little love I gave it yesterday!





the car was red at one point so the ugly bay is now 1/2 out the way!

[Cabriolet]

Bra, that's Champion Engines and it's San Thomas there, Camden ends before 17
1020 Florence Way Campbell, CA 95008

He honed my block for me.

[rob&e30]

Bra, that's Champion Engines and it's San Thomas there, Camden ends before 17
1020 Florence Way Campbell, CA 95008

He honed my block for me.

there you go small world......:yawn:

[BlackbirdM3]

will, it's only a 200 head. i dont think equal power, heck, power was even on the mind of that engine ever

It doesn't matter what it is, its either done right, or its not. You can cut the hell out of a pushrod head, not so with an OHC head. If the head isn't correctly straightened you run the risk of a broken cam(s) and/or uneven wear on the valve train. With unequal cylinder volumes, you end up with odd running issues. What is the point of pulling the head, getting it "fixed" and reinstalling it if its not really fixed? You've wasted a lot of time and a moderate amount of $ for nothing. All I'm saying is check and make sure you are good to go. The thicker head gasket is likely not needed. Again, why install the wrong part when the right part could be installed just as easily?

Sorry, I don't understand the concept of half assing a repair. If its not done right, its not done right.

Will

[kronus]

will's right, do it well or do it twice

[rob&e30]

so where am I going wrong please explain how the fuck did you get the half ass part?

[rob&e30]

I think a half ass job would be just swapping the HG and calling it a day...Maybe even reusing old exhaust and manifold gaskets..... That's half ass.

[e30vert]

Its not a 1/2 ass job and Will just has your best interest at heart! He has obviously seen the outcome of poorly done cylinder head work and is cautioning you about taking any shortcuts.

If your machine shop guy at Champion Engines stands behind his work and is a veteran engine builder (as he sound to be) then I would ask him for his opinion as well.

That bay is looking pretty damn spiffy. If thats a rattle can job which i assume it is then good work! Its somewhat motivating to uncosmoline mine...



Looks like it may rain this weekend and hope that does not derail your plans for getting that head reinstalled and engine up and running well! Beautiful weather today though!

[e30vert]

So tomorrow I should be able to finally put my sway-bar back where it should be. All I have to do before installing it is paint my new subframe and swap it in.

Good shizzz!

Let us know if Drake Welding did a good job with the placement of the camber adjusters and you can adjust properly. Which kit did you have welded in? Ireland Engineering?

Drake wants $110 an hour for their work and are backlogged at about 1 -1/2 weeks

[BlackbirdM3]

I think a half ass job would be just swapping the HG and calling it a day...Maybe even reusing old exhaust and manifold gaskets..... That's half ass.

I'm not saying anything is half assed. I'm just cautioning you that its a good idea to double check everything before you go and assemble it.

Yes, I have seen the results of poor work done. On one engine that was supposed to be healthy and built to a high standard, we found the head had been warped, the bottom was planed flat, the top was still warped to the point that with the rocker arms removed, the cam could not be turned by hand and was hard to turn with vice-grips attached to it. The cam was trashed as was the head. Upon removing the head we found the head gasket was about to blow between two of the cylinders as well. Digging deeper we found two of the pistons were knurled for some reason, and the block was cracked in one of the oil galleries. How did we find all this? We checked. The owner of the car was not happy with the person he had bought the car from.

All I'm saying is double check everything before you assemble. Assuming the head is within spec thickness wise, you don't need a thicker head gasket. Its only when you are at minimum thickness or less that you need the thicker head gasket to bring the compression down, and the stack height back to the correct place so your cam timing is correct. Just stick a good flat edge on the head length wise, and diagonally on both the top and bottom (Top might be tough since the cam(s) might be in the way, so just go down the valve cover mating surface. ) to make sure its flat on both sides. Do the head thickness measurement to make sure you aren't too thin and run the right head gasket as needed. Mistakes happen, its good to catch them before you assemble things rather than after.

I'd rather hear you are enjoying your car rather than having to pull it apart again because there was an issue that was found down the road that could have been taken care of now.

Will