View Full Version : Head questions
AirCooln
10-19-2003, 03:33 PM
I just pulled the head off my Turbo Mini to do the blown gasket. Got it all a part, and now I need to clean up the mating surfaces ready for the new gasket. Any one know the best way to clean them up withought damage? Puty knife?
Next question, I need a machine shop to check out the head while its off the car. Perhaps a basic rebuild as it blew a little smoke when first started. Does any one know any good places Brampton, Mississauga, etc?
Much appreciated!
if your in the east end try ajax engines he suports us
Graeme at Canadian Cylinder Head Technologies does awesome machine work and is a true guru on everything cylinder head related. I can't say enough good things about this guy and the quality of his work. He'll be able to inspect the head for you, do any machine work needed, etc.
His shop is located at 4479 Chesswood Dr, near Keele and Finch in Toronto. His phone number there is (416) 630-0854 or 1-800-310-4635.
If you end up going there, tell him Dave from HADA who just had his D16 head in for work sent you. I'm sure he'll appreciate the referal :)
Cheers,
Dave
Lafora
10-19-2003, 11:54 PM
so does he just do machine work? or does he build race heads?
He does it all, ranging from the best port & polish head work available in the city, pretty much anyl machine work including multi-angle valve jobs, resurfacing heads, etc., and he builds full on race engines too. He's not just a machinist, he's a mechanic, engine builder, and head porter. Graeme is also very personable, has very reasonable pricing, and is very open and honest if you want opinions on how best to modify your engine.
And no, I'm not sponsored by the guy and I'm not personal friends with him, just a very impressed and satisfied customer who has tried many other shops over the years.
Cheers,
Dave
maxrpm
10-20-2003, 12:05 AM
http://www.leitnerperformance.com/
Haven't used them in years, but had them work on the top end of my race bike way back when (1990), good service and quick turn around.
Lafora
10-20-2003, 12:05 AM
does he deal with toyotas? :D
yup, Graeme works on everything from Hondas, Toyotas to Audi/VW and old school muscle cars.
I had a head ported at Leitner a few years ago as well as a bunch of machine work and overall I'd say the quality of their work is very good. The head porting they do is what I would call very standard and safe though.
Graeme at Canadian Cylinder Head Technologies, on the other hand, does some truly innovative stuff that he tests on his flowbench, so he has hard data to verify the effectiveness of what he develops. Machine work is less expensive here too, and is every bit as good quality wise.
Cheers,
Dave
Lafora
10-20-2003, 12:35 AM
Dave:
who else have you gave ur business to before determining that Graeme is the best at what he does?
just wondering where else have you gone to build a motor.
thx
AirCooln
10-20-2003, 09:21 AM
Thanks guys, I'll do some phoning around today and see what they say.
Any pointers on cleaning up the old gaskey off the block? Its really stuck on there well.
miataboi
10-20-2003, 10:49 AM
have it checked out... better now than later...
BUT...
Isn't a bit of smoking / oil-burning upon startup more characteristec of bad / old valve-seals?
Might be all that's needed!
AirCooln
10-20-2003, 11:00 AM
I have both issues.
It does blow oil out the exhaust when first started. Goes away after a bit. Previous owner reported it was time for a rebuild.
The head gasket was also blown. It had a hole between the block and a head on number 4 (the place they usually go). You could feel the pressure escapeing by putting your finger there. Sounded like a steam engine.
The head off, everything looks healthy, but then again, its the first time I have ever done this.
Lafora, I've had engines built at Northern Performance in Hamilton, RT Motorsport in north GTA (Rick is an awesome Honda engine builder and general mechanic, and I know he also builds Nissan and Toyotas so he could definitely help you with your car), and I've had head work done at Mississauga Engines, Leitner & Bush, and now Canadian Cylinder Head Technologies. Adam (with the turbo 240SX) has become quite a experienced head porter himself and over the winter he taught Moose and I how to port our own heads...but due to changes to my engine build plans I ended up selling the head that Adam and I ported together even though it turned it really nicely :( Adam might be willing to port your head for a fair bit less than a pro shop if you're looking for ways to save money. I also built my current race block, since I got tired of paying other people to do the work for me.
What exactly do you want to have done to your motor, Lafora? I could probably get you pointed to a good Toyota builder if I knew what you're looking for.
AirCooln, if you're going to take your head in to a shop to have it resurfaced and possibly worked on in other areas (ie. valve job, porting, etc) then I wouldn't recommend you try removing the head gasket material yourself. Just let shop deal with that. If you're determined to do it yourself, I would suggest using something soft like a plastic puddy knife so that you don't accidently put a deep scratch on the mating surface. Alternatively, using a spinning metal brush with fine/soft enough brissles should also do the trick without damaging the mating surface at all.
hi chris,
i PM'ed you.....
i can take that gasket material off easy..i have all the tools and abrasives at the shop....
he he..a little head porting and a nice turbo cam......easy 12% increase in flow...
on a 50hp engine..thats a whopping 6hp
:)
just teasing...
plus my prices are 50% or less than what these race shops charge :)
here is a pic of daves head....that was done..LOOKS NICE EHHH
http://www.turbo240sx.ca/honda12.JPG
another good pic....
http://www.turbo240sx.ca/honda10.JPG
there is a guy in oshawa who only does toyata race heads if you are interested i can his # i only have his partners #
Lafora
10-20-2003, 06:07 PM
Dave:
i got a spare 4AG head lying around w/ some new valvetrain that i wanna put in
i know about Richard White since he is one of the best handling these heads locally, but I've heard mixed reviews about him.
Just exploring my options right now.
does Graeme just do headwork? do you know whether he does blueprinting as well?
AirCooln
10-20-2003, 06:53 PM
Hey Adam, I reseant that 50 HP remark! I have a stock 93 in this car! ;) I'll probably be the only guy that comes back in 2004 bragging he increased his HP by 104 percent over the year before.
Next head I'll probably have a good port and polish done. I've blown a good portion of the budjet for 2004 already. :(
Rob McAuley
10-20-2003, 07:52 PM
104% increase? 200hp in that little thing?
What a blast! Hope you're not in my class. It's getting too crowded already.
AirCooln
10-20-2003, 08:16 PM
Your in no danger Rob. The 104 percent increase is over 2003's 44 HP. I'll have 93 plus what ever an aftermarket filter and a shiny new exhaust will give me (if anything).
Lafora, Graeme can do everything you need. He's a full service race engine builder as well as a mechanic, machinist, head porter, etc.
Mini Mut
10-21-2003, 01:08 PM
Hey AirCoolN ... if you need any assisstance let me know. I re-built my motor last winter. I am no expert as this was my first re-build but it stayed together all summer:D I am planning on many nights of rebuilds this winter, so if you need a hand ... drop me a line.
PS Where are you getting your parts from?
John P
10-21-2003, 06:03 PM
Chris
I suspect your head is made of cast iron, so you can scrape the gaskets off with any steel scraper. You won't scratch or hurt the head.
John
Hey Lafora,
One of my potential rides for next year is a Corolla with fully gutted interior and full engine work and Autronic engine management. It's the previous generation to your AE86, but it sports a fully reworked engine with built up internals and head work.
It's dyno'd on a dynapac dyno at 175 Hp at the rear wheels, and it's fully NA.
If you're interested in finding out about the work that was done on the engine, we can meet up and I can show you the car. If you like grass roots race cars, you'll love this one, it's sports an SCCA approved roll cage and fully gutted interior, ultra short throw shifter, and weighs in the range of 650Kg.
Let me know.
Lafora
10-21-2003, 07:36 PM
Joe:
u got PM :D
ice/solo racer
10-21-2003, 08:28 PM
Lafora,you likely know this already but don't port a big port 4ag head,they're already to big for na especially if you remove the tvis.
If you can find a small port from an ae92 and improve it as port velocity is vastly superior.The little 1600cc 4ag doesn't have any extra torque to give up you know;)
Lafora
10-21-2003, 10:34 PM
well my manifold adapter is for the bigport...so getting a smallport head wouldn't be very cost efficient.
tho i wonder if i can talk to Graeme about making hte ports smaller on the bigport, kinda like what the guy at mototuneusa.com does.
been toying w/ that idea before actually.
Graeme could weld up the port and reshape it however you want. That's a fairly common thing for head work specialists to do.
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