Machining Heads

[JeffMoss1]

Has anyone ever machined their own heads/mating surfaces on their engine?

I've got access to a vertical miller (just a normal bridgeport.) I guess I probably wouldn't be able to do the engine block, but I'm curious as to how wide of a flycutter i'd need in order to remachine the mating surfaces on the heads (if it's even possible on this small of a machine.)

I don't yet have the engine i'm going to be working on, so I can't measure, I'm just thinking about it. Any info would be great.

~Jeff

 

[Diesel JD]

No idea...but I'm going to respond so your post gets bumped btt. Just be sure not to get the heads too thin... minimum thickness is something like 4.9780" from the top of the valve cover to the mating surface. Heads milled out of spec become boat anchors. But if you have the tools and are confident in your abilities, I'd go for it, at least you'd know what was done to them and that it met with your approval, which is more than some of these guys can say about whoever worked with their cylinder heads!

 

[JeffMoss1]

Thanks JD.

 

[subway]

i cant tell you much personally but have you read throught the end of the "ongoing head gasket saga" thread. they go into what it takes to do these heads.

 

[JwS]

I would say it would be very difficult, maybe even impossible (in a practical sense) to do the job on a bridgeport with a fly cutter. Yes, you could probably do it if you were on a desert island. I know where you are coming from, I once surfaced a flywheel on a bridgeport, I am not sure what I was thinking, I spent half a day to save the $25 bucks...
JwS

 

[JeffMoss1]

hahaha! i see what you mean...

I just found out that my school has a bigger cincinatti miller that could probably do it. I didn't know about it until today. I'll have to see if they'll let me use it. I'll probably have to make my own flycutter.

I'm gonna check out that thread right now.

I guess no one knows the diameter flycutter i'd need huh?

 

[sassyrel]

remember---------the valves run close to the pistons now--and someone once said in this forum the amount you could take off--and it was damn little---your already at 21.1 compression--

 

[Diesel JD]

The important thing appears to be the minimum head thickness so you don't increase the compression too much more or have the piston slamming into the head. Not much you can take off. Personally I would pressure check and magnaflux...and if they were good and within warpage limits(I wanna say .006") I'd just run 'em. If they are worse than that it might be time for new/rebuilt heads.