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Disclaimer - This is my first time doing this. I got the engine on the stand last night and started disassembly and I was relieved to see the valve covers and valve train were very clean. The heads and valves, however, are a mess. Unsure if this is normal or not, what do you recommend here? Understanding the 317 heads are not great to begin with so I'm wondering if another set of heads would be a better option or if I should find a local shop to clean them up? I'm also doing a cam and will be upgrading the springs and trunion which could also be achieved with new heads.
That's oil from the crappy PCV system. Your best bet is to purchase a catch can from a company like Mighty Mouse to cut down on it happening again. Totally normal, however.
PVC system is meant to make this mess? what a disaster. im going to call around to get quotes to clean em out but may just look to get a replacement set like PRC. Did some reading on this PVC mess and looks like an oil catch can will also be in my todo list.
From the looks under that valve cover someone kept up with the oil changes. You could look for some 243's or 799's to get a bump in compression but if it was me I'd go through those 317's and build back better with new seals and a set of springs to accomodate your cam. Texas Speed sells a spring kit that comes with their intergrated valve stem seals and that would be the direction I'd go if trying to save money. For the cost of buying a new trunnion kit I'd go with the BTR LS1 rocker arms with upgraded trunnion kit. Michigan Motorsports shows them for $329.99 and you may need to purchase a new set of pushrods but I'd do that anyways. Are you planning on going through the bottom end? At this point it would be wise to do so.
If you did want to clean them, I can tell you the ultimate cleaner I've found is Zep oven cleaner. I clean a few pairs of LS heads that looked like that and aside from a couple of spots, they were back to bare aluminum. For really stubborn areas, I've used muriatic acid dilutions, but you better know what you're doing messing with that stuff on aluminum.
I did a leakdown test and half the intake valves were leaking 80% !!! I weighed the option of getting them rebuilt but between shipping, waiting, and parts/labor it didnt make sense when a new set of AFR heads were only $1300 for a pair. Smaller combustion chambers too which with standard gaskets should yield me a healthy 11:1 compression ratio. The only thing I didn't account for ($$) was that these AFR heads need roller rockers to account for the bronze valve guides. Even with hindsight I probably still would have went this way. Shockingly the stock pushrods were the right size even with all these changes.
The cylinders that were not leaking valves showed moderate ring blow by. So made sense to just do the rings while I had it all apart. Bearing were all in great shape and were reused. Add fresh hone and rings to the list
I bought those same heads. I'm not particularly concerned about valve guide wear, if it happens I'll pull them and have powdered metal liners installed.
Yeah no kidding. There's bigger polluters out there by far and they're doing nothing so what difference can we possibly make? It's like trying to put out a forest fire with a garden hose. Not happening!
Compliments of Wikipedia:
"In the 1950's a professor Arie Jan Haagen-Smit established that pollution from automobile engines was a major cause of the smog crisis being experienced in Los Angeles, California. The California Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board (a precursor to the California Air Resources Board) was established in 1960 and began researching how to prevent blow-by gases from being released directly into the atmosphere.[5] The PCV system was designed to re-circulate the gases into the air intake so that they could be combined with the fresh air/fuel and get more completely combusted. In 1961, California regulations required that all new cars be sold with a PCV system, therefore representing the first implementation of a vehicle emissions control device."
They figured out a way to put all that crap from combustion right back into the engine to be filterd through the engine and exhaust system. Great idea!
Despite all the rules and regulations regarding emissions imposed by L.A. they still have the worst air quality in the country. Ironic is it not? Meanwhile the push for the cleaner/greener EV's that are to replace the ICE's is losing steam. Most if not all auto makers that planned to be all electric by 2035 are seeing most EV's sitting in the parking lot of the dealerships. You see how that's working out for them.
Yeah no kidding. There's bigger polluters out there by far and they're doing nothing so what difference can we possibly make? It's like trying to put out a forest fire with a garden hose. Not happening!
Compliments of Wikipedia:
"In the 1950's a professor Arie Jan Haagen-Smit established that pollution from automobile engines was a major cause of the smog crisis being experienced in Los Angeles, California. The California Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board (a precursor to the California Air Resources Board) was established in 1960 and began researching how to prevent blow-by gases from being released directly into the atmosphere.[5] The PCV system was designed to re-circulate the gases into the air intake so that they could be combined with the fresh air/fuel and get more completely combusted. In 1961, California regulations required that all new cars be sold with a PCV system, therefore representing the first implementation of a vehicle emissions control device."
They figured out a way to put all that crap from combustion right back into the engine to be filterd through the engine and exhaust system. Great idea!
Despite all the rules and regulations regarding emissions imposed by L.A. they still have the worst air quality in the country. Ironic is it not? Meanwhile the push for the cleaner/greener EV's that are to replace the ICE's is losing steam. Most if not all auto makers that planned to be all electric by 2035 are seeing most EV's sitting in the parking lot of the dealerships. You see how that's working out for them.
Not saying it's exactly pristine now, but compared to about 40 years ago, LA air is WAY cleaner now that it was then. The problem is LA is in a basin. It all settles there.
Hundreds of years ago when the first "outsiders" found the place, it was noted that there was a smoky haze from the campfires of the indigenous people living there,
Man-made, but not from just the past century....
Not saying it's exactly pristine now, but compared to about 40 years ago, LA air is WAY cleaner now that it was then. The problem is LA is in a basin. It all settles there.
Hundreds of years ago when the first "outsiders" found the place, it was noted that there was a smoky haze from the campfires of the indigenous people living there,
Man-made, but not from just the past century....
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Heads and valves covered in gunk. Is this OK? 
