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I agree I just ran my engine so hot it melted the lifter trays... I did blow both head gaskets in the process but after pulling the heads both were well under .002 and are sealing perfect on my ls2 now
I would say no. Make sure you put the head back on the same deck it came off of, and use a little gasket remover, with a sharp flat razer to the clean both surfaces, then rinse with brake clean.
I have pulled my heads off a few times, and have never had an issue with doing the above. If you were to swap heads or mix them up, then yes.
If you are really worried about milling.. then take the heads to a shop and have the decks checked.
I'm with him, and while there off scrub the carbon off the pistons green scrubbie pad a WD-40 works like magic, single edge razor makes quick work of the thicker stuff
I worked at the dealer and I have been owning my own shop for a couple of years now and I bought my own straight edge. I don't like the idea of resurfacing them everytime they are off if there is no issue.
Over heating-yes
Blown gasket- I check it and send it out if need be or replace it
If i am just changing the lifters or something and nothing with the heads is causing an issue, I just clean them up and check them and they get bolted back on.
What's the best way to clean up alluminum heads ??
What's the best way to clean up alluminum heads ??
If you want them really clean, you’ll have to disassemble them. If you have the ability to disassemble them, you prolly wouldn’t be asking this question here. If you can’t disassemble them, taking them to a shop and having them ran through an aluminum parts vat is your best choice. The buildup on the valves is usually heavy. If you have the budget, ask the shop to do a valve job while they have them, and replace seals.
Or…you can throw them in your own parts washer and scrub what you can reach with ScotchBrite. It will make them appear cleaner, but won’t do anything in the performance or maintenance department.
Probably many will laugh, or shake their head at this one, but here goes. If (and this is a BIG if!) you know the heads history, and they haven't been overheated and warped, I say no. I did the following on my LS7, and never had a problem. I worked as a toolmaker for over 40 years. In that time, I have had a couple of Norton flat honing/de-burring/knife sharpening stones. They are about 6" long, 2-1/2" wide, and 1" thick. One of them I clamped in a precision KURT milling machine vise, put the vice on a precision B&S Surface grinder, and ground the stone dead nuts flat. I used this stone to "hone" off the aluminum deck surface, making sure there were no high spots, or burrs. Slapped them on the block, and 10,000 miles later, no blown gaskets, no oil in coolant, and vice versa, and it runs great. What's not to like? Please keep in mind I still have connections at the shop I worked at, so I could've taken them in and had them take a light cleanup cut on the grinder, or boring mill, whatever. But it wasn't necessary, so just a light hand hone with the old Norton handheld stone, and I was good to go. BUT-Ive owned the heads since new, and they were never abused, or overheated. Hope this helps someone save a few bucks........
Probably many will laugh, or shake their head at this one, but here goes. If (and this is a BIG if!) you know the heads history, and they haven't been overheated and warped, I say no. I did the following on my LS7, and never had a problem. I worked as a toolmaker for over 40 years. In that time, I have had a couple of Norton flat honing/de-burring/knife sharpening stones. They are about 6" long, 2-1/2" wide, and 1" thick. One of them I clamped in a precision KURT milling machine vise, put the vice on a precision B&S Surface grinder, and ground the stone dead nuts flat. I used this stone to "hone" off the aluminum deck surface, making sure there were no high spots, or burrs. Slapped them on the block, and 10,000 miles later, no blown gaskets, no oil in coolant, and vice versa, and it runs great. What's not to like? Please keep in mind I still have connections at the shop I worked at, so I could've taken them in and had them take a light cleanup cut on the grinder, or boring mill, whatever. But it wasn't necessary, so just a light hand hone with the old Norton handheld stone, and I was good to go. BUT-Ive owned the heads since new, and they were never abused, or overheated. Hope this helps someone save a few bucks........
Nothing to laugh at in this method. If it's flat, it's flat. And if everything else matches up correctly you should not have a problem.
Near same topic but wanted to mention due to seeing several reply here about razor blades. Is anybody else using the 3M Roloc bristle discs on surfaces? Basically 3 textures available: fine (white), medium (yellow), and coarse (green). The fine white is recommended for aluminum, the medium yellow for aluminum and steel/iron, and coarse green for steel/iron. The medium yellow will leave a brush pattern on aluminum, as where the white will really do nothing to the base aluminum or just polish it at most. They are amazingly efficient in speed and capability of simply melting gasket material away via friction. Expensive but love em'. I have not noticed any harm if used carefully and as directed per material suggestion.
JUST DON'T SAND BLAST IT OR THE GOD OF MECHANICS WILL SMITE YOU IN YOUR SLEEP!!!
I have seen way too many parts on Craigslist sand-blasted that should never have been sand blasted. Like 60s vintage ring-and-pinion sets ruined by a heffalump with a sand blaster.
06-14-2019, 02:53 AM
