So, I just started thinnking about when I first got my head assembled with my Crower springs and retainers and my new ss valves, they milled it down the least they could to make it flat because it was warped. So I was just remembering back in the day when I had a warranty on my car still, and I had a leaking headgasket. The head was warped then too and they had to shave it down. My question is, how many times can they do this until the head is junk?? I have had it done twice and they shaved the minimal amount both times. I'm just worried that I might have a clearance issue. thanks
~Jeffo


Hey, have you seen my new tail lights? Yeah, cool huh, get used to looking at them.

They probably took about .005" each time. I have more than .030" milled off mine running Crower 2 cams. I highly doubt you have anything to worry about.

Exile Racing Technologies
http://www.exileracing.com
Go that way, really fast, if something gets in your way... turn.

Awesome, I just didn't know for sure, I have Crower 2's as well. Ah, just one less thing I have to think about now. Thanks.
~Jeffo


Hey, have you seen my new tail lights? Yeah, cool huh, get used to looking at them.

Don't they say you need to be sure to leave about .005" compared to the valves? That is to say you take your measurement next to the valves. If Michael says you're probably cool, I'd rest easy. :thumbsup

whats a full tooth, like .090? nobody takes that much off...

For what it's worth, Jeffo, I have .030 off on stocker internals on my AWD. Boosts 15 no prob.
MB

Thanks a lot guys, hearing all of you say I'll be okay makes me feel tons better. I've almost got all of the parts I need to finish my rebuild. I'm just waiting on my pistons from Concept Illusions, I bought the JE 8.8:1's and the rings for $499. Anybody ever buy anything from them??
~Jeffo


Hey, have you seen my new tail lights? Yeah, cool huh, get used to looking at them.

Originally posted by turbo8u
whats a full tooth, like .090? nobody takes that much off...

If you tried to take .090" off youd be in the valve seat. About .040"-.045" is really the max you'll be able to take off.

Exile Racing Technologies
http://www.exileracing.com
Go that way, really fast, if something gets in your way... turn.

I had .008" taken off of my head, and that made for around 1/4-1/2 tooth off on the cam gears. .030" would be at least a full tooth I would think..

Originally posted by XtremeRS
I had .008" taken off of my head, and that made for around 1/4-1/2 tooth off on the cam gears. .030" would be at least a full tooth I would think..

Nope, measure the width of a cam gear tooth , .008 is no where near 1/4 or 1/2 tooth off.
I have had my dohc miled .040 about 70,000 miles ago.

I am rebuilding he motor now. had it milled by another machine shop once again to make sure it was perfectly straight,guess what...... they messed up and left deep grooves in it.

So I had it milled again, only the minimum amount,.003 the 3rd and final time, right on the very edge of the valve seats.

Doesn't take much adjustment on the cam gears to get it back to my original cam centerline, I can take pics of the whole degree-ing process if anybody is interested.
Oh heck I will just post it on my website later

I had a stock head, that had never been machined before, and the timing marks were dead on before it was machined. After the .008" was taken off, the timing marks could never be aligned perfectly. They were off at least 1/4- 1/2 tooth. Remember, one full tooth is 10 cam degrees, which is usually the full adjustment amount of an adjustable cam gear(each direction). I belive i had to adjust on my AEM's about 5 degrees. The actual width of thre tooth on the cam gear has NOTHING to do with how much was taken off the head...think about it.. We have 2 cam gears, not one, so when one gear moves, it moves the other gear also, which makes the timing marks even farther away from centerline..Perfect timing is the cam gear marks being in perfect centerline with the center of the cam gear bolt holes. It's pretty easy to line up the marks, OUT of bolt centerline, esp when material was taken off of the head. If you say it doesnt take much to line them up, take a straight edge to your marks, I'd bet they are either above or below cam bolt centerline..It really is decieving, because the cam gear marks "look" perfect.. I always use a straight edge to line up my marks, as I hold it to the cam bolt hole centers, and then the straight edge should run right ontop of the cam gear TDC marks. I've had plenty of experience with setting timing belts, shaved heads, and adjusting cam gears.. A total of .043" taken off of the head, is at LEAST a full tooth..not to mention considerably higher compression ratio.

Matt has a point about timing belt geometry, and without using math calculations with belt legnth and how far apart the teeth of the belt are, positions of the pulley, etc... I doubt a simple measurement will do it, but I could be wrong, and no I'm not going to do the math.

Think about this though. Once you go beyond half a tooth off, pull the cam gears back a full tooth and the amount off will be less than a half tooth. (Does that make sense reading it?)

You should never be more than a half a tooth out to adjust with the cam gears. If you are re-time the engine and then adjust with the gears.

Exile Racing Technologies
http://www.exileracing.com
Go that way, really fast, if something gets in your way... turn.