inspect those new heads BEFORE installing them!

[grumpyvette]

NEW/HEADS, you should NOT just bolt them on!

now Ill probably tick some guys off here, but I see enought heads come thru the shop to point out a comon problem, and its NOT limited to one or a couple manufacturers, Ive seen it on nearly every brand and type of cylinder head!, what Im refering to is bits of casting flash, bits of aluminum or cast iron chips from machine work or sloppy assembly, burred threads, threads that are not cleanly cut,ETC. on new out of the box cylinder heads, I won,t name brands BUT some of the top names have bits of aluminum chips/dust/crud left in the ports in as shipped heads and disassembly and use of a stiff tooth brush, high pressure air and carb cleaner spray along with reassembly with the proper lubricants and running a tap thru threads and cleaning all machined surfaces with solvent,is almost mandatory if your don,t want bits of crud washing around in the engine durring first starting the engine. it sure doesn,t hurt to check the spring bind and other clearances, and that the valve seals are correctly installed either
IM sure the manufacturers used a high pressure air hose to blow out the ports and water passages, but theres comonly some crud remaining so inspect carefully, and clean those new heads BEFORE installing them
, yes the cheaper brands seem more prone to this problem but even the best brands are comonly seen to be recieved in less than steller condition, and need some basic clean-up
BTW, one of these tools comes in handy durring the inspection process

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...9&autoview=sku

[gmjunkie]

Great Post,Grumpy!!! And all so True!!!Not just heads either,I've cussed Holly Carburetors for 30 years over a new carburetor that was Full of shavings and junk from manufacture!!! They won't get a second chance to burn my car!!!

[G Winter]

I earn my living doing machine work. If water based coolant is used during the machine process, the part can get very sticky. Aluminum especially requires a high coolant to water ratio. The higher the more sticky it gets. You will need a pretty good cleaner to soak the chips lose. Just air don't cut it. I use scrubbing bubbles to clean my machines. It has a small amount of acid in it may turn it color but don't think it will hurt aluminum .Good tip grumpy.

Glenn