I have an extremely late cast (87) nos head that I plan to have gently milled for an aluminum block slant. (The head is still covered with gooey cosmoline.) I also have a set of stock MP valves with all of their attendant springs, retainers etc. I can easily put the assembly together myself but are there other considerations concerning valve fittment that I should entrust to my machinist? Just looking to save a few $$. Thanks!

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. . . there was good sport at his making.

Even with all brand new parts they should be cut by the machinist or you could end up with a valve that will leak. Seats & valves should be cut, plus the valve guide clearance should be set. I would expect the surface to maybe need cut also with the head being NOS. It could be checked but my guess is its not true simply from the metal seasoning & seatling.


If you know how to do head work and know what to look for these things can be checked and maybe get by without doing the machine work. But my guess is that this is something you do not know about or you would not be asking the questions. It is very common for new assymbled heads to need taking apart and machined becuase of the tight clearances that are needed to work correctly. For instance the valve guide clearance if not set correctly can cause the valve to stick open & then the valve will hit the piston possibly causing major damage. It would be worth the money even if on a budget to get these things worked as needed. The engine will be able to run much smoother & cleaner and be able to hold a good tune better also. I am afraid this is just one area skimping does not pay off, and good machine work can help a engine run better than its expected results, or the other way around.


Jess

Thanks Lucky! As you suspected my skills do not extend into the world of fine machine work and your answer hit on all the areas I needed to hear.

_________________
. . . there was good sport at his making.