Professional Cylinder Head Prep

We use only our premium hand chosen cores that are inspected closely for flaws and imperfections. If we are using new cylinder head castings then we also inspect them very closely for any manufacturing flaws or imperfections. The head castings are thermal cleaned and seasoned. We magnaflux the heads to check for any cracks and if no cracks are found then we shot blast and stress relieve the head cores. Then the heads are magnafluxed again to check for any hidden cracks. The heads will be sonic tested in critical areas if applicable.

We will recondition or replace the valve guides as required and the guides will be cut down for added camshaft lift and for the use of our Viton positive valve stem seals. All valve guides get finished reamed and hone fit for exact valve guide clearance. If needed then we will install hardened valve seats with maximum press fit using our sure lock process for added security. Then we cut in the new valve seat contact for proper valve height and bowl blend the seat into the port. At this point the heads will be ported if applicable.

All of the valves are precision ground, valve stem tips are machined and corrected, and all of the valve stems are micro polished for flawless smooth guide operation. A three to five angle valve job is performed with the correct seat placement and seat width for maximum cylinder head seat flow. The depth of the operation depends on the application of the cylinder head design.

We will test and check the cylinder head chamber volume to get an accurate compression ratio measurement. This is also done to insure both heads are presenting the same chamber volume so each head is making the same compression throughout each cylinder.

All cylinder heads are precision milled to our intended specification. We will test the RA (Roughness Average) surface finish of all heads to insure the finish is as recommended for the use of the chosen design head gasket. We then chamfer all edges of the head and the chamber to remove any detonation points, we chamfer all of the head bolt holes to remove stress raisers, and we will correct the intake manifold head surface for a proper intake seal.

We then check the installed height and the valve spring pressures. We will correct heights as needed by adding valve spring shims or by cutting valve seat pockets in the cylinder head. If larger springs are required the spring seat diameter is machined for the required spring diameter. We will confirm retainer to guide clearance using the applicable valve lift, check for spring coil bind, and make sure all clearances are correct for flawless operation.

The heads are thoroughly assembly washed, valve guides scrubbed, water ports washed out of all machining debris, and completely dried. All cylinder head parts are assembly washed. Heads are all laid out in order with correct and clean parts. Valve guides are lubed with our own moly based valve guide lubrication, valves are installed and smooth guide operation final checked, valve tip height confirmed, Viton positive seals are installed, and the valve springs are properly placed and installed. The heads are final vacuum tested to insure 100% valve seat seal.

Heads are then covered and painted with high temperature engine paint to our customers desired color. After the paint is cured then we will install all needed core plugs and seal them if applicable. The cylinder heads are then wrapped for cleanliness and moved to the assembly room.