Fitting A New Head?

How easy is it to fit a new Head? - I've got a friend who says he'll polish/port and reposition the valves do a whole head rebuild for ?150 for me, but i've gotta fit it myself..

(i've never really done engine work before like this, i've only ever cleaned carbs / replaced suspension / brakes e.t.c)

its not that hard, the hardest thing is getting the cam timing right!
i done my a few months ago and had it off done the head work and back on in a day and a half!

You're from the Norwich area (so am I).. chrz for ur reply tho, think i might give it ago!

Getting the head on/off is not difficult. Can be time consuming though, and you're best advsied to take the engine out to do it if you can.

If you can't it's still doable, but you will end up with grazed knuckles  :x

The head is located onto the block by the head bolts, and by a couple of steel pins - so "fitting" it is a no brainer.

Re-attaching all the ancilliaries (intake/exhaust manifolds) is the thing that can take the time - and is the main reason paying someone else to replace your head gasket costs so much.

Ali Cabrio

Is there any major peformance / reliability / general advantages to doing this? - My friend is a precision engineer and so i have the tools available for me for a rebuild(and i cant afford to get someone to do it professionally)?  although ?150 sounds cheap!

?150 is cheap if he's polishing ports/sorting valves.

It is removing/replacing the head that takes the time and is a pain.

Replacing a head gasket is ?40 - parts, ?660 labour approx.

Ali

Having the valves redone means that the compression is higher, which makes starting much easier and will restore a lot of the lost power over the miles you've done. I was advised, if the head is coming off or the engine is out of the car, at least do this, for the effort it would be.

Regrinding (or repositioning) the valves, will help ensure they are gas tight and ensure more efficient burn etc. Should not effect the compression ratio, this is more down to removing excess carbon/ soot etc from valve seat areas and from piston tops/chambers.

You also will not increase compression ratio, but reduce it (all the bits of muck/rough casting increase the compression ratio). The point is it the compression ratio is returned to what it should be when it was built and therefore how the engine was designed to run. Bear in mind the head is only one half of the engine. If you have dodgy piston rings or weak bottom end bearings they might not take or detract from the increased performance/effiency of the reconditioned head.

Happy porting