As the title says, is this head usable? I have several heads however each set has one unique problem, I am trying to find out which I should use.

My question is regarding the large dimples in the chamber- I am not talking about cracks or other issues. (the guy that I purchased this from must have really pissed his neighbor off. He said his neighbor put a nut in the spark plug hole. In addition, F#$@ You written on the head with a sharpie)

for a door stop!


only if you had to.

it looks pretty bet up, you'd have to get it checked for cracks [some say they are all cracked]. and check to make sure the valves are not bent.

Not worth it, IMHO.

Is that a crack to the left of the spark plug hole? I would be most concerned about cracks and the condition of the valve seats, guides and valves. There also must be enough material so fly cutting will clean up mating surfaces.

Not sure if there is a crack, it is too damaged for me to tell. This is the worst of the 6 heads that I have to choose from. I was just curious. I have another head that is in decent shape however it has some mild pitting.

How deep can they go when flycutting without causing issues?

Steve, you could salvage those heads if you learned to weld aluminum and didnt mind wasting a lot of time getting them correct. I think we are alike in that this proposal sounds intriguing rather than a huge waste


For finding cracks, you can use the same method that some texts recommend for finding scabie burrows (inside Dr. thing).

So can I treat my heads with permethrin?

Find not treat. Use toner ink, or other powdered ink/dust media to find cracks

That head has been flycut a lot. The compression ratio on those two cylinders will be elelvated.

Someone polished the chambers and my guess is they were used in a Hi-Perf application and obviously something went wrong.

My advice?
Step away from the junk head!

Since it AL, heliarc and a mill will make it usable. Did it for many years for the track cars.

In case you didnt know, Len is THE head guy

We know