Any one in the Bay Area....

I'm in need of quick referral to an excellent aluminum welder in the Bay area or East Bay, at least someone with experience in welding air cool heads....

Stupid me, without thinking carefully (and last time I played with the heads about six years ago), I tried to press out the old intake guides and S$%T, there's a shoulder on the top part of the guide, being forced into a smaller hole! Yeah, dummy me!

I really need to move fast as I want to get the engine out into the car before WWC...so HELP!! Anyone???

Thanks in advance....sigh!

jerry

Best I could od is a spare head you could borrow.

Rich

doesn't Patrick Pickerell do that type of stuff?


His account here:
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?act...ODE=03&MID=1048



Sc

Yes, I will try call Patrick on Monday and see what he can do....

Spare head to borrow...umm, that's really nice offer and I might have to decline that as I want to finish the engine without having to open it up again...

If there's anyone who is willing to sell me a good 2.0L head that has not been "butchered" (weird machine shop work), then by all means, i'm very interested in buying one reasonably priced... I found two in the EVIL BAY but I rather have it inspected before buying it...pretty impossible with ebay crapolas...

I still like to hear from any of you regarding to finding a good welder as I have other pieces that I'd like to have 'em weld. I really want to get the car out to WCC if possible....

thanks

jerry

PLease shoot a picture and post and I will ask my welding god if he wishes to come down from Mt. Olympus and help a mortal.

Jay at Jay's Precision Machine is one of the best in the area, but you will have to convince him to turn it around quickly... Tell him you need it NOW. Ellsworth on Independence in Mountain View usually has a very quick turnaround. There are others too. The issue is going to be getting the work done right AND quickly.

Hi again....

I got around to take pictures...it sure worth a zillion of words....

Okay, here's the pictures of two different heads(somewhere down below the screen) ....the one that I broke and the replacement to replace the broken one.....jeez, look what I found after disassembled it ....interesting setting....someone went thru the trouble to make fittings on the valve guides for the stem seals!!! Not only that, if you take a close look at both heads, especially the area where the valve springs sit, the "round step up" part has been machined off on the replacement head!

I'm assuming I ain't the only one breaking heads ...so I guess that fella musta have decided to machine off the whole step ups (probably after he broke one!), modify the guides, and then slap it all together!

The guides had hardened washer underneath the "shoulder" (of the guide itself) which acts like a 'mini' step up to center the valve springs when assembled. And then the valve stem seals were used in a manner that it actually worked. Very much like the early 911 head set up. I noticed the size of the intake stem seals may be from VW Rabbit/Scirroco as the 911 valve stem are much 'fatter' than the 914's.

I wouldn't mind doing the modification work on the new guides but I came across stunned (after bead blasted the head), there's big 'potholes' underneath the intake valve SEAT!!

Man, I'm soo pissed that I'm back to square one, I NEED A WELDER or ANOTHER REPLACEMENT HEAD!!!

So Patrick, here's the pictures for your welding god...I'll try group the picutre to each head so maybe out of the two problematic heads, one could be done easier than other? Let me know what could be done and I can swing by in the afternoon ....we're only about three or so blocks away!!

And for anyone out there, SELL ME YOUR 2.0L HEAD!!!

J

Here's the picture....

Same head, inside the guide bore:

Same head again, somewhere around the bore:

Now, the weird head....with the "step up" part machined off...

and with the 'pothole' markings underneath the valve seat...some on the intake tract....

Same pothole'd head....

Patrick....

To do the welding on the Weird Head....the valve seat replacement can be a big deal....I'm hoping the Broken Head could be salavage....I just want the crack on the bore part taken care of, maybe weld the broken step up pieces back on or "fill" weld (fabricate in welding) the whole step up part and I can machine it to duplicate the actual step up part....let me know what you think and if your welding god is running away, how about a refferal?

I'm planning on calling the motorcycle shops and see what they have for welding heads....aircool, at least!

thanks,
j

oh...

I forgot to show you this....the valve guides...thought you might be interested in seeing the difference...

Short guides in the picture are the modified ones VS to the brand new 914 guides....

j

the other ones....

Engine builders....Jake, Brad, anyone...

Do you find the valve stem seals an advantage in keeping oil out from coming in the combustion area compare to stock set up on 914s?

Will that lead to lubrication problem for the valve stem rubbing on the bore of the guide?

Isn't that what the bronze alloy guides are all about for eliminating the friction problem? Or that has to do with the unlead gas issue? I do recalled the time of changing over of leaded gas to unleaded and the older P-cars would have valvetrain problems due to incompatiable chemical/metal reactions between valves, guides & seats when switching to unlead gas.

I'm looking at ideas of not bothering with the repair on the step up part and just do what I found on the Weird Head, using modified valve guides with stem seals. Tell me if you think it's a bad idea....

j

Both heads need a lot of work, I'd try to find a better head.

The one, with the improper guide removal, will cost more than it's worth IMO. Even if you weld up the head, welding the guide bore is a tough job, then to machine it straight and new seats for sure. Personally, I would over-quote this head, just to make you find a better core.

The other one looks like it was sitting in a field for a few years. You could machine new bosses, hold them in with an old guide, weld them in and re-machine the spring seating area. The potholes should also be done and new seats of course. T4's don't need valve stem seals, that head work is a total butcher job.

Both will cost ya more than buying a good core and having it re-done.