Refreshing the top end

[Sirnixalot]

Im planning on refreshing the top end of my 1.3sr engine this weekend.

Im doing the gaskets, valve seals, plugs, dizzy cap and rotor. Also planning on soaking the pierburgh carb and cleaning up the combustion chambers/pistons tops.

Anything else i should do while i have the head off?

[big gra]

if you want to get it done right get the head skimmed, or even polished and ported!

[Stuart]

hmm i wonder how much of this will be teaching you to suck eggs lol.

Relap the valves
decoke (but then again it will be back within mintutes)
get all threads in the head cleaned up
get the cam carrier skimmed and the top of the head skimmed, gives a touch more cam lift etc, but more importantly keeps everything parallel.

[craig green]

new hydraulic lifters?
valve guide stem, oil seals?
water pump
carb service/rebuild kit

Thats what I'd do aswell if that avenue is to be explored.

[Sirnixalot]

lol Stuart....not sure on the egg sucking joke, can i get an explanation?

I intend to relap the valves but i dont think ill have enough for a head skim etc.

The lifters seem to be ok on this one, i will clean them out and refill them with oil though.

Will have to check the water pump and see if it needs changing then.

thanks guys

[Stuart]

the suck eggs term is something old folks use when they are telling someone how to do something they already know...... im not "that" old though lmao

[Sirnixalot]

LOL ok. yeah its not my first time doing something like this but ive never worked on an engine so old.

Have just picked up
head bolts ?11
5l of oil ?11
2l of gear box oil ?7
oil filter ?3
valve lapping paste ?4

The gasket kit should be arriving tommorow and that was ?9

I know its only 44 quid but damn thats taken a bite, instant ramen for me for a while lol

[grpArallye]

Just a quick question Stuart... you talked about skimming the top of the head and the cam carrier, obviously this is going to give you an increase in valve lift of X amount that you skimmed off the carrier.

In practical applications say that your rally car had to run a 'standard cam' in order to compete, how much extra gain do you think this mod would give if you skimmed 1mm off in total? as your not doing much to alter the duration? and more importantly you've still got the standard camshaft ;)

[Stuart]

thats cheating and I shant condone that :p

[craig green]

How would the valves close if you took 1mm off the cam box?

[Stuart]

1mm is a hell of a lot to be fair...
but the hydro lifters "should" cope..Its only a theory for more lift etc for no cam outlay... trueing up the cam box is a wise thing to do though.

[Sirnixalot]

hmm im guessing the springs would compress the 1mm?

[grpArallye]

I belive taking 1mm off the bottom of the hydrulic adjusters would solve that problem whilst still maintaining the extra lift! and anyway its not cheating.... more of a grey area... if it doesn't say you can't then well its fair game!

Cheating would be sticking the crank, rods and ecu from a 205 1.9 gti into a 1.6 which I belive a lot of the rally boys used to do before someone clocked it! :roll:

but back to the point, do the power gains justify the expense and fiddling about? :D

[Stuart]

no expense.... (well a head set and a brief skim)..

not done it as its a THEORY as said :p..

Id rather compete in a completely legal car and do as well as i can than cheat just because the rest of the loser winners do....

[Sirnixalot]

yeah but putting competition rules aside it seems like a cheap way of getting some etra lift :thumb:

[stv-b16a]

yes it does dosent it???