I want to perform my own valve work.
I already have a spring compressor....I remember way back when that there were some beveled stones that one would use to lightly re-face the valve seats...
They reminded me of beveled dremmel stones. Hopefully I'll have minimal issues w/valve guides.
Anywhoooo...I'm up for rebuilding my heads. I'd appreciate any links to the tools required.
I know its probably safer to pull the heads and staff it out. Especially if the guides need to be redone.
I'm just trying to save as much money as possible.
Thanks for any tips-ED

 

You'll spend more money on equipment for valve jobs than you would a new set of aftermarket heads.

First of all, if you want to grind the seats the guides have to be nice and tight. If the valve stems are worn you'll have to replace those and if the guides are shot they have to be drilled and reamed for inserts. Then once that is fixed you put a pilot through the new guide and use the tapered stones. The face of the stones have to be pretty exact...about a degree of angle off of what the valve face is. They frequently have to be redressed to keep them at the correct angle and that requires a diamond tip. Also, the faces of the valves have to be ground in a seperate machine.

If you want to do it at home, strip everything down then clean the head off good.Wire wheel the valves to get the junk off and then use valve grinding compound and a hand lapper. Reclean, install valve stem seals, and put your springs back on.

I didn't read all of this site but it looks to be good info: http://home.hiwaay.net/~langford/corvair/valvejob.html

Derek

 

Thanks BIG TIME for the notes and link.
It's been ages since I worked on heads (30 years) and I've been googling my hind end off
trying to re-acquaint myself to the basic steps and the critical pitfalls that one must consider.
I never had to replace any guides but from my readings, its not that hard.
Of course, that's if all goes well, and I am not an optimist at heart.
Yes..I remember re-facing valves and we had a machine just for those steps.
I'm in hopes that I will be able to skip those procedures.
I dunno if I can farm that out at the head shop or not....I'm hoping I don't have to.

That is very much the old method that I used to follow. There was a stone that I would chuck up in a hand drill, it's guide was inserted into the valve guide of the head, and concentricity was 'usually' good enough. Then I would hand lap each valve to its seat, clean up, reassemble and remount the completed head.


Thanks again for your time and attention.
You can't begin to realize what an issue you've solved for me.
Now on to find those stones.
-ED

PS-LOL...I read that exact link this morning...on the corvair head. The basics and noteworthies are all in there.
Printed it out. Thanks PnFord-