new member, rust in cylinder head

klockhartd · Post by **klockhartd** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 12:30 am

this forum is great, however i have little to no experience with engine rebuild. i bought a 63 ca77 i found out the pistons weren't setting right, so i dropped the engine and pulled the cylinder head, hoping to save some labor costs... since then, i have found light rust inside the cylinder head. is there any secrets to getting the rust off? also, i have had a hard time finding someone who is willing to grind the pistons, any help would be great...!

kustommusic · Post by **kustommusic** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 4:43 pm

Klockhartd, Welcome to our forum. I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "the pistons were not setting right",mabey a picture would help. And "grind the pistons"? That isn't somthing one would do, so help us out here with more explaination. Do you have a shop manual? That would be a very good way to start your project. Good Luck! Kustommusic

joeweir1 · Post by **joeweir1** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 7:44 pm

Maybe he means the valves??????

klockhartd · Post by **klockhartd** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 6:42 pm

yes, valves, my mistake. i heard that to stop the valves from leaking, even if they're new, they need to be ground? most of the bike shops, and some auto shops i have talked to, have declined to work on the valves. should bike shops be able to work on valves, or should i look else where to find someone who can? machinist?

also, as far as the rust, i talked to someone who says i can use an oil based cleaner (wd40?) and then to keep it in a plastic sack to keep it out of the air.

joeweir1 · Post by **joeweir1** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 9:25 pm

Are the valves /seats actually pitted?You could try lapping them yourself with some coumpound and lapping tool.You may find some old posts on this site on the grinding or not grinding of these valves.I believe it was discussed before.

e3steve · Post by **e3steve** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 3:15 pm

Grinding (lapping) the valves is the easy part. With the exact right-sized sucker tool and the grinding paste (carborundum), a wire wheel to clean up the valves in order to get the sucker to stick successfully to the face and plenty of patience, it's a doddle. BUT:

first you need a suitable tool -- a valve spring compressor -- and the initial patience, some knowledge, storage cups (old aerosol lids are good) for the springs/collets/spring bearer plates, etc., marker pen (to mark the cups L-in, L-ex, etc).

And while you have them out (oo-er, missus!), you may as well polish the ports -- working through the grades of Emery cloth -- and replace the valve springs.

Once that's all done, re-assemble the entire jigsaw, tighten some old plugs in place, invert the head and brim each combustion chamber with kerosene (less flammable than petrol!) to prove your valve-lapping workmanship, ensuring that it doesn't leak out through the ports. It should still be there in the morning. If it drains away, note which port(s) contain the traces of kero & do that seat again until it seals.

Given time, patience and a suitable workbench where nothing gets shoved around in your absence, you'll end up being proud of your first head-job!

LOUD MOUSE · Post by **LOUD MOUSE** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 7:47 pm

I use lacquer thinner because it will show leaks in a hurry and evaporates which leaves the head clean. .............lm

e3steve wrote:Grinding (lapping) the valves is the easy part. With the exact right-sized sucker tool and the grinding paste (carborundum), a wire wheel to clean up the valves in order to get the sucker to stick successfully to the face and plenty of patience, it's a doddle. BUT:

first you need a suitable tool -- a valve spring compressor -- and the initial patience, some knowledge, storage cups (old aerosol lids are good) for the springs/collets/spring bearer plates, etc., marker pen (to mark the cups L-in, L-ex, etc).

And while you have them out (oo-er, missus!), you may as well polish the ports -- working through the grades of Emery cloth -- and replace the valve springs.

Once that's all done, re-assemble the entire jigsaw, tighten some old plugs in place, invert the head and brim each combustion chamber with kerosene (less flammable than petrol!) to prove your valve-lapping workmanship, ensuring that it doesn't leak out through the ports. It should still be there in the morning. If it drains away, note which port(s) contain the traces of kero & do that seat again until it seals.

Given time, patience and a suitable workbench where nothing gets shoved around in your absence, you'll end up being proud of your first head-job!